Chapter 4

Joel raised his glass slightly. "It's a pleasure, Ms. Lennon. I heard your take on Winkler Group. You were spot-on."

"You're too kind, Mr. Crawford."

Then his tone shifted, and a sharper look entered his eyes.

"What interests me more is that biopharmaceutical company. Before Crawford Group acquired it, you'd already bought up most of the shares available on the open market. You beat me to it."

So he'd already looked into me.

"Maybe I just got lucky."

I gave him the same answer as before, one that told him absolutely nothing.

Joel smiled with the unmistakable appreciation of someone who had finally found a worthy opponent.

"Your father certainly hasn't let on how capable you are. Have dinner with me sometime, Ms. Lennon. I think we'll have plenty to talk about."

After that, Joel started asking to meet more often.

We didn't talk about romance. We talked mergers and acquisitions, emerging technology, and where the global economy was headed.

Many of my views caught him off guard, and some clearly impressed him.

A month later, Henry called me into his study again. For once, I couldn't quite read his expression.

"Rhea, Joel just called me."

There was an almost dazed note in his voice.

I looked at him calmly and waited.

"He wants an alliance between our families. He wants to marry you."

The news landed like a bomb.

From that moment on, my place in the Sullivan family was untouchable.

Around the same time, the huge returns from my investments started rolling in, doubling the Sullivan family's assets.

Before long, my 20th birthday came around.

The Sullivans and Crawfords decided to throw a lavish joint celebration for my birthday and my engagement to Joel.

I stood in front of the mirror in a couture gown worth a fortune and studied my reflection.

In my first life, this birthday party had been the beginning of my downfall. Now I was about to live through it again, but this time, everything was different.

Crystal chandeliers flooded the ballroom of Delston's most prestigious hotel with light, making it bright as day.

I stood beneath the spotlights with my arm linked through Joel's as all of Delston high society watched us.

The emcee played up the union between the Sullivan and Crawford families as the social event of the century.

"Now, let's give our warmest applause to tonight's brightest star, Rhea Lennon, and wish her a very happy 20th birthday! And let's also celebrate her engagement to Joel Crawford!"

Applause thundered through the ballroom.

I caught sight of Henry and Hannah below the stage, looking prouder and more satisfied than I had ever seen them.

Joel leaned toward me and murmured, "Ready, partner?"

I smiled and was about to nod when comments suddenly began piling up in front of me.

"Here we go! The classic long-lost-daughter showdown is about to start!"

"What a throwback! I've been waiting for this scene!"

"Come on! Let's see the fake heiress get absolutely destroyed this time!"

The comments were still piling up when a deafening bang cut through the ballroom. The heavy double doors flew open, and the music and applause stopped at once.

Everyone turned toward the entrance in shock.

Alex burst in, supporting a pale, frail-looking woman. He wore the same self-righteous expression I remembered all too well.

Her dress had faded from too many washes, making her look painfully out of place among the designer gowns and tailored suits filling the ballroom.

It was Olivia.

She had arrived right on cue, ready to follow the same script that had destroyed me in my first life.

Dead silence fell over the ballroom.

Olivia pulled away from Alex and stumbled toward the head table.

"Mom! Dad!"

She was sobbing so hard that her voice came out raw with anguish.

The look on Hannah's face changed instantly.

Henry frowned, his gaze sharpening.

Olivia seemed oblivious to everyone around her. A few steps away from Henry and Hannah, she dropped to her knees and looked up through streaming tears.

"Mom, Dad! I'm your real daughter!"

Her anguished cry rang through the silent ballroom, stunning everyone.

"Rhea stole my pendant, the proof that I was your daughter! She took my place and stole the life that should have been mine!"