Red wine sloshed from her glass and splattered across the tablecloth. She stared at me like she was looking at a ghost.
"You... you..."
Her lips trembled.
My father froze too, the smile on his face locking into a rigid mask.
"Dad. Mom. It's been a while."
"Barret's company going public is such a big occasion. Why didn't anyone think to invite his big sister?"
I leaned back in the chair, a half-smile on my face, watching them.
Ten years of hardship had changed me. I was no longer the helpless girl they could do with as they pleased.
"Sharon Fox?!"
My father lurched to his feet, knocking his chair over with the force of it.
Only then did Barret Fox, still standing on the stage, realize what was happening.
He stepped down from the stage with a frown, his flashy fiancée trailing close behind.
"Mom, Dad, what's going on?"
He didn't even glance at me, just kept muttering under his breath. "What are we paying security for? How did they let some beggar waltz in here?"
But then, in the very next second, his eyes found my face.
The irritation on his features froze solid.
"Sharon? You're not dead?!"
The words flew out before he could stop them.