Chapter 4

Mom's face changed in an instant. She snapped back at me, angry and embarrassed.

"What's the big deal? Those shares were just sitting in your name. Serena is joining headquarters now. She needs a proper stake in the company."

"But those are my shares!"

"I raised you all these years, and this is how you treat me? Like I'm your enemy?"

But that was different.

If the family had ever needed me to put my shares behind a business deal, I would have agreed without thinking twice.

But Mom had taken something my grandfather had specifically left to me and handed it to Serena, just so she could make a grand entrance at headquarters.

I knew exactly how she had done it. When I was a child, Grandpa had given Mom power of attorney over my shares until I came of age. I had never thought to take it back.

I finally couldn't hold back, and my voice rose.

"Those shares belong to me! You had no right to transfer them without my consent!"

My brother, Alessandro, shot up from the sofa and jabbed a finger in my face.

"Stella! Watch your mouth!"

"That's our mother! She needs your permission to make decisions for the family now?"

Matteo frowned too, in that preachy tone I knew so well.

"Stella, don't be so extreme."

"We're all family here. Why do you have to make it sound so ugly?"

"Your mom probably just thought Serena would make better use of those shares."

"Besides, Serena's about to start at headquarters. You're her big sister. Giving her a stake to celebrate? That's just what you do."

But those shares were the one thing my grandfather had personally secured for me before he died.

He'd made sure they were registered under my name, beyond anyone else's reach.

He'd told me that one day, they would give me the freedom to choose my own path.

And now they were gone.

"Transfer them back."

I stared at Mom. My eyes ached.

"Put my shares back under my name."

Mom looked away, guilty. But it didn't take long for her to puff herself back up.

"The transfer has already been registered! What, you think you can just reverse it whenever you want?"

"And what are you even going to do with those shares? You don't work at headquarters. You don't attend family meetings. Why should you hold on to something you never use?"

Serena's eyes went red. She tugged lightly at Mom's sleeve.

"Mom, please don't fight with Stella. It's my fault..."

"Maybe I should give the shares back. I don't want her to hate me over this."

She said she wanted to give them back, but her fingers tightened around her phone, the transfer confirmation still glowing on the screen.

She looked like she couldn't bear the thought of losing what she'd just gained.

Mom immediately pulled her behind her protectively.

"Stella, you are getting more out of line by the day!"

"Go to your room and think about what you did! You don't set one foot outside that door without my permission!"

My brother strode over, grabbed my arm, and dragged me toward the stairs.

"No! I didn't do anything wrong!"

I fought with everything I had, trying to break free.

But I was no match for a grown man's strength.

No matter how hard I fought, he hauled me back to my room.

The door slammed shut behind me. Then came the sound of the lock.

I leaned against the door and slowly slid down until I was sitting on the carpet, too weak to move.

Through the door, I could hear them talking.

They were all comforting Mom. They said she hadn't done anything wrong, and Serena was completely innocent.

Everyone agreed I was the one in the wrong.

That I was so selfish I would turn against my own family over a few percentage points of company shares.

But Serena had always received far more than I ever did.

Our parents had already arranged a generous trust fund in her name, and she was entitled to a substantial share of the family's annual distributions. My brother even made sure she had access to additional funds whenever she wanted.

She had never wanted for anything.

So why did they have to go behind my back and take the one inheritance my grandfather had specifically left to me?

And why did they expect me to smile and accept it when they handed it all to her?

I curled up on the carpet and finally broke down sobbing.

I don't know how long I sat on the floor before the door finally opened.

Alessandro stood outside with two guards behind him.

"Get up. You're coming to Serena's celebration dinner."

I looked at him, still unable to believe what I was hearing.

They had locked me in my room for refusing to hand over my inheritance. Now they wanted me to sit at a dinner table, smile, and celebrate Serena becoming a shareholder with my grandfather's shares.

"I don't want to go."

Alessandro's expression darkened. "This isn't a request, Stella."

The guards pulled me to my feet and escorted me downstairs. Mom was already waiting in the car, but she didn't even look at me when I got in.

The drive to the restaurant was quiet. I sat by the window, watching the familiar streets pass by.

Then the car slowed at a busy intersection.

I didn't think. I just grabbed the door handle, shoved it open, and ran.

"Miss Stella!"

Someone shouted behind me. The car came to a sudden stop, and I heard the guards scrambling out.

My hair had come loose, and somewhere along the way, I'd lost the brooch pinned to my dress. My shoes were rubbing my heels raw, every step sending a sharp sting through my feet.

I kept running.

I didn't know where I was going. I only knew I couldn't go back. Not to that house. Not to that family. Not ever again.

By the time they realized they'd lost me, I was already at the airport.

I turned off my phone and boarded the flight to Geneva.

This time, I could finally live for myself.

Let there be oceans between us.

We would never meet again.

A few minutes later, one of the guards called my father.

"Don! Something's wrong! Miss Stella has escaped!"