Fallen Heiress Rises to the TOP

The Sterling Estate's living room was lavishly decorated, every inch radiating wealth and status."Take this for your travel expenses."Mrs. Sterling placed a stack of cash on the coffee table and looked at Rue with detached indifference. "Your biological family is poor. I'm afraid no one will be coming to pick you up."Rue glanced at the money and almost laughed. The stack contained ten thousand dollars—less than the price of one of the designer handbags Mrs. Sterling carried to social events.Just a few days ago, a DNA test had shattered the lie she'd lived with for eighteen years. She wasn't a Sterling. The family had already changed her surname back to Blackwood, and her identification records had been updated overnight. The speed was almost impressive. The way they'd rushed to erase her from the family made it seem as though she were carrying a contagious disease.Mrs. Sterling sat across from her with perfect posture and a cold expression. There wasn't the slightest trace of rel

The Blackwoods lived in an aging apartment complex on the edge of a neighborhood scheduled for redevelopment.The buildings didn't have elevators, the stairwells were cluttered with old bicycles and storage boxes, and years of neglect had left the entire complex looking tired. Paint peeled from the walls in long strips, and the faint smell of mildew lingered in the humid air.Its biggest selling point was probably the rent.After stepping out of the van, Rue found herself drawing more than a few curious glances. Even dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, she looked oddly out of place against the backdrop of weathered concrete and rusted railings.Cody parked nearby and killed the engine.For a moment, neither of them moved.Remembering the sprawling Sterling estate he'd just picked her up from, Cody stared at the apartment building and rubbed the back of his neck."It looks rough from the outside," he said. "But the apartment's actually pretty decent."He hesitated."If you have trouble adj

Without a word, Rue reached into her bag, pulled out a thick stack of documents, and tossed them onto Hans's hospital bed.Mrs. Sterling frowned and picked them up. She barely made it through the first few pages before the color drained from her face.They were internal financial records from Sterling Corporation.Years of hidden transactions.Off-the-books accounts.Tax fraud.Information that should never have left the company's private files.Slowly, she looked up. "Where did you get these?"Rue leaned casually against the wall. "Does it matter?"Mrs. Sterling's hand tightened around the papers.Those records represented one of the company's biggest vulnerabilities. If they ever found their way into the hands of regulators, the fallout would be catastrophic.Her expression darkened."Are you threatening me?"Rue shrugged. "If that's what you want to call it."The truth was she'd been sitting on the evidence for quite a while. She simply hadn't had a reason to use it until now."And

The next morning, Rue was still half asleep when she heard movement outside her bedroom.A moment later, Rita pushed the door open."Good, you're awake."She crossed the room and tugged lightly on the blanket."Breakfast is ready. And don't forget, your brother's taking you shopping today."Rue opened her mouth to decline.Then she stopped herself.The money Rita had given her last night had already stretched the family's budget. Refusing now would only make them feel bad.So she simply nodded."Okay."After breakfast, Cody drove her to Kingsley Galleria.The upscale shopping center was home to nearly every major luxury brand in the country. Even the smallest purchase could easily cost more than most families spent in a month.A massive digital billboard dominated the main entrance.ROUX FALL COLLECTIONLIMITED RE-RELEASERue's gaze lingered on it for a moment.Cody noticed immediately. A grin spread across his face."Those clothes would look incredible on you."Rue glanced at him. "T

The door swung open.The moment Rue stepped inside, her eyes locked with Zach's."Rue, don't!"His voice cracked as he shouted, struggling against the restraints binding him to the chair. Panic was written all over his face."Get out of here!"The last thing he wanted was for her to get dragged into this because of him.Life in the Sterling family had never been easy for Rue, and he knew that better than anyone. If they hadn't dragged him here and forced him to listen, he never would have learned how valuable those pills really were. She must have paid an enormous price to obtain them, and now the family was trying to exploit her all over again."Well, look who showed up."Mrs. Sterling stared at Rue as though she'd seen a ghost. Her gaze flicked toward the hallway behind her."You're alone?"Rue gave a cold smile."Who were you expecting me to bring?"Mrs. Sterling shot a glance at the two bodyguards standing nearby."Doesn't matter." Her expression hardened. "Since you're here, hand