The wind whipped around the high balcony of the mountain estate, carrying the cold scent of rain and crushed pine needles. Victor grabbed my wrists, his fingers digging into my flesh until my hands went completely numb. Down below, the dark jagged rocks waited in the fog. My teal silk dress tore against the cold concrete railing as I struggled against his grip.
Victor: You thought you could take my company away from me, Elena?
Elena: The board knows what you did, Victor! They have the bank statements!
Victor: The board doesn't care about a dead woman!
I looked past his shoulder and saw his mother, Margaret, standing near the glass doors in her gold satin suit. She held her glass of wine, watching us with a cold, uncaring expression.
Elena: Margaret, help me! He's insane!
Margaret: You should have taken the settlement check when I offered it to you, dear.
Victor: Goodbye, Elena.
Victor shoved me hard over the iron railing. My hands slipped off the cold metal. I felt the awful weightlessness of falling as the stone balcony vanished into the darkness above. The wind roared in my ears as the rocky mountain ledge rushed up to meet me.
Victor: My name is on the building! You can't touch me!
His angry voice echoed from the top of the cliff, fading fast against the sharp gusts of wind. I crashed into the brush and jagged rocks below, a blinding pain shooting through my spine as everything went dark. Blood dripped down my neck from deep scratches, but as I opened my eyes and looked up at his tiny silhouette against the night sky, a cold smile spread across my face.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a tiny glass vial, holding it up against the dark clouds. The clear liquid inside was already empty.
Elena: Look closely, Victor... it's already running through your veins.