Blood in the Shark Tank

During the holiday weekend, my mother-in-law and I went to visit the city aquarium. The crowds were shoulder to shoulder, and amidst the pushing, an immaculately dressed woman suddenly lashed out.

Do you have eyes in your heads?! You're crushing my bag! This is a limited edition! If you ruin it, can you two poor beggars even afford to pay for it?!

I looked at her calmly.

"This is a public space, not your private living room. If you're so terrified of someone brushing against your bag, why don't you build your own private aquarium to look at the fish?"

The woman's face twisted with humiliated rage.

"My husband actually did build this aquarium! I make the rules here! I am ordering you to get the hell out right now! Stop polluting my space!"

My mother-in-law and I both froze. This aquarium was built by Sebastian Sinclair. Since when did he become her husband?

When the realization finally hit me, my entire body began to tremble.

Sebastian was keeping a mistress.

My mother-in-law was shaking with fury too. She pointed a finger right at the woman's nose.

"Where did this crazy woman come from?! Sebastian is my son! His legally wedded wife is standing right here! Who the hell do you think you are, barking orders in this place?!"

Instead of panicking at the harsh scolding, the woman threw her head back and laughed like she had just heard the greatest joke in the world.

"You two poor beggars have the nerve to pretend to be Mrs. Sinclair and her daughter-in-law? That is hilarious!"

My mother-in-law had specifically dressed down today to avoid drawing attention and have a quiet, normal experience. Who would have thought her low profile would lead to her identity being questioned?

"Whether you believe it or not, I don't care. I never liked using my status to bully people, but this is Sinclair territory. The only one rolling out of here is you!" my mother-in-law snapped sharply.

A mocking smirk tugged at the corners of the woman's lips. Her eyes scanned my mother-in-law's plain canvas tote bag like a barcode reader.

"Right." She scoffed through her nose.

"You put on a decent act. But everyone knows the elder Mrs. Sinclair is a complete recluse. And the younger Mrs. Sinclair is always by the CEO's side at high-end galas. They would never dress like absolute trash and squeeze into a crowded, sweaty public aquarium. Who are you trying to fool?"

People had already stopped walking, forming a circle around us. The curious stares and hushed whispers felt like tiny needles piercing my skin.

My mother-in-law's face went from flushed red to a sickly pale, her breathing growing ragged. I quickly grabbed her arm to support her, terrified she might pass out from the anger.

"What? Cat got your tongue?"

Seeing our silence, the woman's arrogance swelled. She pulled out her phone, swiping the screen with exaggerated, dramatic motions.

"Do you want me to call Sebastian right now and have him expose you two frauds in person? Oh, wait. He's incredibly busy making money right now. He doesn't have the time to entertain a couple of nobodies."

My mother-in-law's lips were turning purple. I squeezed her hand tightly, feeling the tremors wracking her frame.

I took a deep breath, forcing the violent storm inside my chest to settle.

Getting into a screaming match with this kind of woman in public would only lower us to her level. That was exactly what she wanted.

"Call him."

My voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable, freezing authority.

"Call Sebastian right now. Put it on speaker. Let us all hear how he has absolutely no time for his legally wedded wife and the mother who gave birth to him."

My sheer composure clearly caught her off guard.

She paused for a second, but her aggressive facade quickly snapped back into place.

"Wow, you are really committed to this bit, aren't you? You won't cry until you see the coffin."

She let out a harsh sneer and shoved her phone screen right in our faces. The contact pulled up was Sebastian's private, unlisted number.

"See this? His private line! Do you think a couple of cheap frauds would have access to this?"

It felt like a hand made of solid ice had reached into my chest and crushed my heart. The pain was so suffocating I couldn't breathe.

Sebastian... he had actually given this woman his private number.

All those nights he claimed he was working late, those business dinners that dragged into the early hours of the morning, those faint whiffs of unfamiliar perfume lingering on his collar. They all rushed into my mind like a violent tide, turning into sharp blades tearing through my chest.

The crowd of onlookers was growing thicker, and the whispers were turning into loud murmurs.

The woman shrieked at us to take out our phones and show Sebastian's number. But we had left in such a hurry this morning that neither of us had brought our phones.

Seeing that we couldn't produce any proof, the doubtful looks from the crowd slowly shifted into judgmental sneers. They were completely enjoying the show.

She lifted her chin triumphantly, looking exactly like a peacock displaying its feathers.

"I knew you two beggars were lying! You're just making a fool of yourselves!"

My mother-in-law's body shook violently. It wasn't fear. It was pure, unadulterated rage.

She had lived her entire life with grace and dignity. Never once had she been subjected to this kind of public humiliation. Let alone by a woman of such trashy character pointing a finger in her face and questioning her very existence.

"You... you..."

Her voice trembled so badly she couldn't even string a complete sentence together.

Seeing this, the woman only sneered louder, pouring gasoline on the fire.

"Me what? You can't keep the act up anymore? I highly suggest you take the hint and get lost right now. Don't wait until I call security to drag you out. That is going to be incredibly ugly for you."

