Chapter 2

2

The rain blurred my vision. Tears mixed with the cold water, dripping onto my phone screen.

The mountain path was treacherous in the dark. I knew I needed to focus, but the pain was overwhelming.

"Landon, please. Just trust me. I can't explain now, but one day I'll tell you the truth..."

Suddenly, my foot caught on a jagged rock. I lost my balance and tumbled forward.

My elbows and knees scraped against the gravel, and a sharp, white-hot pain flared through my body.

At that exact moment, I heard Landon's voice through the phone, cold as a tombstone. "We're done. Don't ever call me again."

Two weeks later, I was at the Vance estate.

I went to see my brother, Milo. He was seventeen, and because of his autism, he could go entire days without saying a single word.

I knelt in front of him, but his eyes remained glued to his book. He wouldn't even look at me.

Mrs. Vance rolled into the room in her wheelchair. She smiled at me, a look of faux-grace on her face. "Milo's been eating well. He's a growing boy. The nurses take him to the park every day."

I felt a wave of relief. At least Milo was safe and cared for while I was away.

"Thank you, Mrs. Vance," I said, my voice full of genuine gratitude.

Mrs. Vance's face looked weary, her eyes moist with tears. "Lyra, these two years have been hard on you. You've sacrificed so much for my daughter."

I shook my head. "Don't worry about it. I've learned a lot about business and academia. It's been good for me."

Mrs. Vance sighed. "Lilah is just... she's a handful. Ever since her father passed, it's been so hard. The board is pushing for an IPO, and if Lilah's scandals get out, we're all ruined."

Celeste Silks had finished its Series A funding two years ago. But that was the year Mr. and Mrs. Vance had their accident.

Mr. Vance died instantly. Mrs. Vance was paralyzed from the waist down.

The weight of the empire fell on Lilah, and she simply couldn't handle it. She chose to run away into a life of hedonism.

Mrs. Vance had begged me to step in. And because she had saved me and Milo years ago, I didn't hesitate.

Ten years ago, she adopted us. My mother had been a factory worker who died young from cancer, leaving us as orphans.

Our father had run off with a mistress when Milo was born. Mrs. Vance gave Milo access to specialists and gave me an education.

She was the closest thing we had to a mother. I owed her everything.

"If everything goes smoothly, the IPO should be finalized by November. I'll spend the next two months working with the investment bankers," I told her.

She nodded, satisfied. I was working twenty-four hours a day, living for a company that didn't even bear my name.

"I'd like to take three days off," I said softly. "I'll still handle emails, but I need to go."

I wanted to find Landon. I wanted to tell him I loved him.

I went to his apartment, hoping to surprise him. But when the door opened, the person standing there was Lilah.