After hours of waiting in a crowded emergency room, doctors confirmed Lily had a severe viral infection but would recover with treatment. In the quiet that followed, Owen turned to Victoria and asked, “Why do you test people by pretending to take everything from them?”
She told him about her father’s harsh lessons and her belief that strength meant surviving alone without depending on anyone. Owen listened carefully and then said, “My wife used to say real strength is surviving for someone else, not just for yourself.”
Those words settled heavily in her chest, forcing her to question the empire she had built around isolation. She drove them back to Queens at dawn and watched them walk into their aging building, realizing that despite her fortune, Owen possessed a purpose she lacked.
Three days later, a blurry photo of Victoria at the hospital with Owen and Lily appeared online with a sensational headline suggesting she had a secret child. The board of directors reacted swiftly and demanded she distance herself from the scandal to protect the brand.