Chapter 3

Few days later, Eleanor Caldwell’s footsteps echoed sharply against the marble floor of her study as she paced, her anger spiraling.

She tightened her grip on her phone, unable to tear her eyes from the blaring headlines that flashed accusations, mockery, and speculation with every scroll.

"Socialite Scandal: Victoria Caldwell’s Secret Fling Caught on Camera!"

"Perfect Heiress or Perfect Disaster? Victoria Caldwell’s Latest Entanglement Raises Eyebrows"

The photographs left little to the imagination, Victoria, in a sleek dress, entwined with a man unmistakably familiar to those who kept tabs on high society romances.

Victoria's ex boyfriend, a notorious playboy with an appetite for risk, and an unrepentant grin on his face.

They were pictured just outside a bar, oblivious to the camera’s gaze, Victoria’s hand resting on his chest, the implication clear.

It was an unforgivable slip, one Eleanor knew could easily incite even the family’s closest allies to pull back, or worse, to whisper in places that mattered.

She’d known Victoria could be reckless, impulsive, but this, the exposure, the blatant disregard for her own name, was more than she could bear. And it came just when Eleanor needed Victoria to step up and become the graceful, steady daughter she’d always trained her to be.

She could feel her control slipping, the legacy she’d built for decades beginning to wobble.

The door to the study opened without so much as a knock, and Victoria entered, nonchalant and unhurried, her shoulders back and chin up as if the headlines were nothing but a breeze in her perfectly arranged hair.

Eleanor turned to her, eyes flashing. "Care to explain why half of New York knows about your latest indiscretion before I do?"

Victoria, as always, seemed unaffected, offering only the hint of an amused smile. "It’s nothing serious, Mother. The press exaggerates, they always do. It’ll blow over in a few days."

“‘Blow over’? Is that what you think?” Eleanor’s tone was dangerously low. “Have you forgotten who you are? Or do you just not care?”

Victoria’s expression hardened, but she held her tongue, arms crossing in a show of defiance.

The silence between them deepened.

Eleanor’s fury simmered, fueled by a disappointment she could no longer ignore.

“This is the last straw, Victoria,” Eleanor continued. “We needed you to be an example, a symbol of refinement and integrity. We needed you to represent this family, our values. What do you think this scandal does to all of that?”

The weight of Eleanor’s words settled on Victoria, but her gaze remained steely, her lips curving in an almost mocking smirk. “Perhaps you should’ve thought of that before dragging me into this family,” she retorted coldly. “Before you took me from the only people who would actually care.”

Eleanor’s face paled, but she forced herself to keep her composure.

This jab cut too close to the truth, the fractured reality they’d both tried to ignore. She clenched her jaw, steeling herself against the tide of emotions welling up within her.

She had invested years, countless resources, and unrelenting discipline into Victoria’s future. The idea that it could unravel so easily, because of Victoria’s own self destructive defiance, was unthinkable.

“Very well, then,” Eleanor replied icily, her voice a calculated calm. “Since your loyalty is so fleeting, perhaps I should turn my attention to someone who values this family’s name.”

Victoria’s smirk faltered, a flicker of unease flashing in her eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means,” Eleanor said, letting each word sink in, “that perhaps your sister, Sarah, should take a more central role in this family. She at least has the sense to uphold our values.”

At the mention of Sarah, a dark expression crossed Victoria’s face. But Eleanor was relentless, watching her daughter for any sign of humility, any flicker of understanding, yet finding only resentment.

"Sarah," Victoria said, spitting the name as if it were poison. "You think she could take my place?"

"Maybe she could," Eleanor replied, the finality in her tone leaving no room for argument. "She is at least willing to respect what this family stands for, which is more than I can say for you."

For the first time, Victoria seemed genuinely rattled. Her indifference faded, replaced by a fierce, bitter anger.

“You’d replace me with her? A girl who’s barely been in this house? She’s nothing, Eleanor. She doesn’t know the first thing about this life.”

“Perhaps she doesn’t,” Eleanor replied, unruffled. “But at least she’s willing to learn. She doesn’t see this family as a tool for her own amusement. And frankly, Victoria, I am beginning to think that’s more valuable than any pretense of belonging.”

Victoria looked at her mother, her face a perfect mask of indignation, yet underneath, something shifted.

The realization that Eleanor might actually follow through on this threat seemed to strike her deeply. But she held her composure, narrowing her eyes, her voice lowered to a venomous murmur.

“You can let her play house,” Victoria said, her voice laced with a bitter confidence. “But she’ll never be me. She’ll never live up to what you really want, Eleanor. She doesn’t know you like I do.”

With that, she turned on her heel, leaving Eleanor in the silence of the study, the cold weight of her own words settling in.

Eleanor’s heart pounded, her anger still simmering, her gaze drifting to the window overlooking the expansive garden.

Below, Sarah moved through the rows of flowers she’d nurtured herself.

Watching Sarah, Eleanor felt an odd pang, a flicker of a thought that she hadn’t yet allowed herself to acknowledge.

Maybe this girl, so different from the daughter she’d raised, had something essential that Victoria lacked. Perhaps it was time she gave that a chance to grow.