Victoria barely spared her a glance. "Family business. It doesn't concern you.""My sister and my niece concern me," Emma shot back, moving to stand beside me. "The tabloid hit job you just orchestrated? That concerns me too.""A few unflattering articles," Victoria waved dismissively. "Hardly worth
Chapter 24: James's DilemmaThe document on my phone blurred as tears filled my eyes. Marcus took one look at my face and gently pried the device from my fingers. I watched his expression change as he read—confusion, then disbelief, finally settling into something unreadable."You filed a harassment
"I'm a big girl, James." I gestured to my hospital room. "Not exactly going anywhere."He pulled out his phone, fingers flying across the screen. "I'm calling in a security team I trust. Not Henderson security—independent contractors.""You don't have to—""Yes, I do." His expression hardened. "Look
Chapter 25: The Gala PreparationI stood before the full-length mirror, barely recognizing the woman who stared back at me. The midnight blue gown—custom-made to accommodate my five-month baby bump—draped elegantly over my curves, the empire waist creating a silhouette that somehow managed to look b
Understanding dawned in his eyes. "This is about your daughter's legacy.""Everything is about her now." My hand pressed against the curve where she rested. "I want her to grow up proud of both her parents, not ashamed of how we began."He nodded, closing his bag. "One hour," he repeated firmly. "I'
"What strategy?" Emma and James asked simultaneously.Marcus met my eyes, a question in his gaze. Whatever he was planning, he wanted my approval first. I nodded slightly, and he turned to face James."I'm going to announce my engagement to Sophia at the gala," he stated. "Then I'm resigning as CEO—
Chapter 26: AftermathI awoke to hospital monitors beeping and morning light filtering through the blinds. Reality crashed back instantly—the gala, the public humiliation, Marcus's impossible choice."You're awake." Emma looked up from her phone, dark circles under her eyes. "How are you feeling?""
Chapter 27: Emma's MissionI sat in Lawrence Chen's waiting room, clutching a manila folder containing everything we had on Victoria. The Henderson Tower's executive floor buzzed with barely contained chaos—assistants rushing between offices, phones ringing constantly, security personnel stationed a
Chapter 54: The SacrificeThe pendant's light pulses beneath Truth's skin like a dying star—one final chance. One heartbeat of opportunity in the cosmic chess game we've been unwittingly playing."Mom?" Truth's voice breaks through, momentarily her own again—my daughter, not the entity wearing her.
Chapter 53: Convergence PointThe elevator doors glide open without anyone pressing a button, revealing a sterile metal box large enough to accommodate us all. No buttons inside. No panel. Just smooth, reflective surfaces that distort our faces like funhouse mirrors."I don't like this," Rodriguez m
Hundreds of faces—my face—stare at us with empty eyes. Researchers in pristine lab coats standing in perfect formation, surrounding our vehicle in concentric circles. Not blinking. Not breathing. Just watching."Oh my God," Rachel whispers behind me.Truth squirms in my arms, her movements no longer
Chapter 51: The race beginsOutside our home, the world has fractured.The familiar suburban landscape is gone, replaced by something that makes me question my sanity. The night sky pulses with colors that shouldn't exist—not quite purple, not quite black, rippling like the northern lights but someh
Chapter 50: Manifested"Sophia, wait." Marcus catches my arm as I move toward the door. The look in his eyes—that unfamiliar shadow I'd glimpsed moments before—has vanished, replaced by raw vulnerability. "You can't seriously believe I'd hurt Truth."The pendant's glow pulses beneath our daughter's
Chapter 49: An Accidenr"Hello again, Sophia." William Henderson's voice flows from my daughter's tiny lips. "Did you really think it would be that easy to get rid of me?"The pendant burns against my palm, pulsing with an urgency I can feel in my bones. Terror and rage war inside me—a primal, mater
Chapter 48: Two minutesMy own face stares back at me—older, lined with years I haven't lived, eyes hardened by experiences I haven't endured. Yet unmistakably me.The room falls into stunned silence. Truth whimpers in my arms, her warm weight anchoring me to reality when everything else feels like
Chapter 47: Sanctuary unfoldedMy own face stares back at me through the flames—not as I am now, but as I might be decades from now. Lined with age, eyes hardened by experience, mouth curved into a knowing smile that I've never worn. Yet unmistakably me."What is this?" I whisper, my voice barely au
Chapter 46: A cry in the darknessThe darkness isn't complete silence. It's alive—breathing, watching, waiting.Truth's cry pierces through the blackness, a high-pitched wail that sends electricity down my spine. My hand instinctively reaches for her, fingers searching for the familiar softness of h