The following morning the front page of the San Aurelio Chronicle carried a headline that stunned the fashion industry across the country.
The article revealed that the mysterious founder of the international luxury group known as Harlow Atelier was none other than Victoria Harlow, the quiet daughter of a family who always believed she merely ran a failing neighborhood boutique.
When the news reached my family they called repeatedly, yet I ignored the calls because I wanted them to read every word of the article before hearing my voice again.
Later that afternoon I stood inside the executive conference room at Havencrest Tower while the skyline of San Aurelio stretched beyond the glass walls like a stage waiting for the next act.
My assistant informed me that Gregory, Tyler, and Aubrey had arrived downstairs looking as though the ground beneath their lives had vanished.
I instructed security to send them upstairs.
They entered the conference room slowly and stared at the panoramic city view before turning toward me as though seeing a stranger wearing my face.
Tyler finally spoke with disbelief choking his voice and said, “You built all of this without telling us anything.”