Chapter 1

"I need your savings, Gabrielle. All of it."

Ethan' s voice was flat, devoid of the warmth I had known for five years. He stood in the doorway of our small Vermont apartment, the one I paid for, blocking the afternoon light.

Next to him, his younger brother Wesley shifted his weight, avoiding my eyes. He was looking at my best friend, Elyse, with the same cold expression.

And then there was Sabrina Chavez. She was leaning against the doorframe, filing her nails, a smirk playing on her lips. She was a social media influencer we' d never met, someone the brothers had been talking about for weeks.

"What are you talking about, Ethan?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. My hands, still dusty with flour from the coffee shop, felt numb.

"It's simple," Ethan said, stepping inside. He looked around our cozy living room, at the worn-out couch and the stacks of books, with a look of disgust. "Wesley and I are heading to D.C. We've got a real shot now, but it takes money to get things done. Sabrina has connections."

Sabrina finally looked up from her nails. "My great-aunt was a maid in the White House. I know people. But those people need to be reminded of my value."

Elyse scoffed from the kitchen. "Your great-aunt was a maid? That' s your connection? And you need our life savings for that?"

Wesley finally spoke, his voice sharp. "Don't be naive, Elyse. This is how the world works. You two wouldn't understand. You're content being baristas, making lattes for tourists. We have ambition."

"Ambition?" Elyse' s voice was rising. "We built your blog with you! The late nights, the editing, the money we put in so you could buy equipment! That was our ambition too, for you!"

For five years, Elyse and I had lived this simple life, hiding from our real one. We' d poured our hearts, our time, and a quiet, steady stream of our own money into their dream. We believed in them. We loved them.

Now, they were on the verge of getting White House press credentials, a goal we had helped them achieve through our hidden, legacy connections. And this was their thank you.

"That was your hobby," Ethan corrected me, his tone dismissive. "This is our career. We need the money to grease the wheels for Sabrina. She'll get us the access we need, the kind of access two small-town baristas could never provide."

He looked straight at me, his eyes like chips of ice. "So, the account numbers. Now."

Elyse was shaking with rage. "Get out. Get out of our house right now. I' ll expose you for the frauds you are."

Ethan just laughed, a sound that made my stomach turn.

But I put a hand on Elyse' s arm, stopping her. A cold calm was settling over me. My family didn't just have connections in D.C. My family was the connection. My Legacy Seat oversaw all lobbying credentials, all high-level access.

They wanted to play in my world.

"No, Elyse," I said, my voice steady. "Let them go."

I looked at Ethan. "Let them go to Washington. We'll settle this there. On my home turf."