Chapter 4

The next morning, the Whitmore family held an emergency press conference that was streamed everywhere.

My father made his position clear. "Evelyn's return doesn't change Celeste's place in this family. She grew up with us, and a DNA report doesn't change that."

My mother held Celeste's hand. "Celeste has always been good. She will always be ours. Evelyn is my daughter too, of course, and I don't want anybody attacking either of them."

For once, my brothers all said the same thing. According to them, Celeste was well-mannered and never embarrassed her parents. As for me, I'd come home, started trouble, and turned the house upside down.

At the end, my father looked into the camera. "I would like the speculation to stop. Whether Evelyn is back or not, Celeste's place in the Whitmore family will not change."

The comments poured in.

[Celeste is the one the Whitmore family actually raised.]

[The birth daughter was missing all those years. Who knows what she went through or what she turned into.]

Watching that family stand behind Celeste on a live stream, I understood every choice they had made. My father and brothers backed their princess without wavering. My mother loved me, but she loved someone else more. I had never been the only one.

Less than five minutes after the press conference ended, the Vail Group completed its purchase of the Whitmore estate.

The mortgage on the house had been overdue for a long time, and the bank was ready to sell it. I had put the sale on hold because I wanted my parents to feel secure. There was no need for that anymore.

That evening, when my parents' car pulled up, they found that every guard at the iron gates had been replaced.

My father rolled down the window. "Open the gate."

The guard didn't move. "I'm sorry, Mr. Whitmore. This property belongs to the Vail Group now. The new owner has given you twenty-four hours to vacate."

My father shoved the door open and got out. "Impossible! When did this house ever go up for sale?"

The guard said nothing else. My father called the bank and was told, "The mortgage payments were overdue, so the property went to auction, and the Vail Group bought it."

They all went quiet. Celeste was the first to speak. "Vacate? Then where do we live?"

My mother had an arm around her at once. "Don't be scared. Mom will work something out."

My father took another call. "Sir, two of our long-term partners have terminated their contracts, too. They say they don't dare cross the Vail Group."

The family was at its lowest point, and that was when the Vail Group came for them.

My father clenched his fist. "Get Evelyn married to Ross first. At least then we can buy some time on that billion-dollar debt. But tomorrow morning, we're going to the Vail Group. Whoever runs it is a lunatic who's expanding at any cost. If we don't sort this out, the family is finished."

He spent the night calling every contact he had left and finally got a meeting request through to the Vail Group.

In a single year, the Vail Group handled acquisitions worth dozens of times the Whitmore family's total assets.

The most powerful people on the East Coast waited months for a meeting with its mysterious young chairman.

So when Vail agreed to see him, my father actually thought the Whitmore family had finally caught a break.

Early the next morning, they arrived at Vail headquarters.

Celeste smoothed her dress, looking hopeful. "They say the founder of the Vail Group is young."

My mother smiled. "You've always been exceptional. You might be our family's way into Vail."

Celeste nodded shyly.

Spencer snorted. "Celeste is the one who delivers. Not like Evelyn, who doesn't understand the most basic rules."

An assistant showed them into the office. They walked in, visibly tense. The chairman sat facing away from them. My father said respectfully, "Mr. Vail, thank you for agreeing to see us."

When the chair turned and the chairman looked up, every one of them froze.