Right as the tension hit a breaking point, a man in a crisp manager's suit shoved his way through the tight crowd.

"What's going on here? Please keep the peace, everyone..."

His authoritative tone completely evaporated the second his eyes landed on the polished woman. An incredibly flattering, almost sickeningly sweet smile took over his face.

"Miss... Miss Vanessa! What are you doing here? Is someone giving you trouble?"

Vanessa looked at the manager like he was a loyal servant. Her chin tilted even higher.

"Manager Davis, perfect timing. These two crazy hags are causing a scene, and they even had the nerve to impersonate Mr. Sinclair's wife and mother! Get them out of here immediately! Looking at them makes my eyes hurt!"

Davis's expression instantly hardened. He turned to us, his eyes sharp and completely devoid of patience.

"Ladies, please leave the premises immediately. Do not cause trouble here and ruin the experience for our other guests. If you refuse, I will have security escort you out by force."

My mother-in-law shook with fury, pointing a trembling finger right at the manager.

"You! You are the manager of this facility, and you blindly listen to a one-sided story from her without even asking what happened? Do you have any idea who I am?!"

A fleeting look of contempt crossed Davis's face.

"Ma'am. I haven't had the honor of meeting the elder Mrs. Sinclair many times, but I know for a fact she wouldn't be dressed like you. Miss Vanessa is a VIP guest, personally entrusted to us by Mr. Sinclair himself. Please don't make this harder than it needs to be."

VIP.

I caught the keyword, and the chill in my heart turned to absolute freezing dread.

Sebastian had blatantly announced the existence of his mistress to his subordinates?

I gently pressed down on my mother-in-law's shaking arm and took a step forward. My cold gaze swept over both the manager and Vanessa.

"Manager Davis, is it? You call her a VIP, which means whatever falls out of her mouth is the absolute truth, and whatever we say is just nonsense. Is that how the Sinclair enterprise treats its guests?"

My voice was crystal clear and completely calm, carrying an oppressive weight that demanded answers.

Davis clearly hadn't expected me to question him with such ice-cold composure. He was momentarily stunned into silence.

But Vanessa was losing her patience.

"Stop wasting your breath on them! Manager Davis, call security right now!"

"I would love to see who dares!"

My mother-in-law, who had been suppressing her blinding rage this entire time, finally erupted with the true, terrifying authority of the Sinclair family matriarch.

She stopped looking at Vanessa entirely, dismissing her like a clown. She locked eyes with the manager and spoke with slow, precise hostility.

"You will call Sebastian Sinclair right now. Put it on speaker. I want to ask him personally when some random, shady woman got the right to bark orders in his facilities! I want to ask him if his own mother and his legally wedded wife are supposed to be thrown out of a Sinclair enterprise just because this trash said so!"

Her aura was absolutely suffocating. Davis was visibly rattled, a flash of genuine panic crossing his face.

Seeing his hesitation, Vanessa threw a furious fit.

"Call him! Sebastian is in a board meeting right now! Do you really think I'm scared of you two? Call him, Davis! Let these two frauds accept their pathetic reality!"

Under the watchful eyes of dozens of people, Davis pulled out his phone with a trembling hand and dialed the number saved as 'Boss'.

After a few long rings, a cold, automated voice echoed from the speaker.

"The number you have dialed is currently unavailable..."

Davis froze. He quickly dialed again, but got the exact same result.

"Mr. Sinclair might be in a meeting..." he tried to explain weakly.

But Vanessa whipped out her own phone, looking incredibly smug.

"Let me do it. Sebastian told me that whenever I call, no matter how busy he is, he will always pick up."

The call connected almost instantly.

The triumphant smile on Vanessa's face grew wildly arrogant. She even raised an eyebrow at us in blatant provocation.

"Baby, what's wrong?"

Sebastian's deeply familiar voice poured out of the speaker.

Her tone immediately shifted into something sickeningly sweet and whiny, playing the role of the spoiled, helpless damsel flawlessly.

"Sebastian, I ran into two crazy old women at the aquarium! They're bullying me! Come back me up!"

"What? That is ridiculous. Wait right there, baby. I'm dropping this meeting and heading over right now. How dare anyone touch my girl..."

The utter devotion and protective anger in his response felt like a dagger dipped in lethal poison, plunging straight into my chest.

My blood froze solid in my veins.

My mother-in-law gripped my hand with a deathly tight hold.

She had lived her entire life with unparalleled dignity. She had never suffered such a grotesque humiliation. And the worst part was that this humiliation was handed to her by the very son she had raised.

Pushed past the absolute limit of her endurance, she lunged forward and slapped Vanessa across the face.

"A dirty mistress acting this arrogant in broad daylight!"

The slap was incredibly loud and crisp. It carried every ounce of suppressed rage and humiliation, landing squarely on Vanessa's delicate cheek.

Time seemed to freeze.

Vanessa's head snapped to the side. A bright red handprint blossomed across her skin.

