Chapter 10 - CARLA'S DEFENSE
Carla was not stupid.
Her defense evolved.
First:
I threw at the fence.
Then:
I meant to scare her.
Then:
Naomi is exploiting the incident to take control of the family.
That argument gained traction with two cousins.
Naomi chaired the council.
Carla’s suspension increased Naomi’s influence.
Conflict existed.
So Naomi recused herself from the final disciplinary vote.
Smart.
Independent counsel presented the evidence.
Carla’s attorney argued:
Lily was not struck,
Carla immediately remained on scene,
no prior criminal conviction existed,
and the registry rules did not explicitly list “family violence” as a suspension category.
Technically true.
The registry did allow suspension for:
conduct materially harmful to the family office, its beneficiaries, or its public representation.
Broad.
Carla’s attorney called it vague.
Reasonable argument.
The council responded by narrowing the policy prospectively.
Not rewriting rules just to punish Carla.
For Carla, they relied on existing discretionary provisions with legal review.
Then Carla said:
“Naomi always hated me.”
Naomi looked at her.
“No.”
Carla laughed.
“You always thought you were better.”
“No.”
Naomi’s voice stayed calm.
“I thought you were allowed to be worse.”
That silenced the room.
Carla’s therapist eventually asked her about the phrase:
She deserved it.
Carla hated discussing it.
At first she said:
“I was angry.”
“That explains the emotion.”
“Yes.”
“What did Lily deserve?”
“Nothing.”
“Then why say it?”
Carla stared at the floor.
Because in the moment she needed Lily to be guilty.
If Lily was guilty, Carla’s anger became justice.
If Lily was simply a nine-year-old who called her mean, then Carla had thrown a steel object because a child embarrassed her.
That version was intolerable.
So she assigned moral weight to the child’s words.
Disrespect.
Provocation.
Cruelty.
Anything large enough to make her own reaction feel proportionate.
The therapist said:
“Your anger became safer for you when someone else deserved it.”
May you like
Carla cried.
That mechanism had operated for years.
