“You wore *that* to Mom’s funeral?” my sister sneered, diamonds flashing as she smoothed the heels on her feet. “I mean, I get it times are tough for you but couldn’t you have at least tried?” I bit back a laugh. I designed this “cheap” dress. I own the brand on her shoes. I secretly bought the boutique we were standing in. And an hour earlier, I’d personally signed the order canceling her modeling contract. Then my brother’s bank hit the news…

I nodded quietly because he was right about one thing and our mother always believed family mattered more than pride, although pride had shaped almost every cruel conversation we ever shared.

The boutique door chimed softly as a customer stepped inside to browse the racks of silk scarves, and I greeted her with the warm professionalism my mother taught me decades earlier.

Aubrey leaned closer to Tyler and whispered loudly enough for me to hear, “She still thinks she is a shop clerk instead of admitting she failed.”

I finished assisting the customer and wrapped her purchase carefully before returning to the counter where my family still waited.

My phone vibrated quietly in my pocket with a message from my executive assistant informing me that the board meeting at Havencrest Tower had concluded exactly as planned.

The modeling agency representing Aubrey had received notice that her contract ended immediately due to a restructuring decision by the parent company.

The parent company happened to belong to me.

I slipped the phone back into my pocket while keeping my expression calm because the truth would reveal itself soon enough without my help.