She covered her cheek, her eyes blown wide in sheer disbelief. The shock in her gaze rapidly morphed into something utterly venomous and unhinged.

"Okay. Good."

She gently rubbed her swollen cheek, looking at my mother-in-law and me like we were livestock waiting to be slaughtered.

"You ancient bitch. You dare hit me? Impersonating the Sinclair matriarch and laying hands on me? Today, I am going to show you exactly what happens when you cross Vanessa."

She whipped around to look at the terrified manager, her voice sharp and vicious.

"Manager Davis! What the hell are you standing there for?! Grab this crazy old hag!"

Davis, remembering how fiercely Sebastian had just defended her on the phone, quickly weighed the risks and made his choice.

"Grab the old woman!"

The second the words left his mouth, two security guards flanked my mother-in-law, grabbing her arms violently.

"Let go of her!"

My eyes went bloodshot. I fought like a madwoman, scratching and kicking, but another guard easily overpowered me, pinning me back.

Vanessa watched the scene with deep satisfaction. She rubbed her cheek again, her eyes darting around the facility before locking onto the massive, deeply illuminated shark tank at the center of the hall.

The dark, eerie blue water reflected against the thick glass. Several massive silhouettes were slowly circling in the depths.

A completely wicked plan formed in her mind.

She let out a chilling laugh and pointed at the guards.

"String this old bitch up over the shark tank."

All the color drained from the manager's face.

"Miss... Miss Vanessa, that is incredibly dangerous!"

"Shut your mouth!" she screamed, cutting him off entirely. "Do exactly as I say! Or I am calling Sebastian back, and you can kiss your career goodbye!"

He swallowed hard, trembling, and finally gave the security guards a defeated wave of his hand.

"No! You can't do this!" I screamed in absolute terror.

My mother-in-law finally realized the horrific danger she was in. She struggled violently.

"You venomous snake! What are you doing?!"

Vanessa completely ignored our desperate screams. She directed the guards to drag my mother-in-law to the service catwalk directly above the deepest, most active section of the shark enclosure.

"Vanessa! Stop this! Let her go! Sebastian will never forgive you for this!"

I cried out until my voice cracked, thrashing wildly. My nails dug into the guard's arm, drawing blood, but I still couldn't break his iron grip.

My mother-in-law's hands were tied behind her back. The mechanical winch slowly lifted her, leaving her dangling helplessly in the air above the massive tank.

"How does it feel, old hag? Enjoying the view from up there?"

I fought with everything I had, tears entirely blurring my vision.

"Vanessa! What do you want from us?! Let her down! Take it out on me!"

"Take it out on you?" Vanessa tilted her head as if she had just heard something fascinating. "Sure. You want me to let this old trash go? It's very simple."

She pointed a perfectly manicured finger at the cold, hard tile floor.

"You. Right now. Get on your knees. Kowtow to me eighteen times. And with every single hit to the floor, you will yell, 'I was wrong, I shouldn't have offended Miss Vanessa.' Once you finish, I might consider pulling her back up."

"Don't you dare!" my mother-in-law screamed from the air. "Audrey, do not kneel! This venomous snake isn't worth it!"

My whole body was shaking. I looked up at the woman who raised my husband, dangling over the jaws of death. I saw the terrifying dark shadows lurking beneath the water's surface.

Dignity meant absolutely nothing compared to her life.

"I'll kneel!"

My forehead slammed into the floor with a heavy, sickening thud.

"Audrey! Get up! Don't kneel to her!" my mother-in-law sobbed from above.

I didn't get up. I slammed my head down a second time.

"I was wrong... I shouldn't have offended Miss Vanessa."

Vanessa let out a delighted, ringing laugh, watching me like I was the main event at a circus.

By the time I finished the eighteenth kowtow, my forehead was a bruised, split mess. Warm blood trickled down my skin, blurring my vision and coating my face.

"Now. Let her go."

Vanessa clapped her hands, laughing so hard her shoulders shook.

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! I had no idea you two had such a touching bond!"

She walked over to the edge of the railing, placing her hand right over the release latch for the winch rope.

But she didn't press it.

"However..." She dragged the word out. "I changed my mind."

A cruel, totally twisted smile stretched across her face.

"You ruined my mood today. Just banging your head on the floor isn't nearly enough to make up for it. I need to give you a lesson... that you will never, ever forget!"

"No!" I let out a blood-curdling scream, lunging forward with everything I had.

But I was too late.

Vanessa ruthlessly hit the release, severing the cord that held my mother-in-law's life.

"Ah!"

A short, terrified gasp escaped my mother-in-law's lips as she plummeted straight into the shark tank below.

A massive splash echoed through the hall.

The water churned violently as the dark silhouettes of the predators darted forward with terrifying speed. The pristine blue water was instantly tainted with a horrifying cloud of red.

The world turned entirely crimson before my eyes.

My scream lodged in my throat, choking me into absolute silence.

She was gone.

Right in front of my eyes, the mistress my husband pampered had sent his own mother into the jaws of death.

Just then, a voice rang out from the crowd.

"Mr. Sinclair is here!"