At a family gathering Cynthia confronts betrayal when Ingrid reveals she’s been plotting to replace her and attacks, crushing Cynthia’s hand to prevent her surgical career. Earlier insults aimed at Hansel and Cynthia’s admission that she used their engagement to neutralize a threat escalate into violence. With Cynthia injured and stripped of her place, Ingrid proclaims, "From today, I am the Holt family heiress," and the household rearranges alliances: Ms. Sharpe is courted while others declare arranged marriages—Finley to Yale, Ingrid to Hansel. Cynthia is left dispossessed and her ability to operate in immediate jeopardy.