---- Chapter 19: I've Got Money! Time to Build My Empire! The kindergarten opened at eight, but thanks to Leo's constant pestering, Clara managed to get there by 7:50 sharp. She waited under the shade of a tree for quite a while before Sierra finally showed up, fashionably late as usual, Once Elsie was safely inside, Clara leaned in like she was about to spill some juicy tea. "Girl, I've got some big news!" Sierra perked up. "What kind of big news?" Clara grinned. "We're neighbors now!" As expected, Sierra instantly grabbed Clara's ear and gave it a good twist. "Clara! You moved and didn't even tell me? And you call yourself my bestie2!" Clara laughed as she made her escape, waving dramatically over her shoulder. "That's why I'm telling you first thing this morning! You're officially invited to witness the tragic tale of a woman living under someone else's roof. Tonight. Be there!" She took off running. "I'm gonna be late for ---- work-don't be mad! See you tonight!" The new place was farther from her job than before-ten minutes by car, or about a thirty-minute walk. She figured she'd walk today and treat it as her morning workout. As she strolled, Clara was already planning dinner. What would be impressive enough to keep Sierra from grilling her all night? First things first, she sent the evening menu over to Aunt Paige. Clara got home at exactly six o'clock. Not five minutes later, the doorbell rang. Bingo. Sierra and Elsie had arrived. "Welcome to my humble borrowed abode!" Clara joked. Sierra stepped inside and gasped. "Whoa! This place is huge! Gotta be at least three thousand square feet, right? Damn, these floor-to-ceiling windows are amazing. The view is insane..." She wandered from room to room, chatting like three people at once. "This kitchen is goals! I'm doing mine like this. And that ceiling? So sleek! Clara, girl, you nailed it!" Clara rolled her eyes. "It's not even mine! I'm just crashing here temporarily. I invited you over so you ---- wouldn't be mad at me-don't expect a standing invite. I'm just a guest in this mansion!" Sierra waved it off. "It's all good. My new place will be ready next month anyway. I'll save you a guest room-you're always welcome." Clara called the kids over for dinner. Leo was over the moon. He wolfed down his food at record speed and dragged Elsie off to keep playing on the slide in his room. By nine o'clock, the two of them were still glued together. In the end, they decided Elsie would sleep over. Clara clapped her hands. "Perfect. It's been ages since we've had a good all-nighter!" Once the kids were tucked in, Clara opened a bottle of red wine and joined Sierra on the balcony rocking chairs. Sierra took a sip and sighed. "God, I haven't chilled like this in forever. Remember college? We'd walk laps around the track just talking about nonsense-celebrity gossip, who was dating who, all the dumb little things in our class." Clara smiled. "Yeah, those were the days. Remember that guy in our class who had a crush on you and kept ---- following you around? We thought he was some creep and almost kicked him into the campus lake!" Sierra shot her a look. "Excuse me? He was following you! You said the same thing in front of Austin last time-are you trying to get me killed?" Clara chuckled, teasing in her voice. "What's the panic? Afraid your ex is still gonna get jealous?" Sierra took another gulp of wine, avoiding Clara's eyes. "I don't know. Maybe it's just habit. We were together many years. You don't just flip a switch and move on." Clara nodded, eyes twinkling. "Well, to be fair, Austin was a total hottie." Sierra didn't even pretend to deny it. "Damn right. If it wasn't for that face, I wouldn't have fallen for such a scam." Austin had checked every single box on her list. She'd spotted him across the bar, their eyes met, and boom -instant fireworks. One wild night turned into something real fast. He wasn't just good-looking-he was talented too. He built a tiny ad agency from the ground up, and within two years landed the ad rights for five subway lines in Silverton. The guy became a rising star in the industry overnight, making money hand over fist. ---- Only problem? He had way too many friends. Born and raised in Silverton, Austin went to school there, worked there, and seemed to know literally everyone. One day it was a party, the next a dinner, the next a work function-nonstop socializing. Before Elsie came along, Sierra was all about that life too. She loved the buzz, the networking, the crowds. But after having Elsie, everything changed. She wanted to be with her daughter every moment and started resenting Austin's constant absence. And right when cracks began to show... in waltzed Samantha. She was the younger sister of a close friend, practically raised under Austin's nose. They'd grown up on the same block, and since Austin never had a sister, he'd always spoiled Samantha like one. When she came back from studying abroad, she had transformed-elegant, polished, soft-spoken. The entire friend group lost their minds. She started popping up at more and more events, and of course, Austin was always there too. The more they saw each other, the more Samantha started catching feelings. And she made sure Sierra knew it. ---- She friended Sierra just to stir the pot. One day it was a cozy pic at the bar with their drinks clinking. The next, a selfie in a train car, snuggled up real close. Sierra hit the roof. Austin brushed it off. "It's nothing! Bad angle, wrong timing, tons of people were there-don't overthink it." And just like that, the fights would fizzle out. But then came the night that changed everything. It was 2 AM when Sierra woke up and realized Austin still wasn't home. She called him on video. The call connected fast... but it wasn't Austin who picked up. It was Samantha. Wearing a hotel robe. Her face was flushed, hair messy, and-yep-hickeys all over her neck. Austin was passed out in the background, shirtless, snoring like a baby. You know how the rest of the story goes-fights, denials, heartache, and eventually... divorce. Sierra had done her fair share of soul-searching. Maybe their relationship had started too fast, with no real foundation. Maybe it was doomed from the beginning. Either way... it was over. By the time they finished most of the bottle, Sierra was full-on tipsy, hugging Clara, kissing her cheek, and ---- shouting dramatically, "I've got money! I'm gonna build an empire!" It took all of Clara's strength to drag her inside and tuck her into bed. The next morning, Sierra woke up fresh as a daisy... with no memory whatsoever. Instead, she whined at Clara for not helping her remove her makeup or wash her face, insisting her skin felt horrible now. Clara just gritted her teeth and promised herself-next time, she was filming everything for proof.