r the last six months, she had been enjoying a well-deserved semi-retirement, a global victory lap after building a tech empire f

news outlet, the headline flashing in bold letters: VANCE TECH SHO

ould have been Sarah' s moment. But it wasn' t Sarah on that stage. It was Mark, his arm wrapped possessively arou

her spine. She immediate

r

ra

cem

saw a very strange piece of news. Ca

would never miss this call. She tried again, the result the same. The col

d ring, his voice slick a

owe the pleasure? Enjoyi

rah, and the news is showing some other wom

s stand up. "Ah, you saw that. Well, things have been moving very quickly here. It' s a long

"I' m in the middle of a live interview right now, El

hun

d already sent her a link to the livestream. She

oked earnest, concerned, every bit the bril

Vance is not, in fact, Eleanor Vance' s biological daughter. She is an illegitimate child, a product of an

em was another woman, Jessica Brown, her eyes burning with a triumphant, vengeful fire that Eleanor recog

om the stage to a chaotic scene

Eleanor

ra

s. Her dress was torn at the shoulder, her hair a me

m her daughter!

agic situation. Sarah has been... unwell, ever since the tr

disbelief, just before a guard shoved her roughly through an exit door

e sun, the sea, the soft Mediterranean breeze-vanished. All that existed was the fire igniting i

gainst the wall. It shattered, the sound sharp an

, who had appeared silently

she said, her voice l

tely, Mrs

Brown and Lily Miller. Every dirty secret, eve

, ma'

eyes like chips of flint. "And I' m go