[Elena's POV]

The older woman looked at Caroline's ruined dress with an expression of pure, pleasant contempt.

Then, she turned her head and looked at me. A slow, elegant, and terrifyingly familiar smirk curved her red lips.

"In this family, cara," the woman said smoothly, her voice carrying a rich, faint Italian accent. "We do not waste our breath arguing with trash. We just take out the trash."

She let go of my wrist and casually smoothed the sleeve of my green dress.

"Besides," she added, not even looking at Caroline. "She was standing much too close to you. Accidents happen."

Caroline finally snapped out of her shock. She let...