2

By the time we got her to the hospital, my daughter had lost so much blood she'd slipped into unconsciousness.

I gripped the bed rail and stared at her pale face as she lay hooked up to a ventilator.

Four years earlier, my daughter had a fever that wouldn't break.

My four adopted sons stayed by her bed all night, changing ice packs, giving her medicine, wiping away her sweat. None of them slept.

When she woke up at dawn, Joseph, who'd never shed a tear even after taking a bullet, actually cried.

He said that if she hadn't woken up, he would have followed her to the grave.

Selena's compassion was why I'd pulled all four of them from the rubble in the first place.

They knelt before me and swore their lives belonged to her, that she was the only one they'd ever answer to.

I believed the love they had for her back then was real.

But the way their love had changed was just as real.

As I was thinking about it, my daughter slowly opened her eyes.

I held a glass of water to her lips.

"Lena, get some rest. Don't worry about anything out there. Mom will take care of it.

"Once you're better, I'll send you back to the academy..."

At the mention of the academy, my daughter flinched.

I caught the reaction immediately.

But no matter how many times I asked, she wouldn't say a word.

I took a deep breath, walked out of the room, and made a call. "Am I speaking to the administrator at St. Mary's Academy? I'm Selena Lorenzi's mother."

Before I could finish, a shrill voice on the other end cut me off. "You're Selena's mother?

"Then I'd advise you to keep your daughter in line. She's a maid's daughter. Chloe was kind enough to help her get into the academy, and she had the nerve to attack her?

"Let me tell you something. Chloe is a Lorenzi. If the Lorenzi boys weren't so kind, your daughter would be dead before she knew what happened!"

The more I heard, the deeper my frown became.

I was about to say something, but she'd already hung up.

I had no idea when I'd become a maid.

And when exactly had Chloe become my daughter?

The video my men had dug up came through.

In it, my daughter trailed behind Chloe, trembling as she carried Chloe's bag and poured water for her.

Whenever Chloe was the least bit unhappy, she poured scalding water over my daughter's hands.

I stared at the screen, my hands curling into fists until my knuckles went white.

The head of St. Mary's Academy, Eleanor Walsh, owed me her life.

She'd personally promised to take good care of Selena. That was the only reason I'd entrusted my daughter to her.

But her health was poor, and she'd stopped running things a long time ago.

Chloe had been passed off as my daughter. I had little doubt my four wonderful adopted sons were behind it.

I called Paolo.

The second he picked up, I heard the amusement in his voice. "Mom, we haven't forgotten our old loyalties.

"Chloe was crying a minute ago. Come over and let's clear the air. As for that shipment at the docks, I can still find someone to take it over for you."

For a moment, I was speechless.

So they thought I was calling to back down.

What they didn't know was that all four operations were running just fine.

They weren't nearly as important as they thought they were.

My voice was ice cold. "Are you the ones who told the academy Chloe was my daughter?"

Paolo paused. He clearly hadn't expected that question.

But a moment later, his voice was steady again. "On Chloe's birthday, she wished she could be a princess, just once.

"Selena's had it good for so many years. What's wrong with letting Chloe take her place at the academy?"

By the end, Paolo was trying to persuade me. "Mom, you've raised Selena to be completely helpless. Why turn against us over her?

"You've got us. That's enough. If you really want a daughter, Chloe can take the Lorenzi name.

"You leave the four operations to us, and those properties in your name can go to Chloe."

They'd bullied my own daughter like this, and they still wanted to carve up the empire I'd built and give Chloe a share?

I flipped open the file in my hands.

Galas, award ceremonies, group photos. Chloe stood front and center in every one, with teachers' arms around her shoulders.

My daughter was huddled in a corner, and nobody noticed her at all.

I fed the file into the shredder and called the head of the academy. "Expose Chloe for who she is, and expel the thief who stole my daughter's life.

"Revoke every credential and award she stole, and withdraw every recommendation letter. Leave her nothing."