"You knew she was doing this?" Daithí asks.
Tony nods once. "At first I thought she was just angry." A bitter laugh escapes him. "Then I realized she enjoyed it. Daire likes finding people's weaknesses," he says quietly. "She likes knowing she can make them do what she wants." His eyes meet mine. "Frederick didn't teach her that. They were the perfect match." Daithí's jaw clenches. Tony looks down at his hands. "When Frederick came along, he didn't change her." He lets out a bitter laugh. "That's the mistake everyone makes." His eyes lift to mine. "He just showed her how much further she could go." The room falls silent. "Frederick had money, connections, and access to people Daire couldn't reach on her own. He taught her how to hide things, how to move money, how to use information properly." His expression twists. "Before him, she'd ruin lives one person at a time. After him..." He shakes his head. "After him she started thinking bigger."
"How much bigger?" I ask.
"Everything."
Daithí folds his arms. "Explain."
Tony swallows. "Daire always wanted to be the center of everything. If she wasn't getting attention, she'd create a reason to get it." His face darkens. "When she was fifteen she told Bridget she'd been assaulted."
The room goes still and Daithí's eyes narrow.
Tony stares at the floor. "It never happened."
My jaw tightens. "She made it up?”
Tony nods. "Bridget believed her."
"Of course she did," Daithí says quietly.
"She said Quinn was a reminder of it."
Something cold settles in my chest.
"Why Quinn?"
Tony laughs bitterly. "Because Bridget was with Quinn that day."
The pieces start falling into place. Years of resentment, years of favoritism, years of Quinn paying for something she didn't even know she'd supposedly done.
Tony drags a hand over his face. "Bridget spent years protecting Daire because she thought she was protecting a damaged child." His voice hardens. "The problem was Daire knew exactly what she was doing. Then she found out she was pregnant, supposedly from the assault. But the truth is, she had no idea who the father was.”
Daithí's head snaps up. "What happened?"
"Bridget took care of it. She paid for everything, kept it quiet, and made sure Ronan never found out."
"Bridget covered for her," I say.
Tony nods. "Over and over again. Every lie worked, so she told a bigger one. By the time Frederick came along, she'd spent years learning there were no consequences." His expression turns grim. "And Frederick gave her exactly what she'd always wanted."
"Power," Daithí says.
Tony shakes his head. "Control. They're the same person," Tony says quietly. "That's why they work."
A chill crawls down my spine. "They don't love each other."
"No."
"They don't trust each other?" I ask, wondering if that’s the case.
Tony laughs. "Not even a little."
"Then why stay together?"
His eyes meet mine. "Because they both want the same thing."
The room falls silent. "What?" Daithí asks.
