The diamond before the fall

*The slap*

Emily's face burned with embarrassment and anger. "So what if she was hired by your mom? She is dead. We can fire her if she can't do her job."

The kitchen fell silent as Emily's words hung in the air. Heiley's eyes flashed, and before she could stop herself, her hand cracked across Emily's cheek. "If you talk about my mom again, you won't just get a slap," Heiley hissed, her voice low and venomous.

Emily's eyes widened in shock, her hand flying to her cheek. She opened her mouth to retaliate but burst into tears instead, covering her face with her hands.

Harris and Sarah rushed into the kitchen, eyes wide with concern. "What's going on here?" Harris demanded.

Emily immediately threw herself into Sarah's arms. "Heiley hit me! She's been bullying me all morning!"

Sarah's gaze swung to Heiley, confusion etched on her face. "Heiley, what happened?"

Heiley's chest heaved with anger. "She was disrespecting Nancy. Then she said Mom's dead so we can fire Nancy if she can't do her job. And bullying her? I don't know what she's talking about." Emily wailed louder, playing the victim to perfection.

Sarah's voice was firm as she turned to Emily. "Emily, you were wrong to talk to Nancy like that. And talking about Heiley's mom? That's not okay." Emily's face reddened, but Sarah continued, "Apologize to Nancy and Heiley. Now."

Emily looked like she'd been slapped again, but Heiley's expression softened slightly at Sarah's stance. "I'm sorry," Emily muttered and ran to her room.

Harris approached Heiley, his voice gentle. "Princess, I know Emily angered you by talking about your mom, but you shouldn't have slapped her."

Heiley's expression turned confused, a hint of hurt creeping in. "Dad, are you taking her side?"

She turned to Nancy, who was watching with concern. "Is my juice ready, Nancy?"

Nancy nodded, handing Heiley the glass. "Yes, Miss Heiley."

Heiley took the juice and headed upstairs without another word. Harris called after her, but she didn't look back.

The house fell quiet. The only sound was the soft click of Heiley's door upstairs. Sarah let out a sigh, turning to Harris. "We need to talk to Heiley later." He nodded, his eyes still on the stairs. "Yeah. And Emily too. This rivalry is getting out of hand." Nancy quietly cleared the kitchen, relieved to have escaped the drama.

---

At dinner, the table was set, but Heiley's chair was empty. Harris frowned. "Nancy, where's Heiley?"

Nancy came in with a dish, her expression neutral. "Miss Heiley said she's not hungry, sir."

Sarah's brow furrowed. "Not hungry? She skipped lunch too." Harris sighed, exchanging a look with Sarah. "She's still upset." He pushed his chair back and headed upstairs to Heiley's room. He knocked softly. "Heiley, come down for dinner."

No response. "Heiley, at least have a few bites." Still nothing. He sighed. "Are you still mad at Dad?"

Heiley's voice came through the door. "No." Harris's voice softened. "Then come eat with us."

The door opened. Heiley walked out, her expression still stormy. Harris smiled slightly, and together they headed downstairs.

Sarah looked up, relief on her face. Emily rolled her eyes but said nothing.

Harris pulled out Heiley's chair. "Sit, princess." She sat down. "Thanks, Dad."

Dinner was stifled. The two girls exchanged cold glances. Sarah tried to steer the topic to work, but the mood stayed heavy.

Suddenly, Heiley spoke up. "Dad, can I go to the farm house this weekend?" Harris looked at Sarah, then back at her. "Let's discuss it later, okay?" She nodded, eyes dropping to her plate.

Emily turned to Harris with a sweet smile. "Dad, can I have the room next to Heiley's?" Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Why, Emily?" She shrugged. "Mine is a bit smaller." Harris nodded. "It's okay, she can take it."

Heiley spoke up immediately. "But Dad, that's Troy's room! She can have any big room she wants. There are plenty in the house." Harris smiled at her. "Dear, she can take it. Troy just visits. We'll set up another room for him." Sarah didn't agree — she saw Emily was deliberately invading Heiley's privacy — but since Harris said yes, she stayed quiet.

Heiley pushed her chair back, her expression unreadable. "I lost my appetite. I'll be in my room."

Harris looked concerned. "Heiley, you barely ate..." She just shook her head and walked out, leaving an awkward silence.

Emily's expression turned concerned and subdued as she looked at her parents. "I'm sorry, Dad. I didn't mean to cause trouble." But inwardly, she was beaming. _She's so oblivious. Heiley's going down. Just wait, Heiley. I will take everything you care about. Starting with Troy's room._ Sarah didn't know what to say. Harris's expression stayed serious. "Let's finish dinner."

Heiley flopped onto her bed, phone to her ear. "Troy, you won't believe what just happened. Emily is taking your room." Troy's voice was calm on the other end. "It's okay, Hei. It's just a room. Don't stress about it." She huffed. "Just a room? It's your room! And she's doing it on purpose." Troy laughed. "Yeah, Emily's got moves. But let her have it. I'll crash in any room when I visit."

She smiled, feeling a bit better. "Alright, talk to you tomorrow." Troy chuckled. "Night, Hei. Don't let Emily get under your skin."

Heiley ended the call and tossed her phone aside. Her eyes closed. _Tomorrow, the war really began._