Chapter 2

2.

The next day, I officially started my new "job."

At breakfast, Bella walked in wearing a silk robe. I had to admit, the product the Vances had poured money into was exquisite―she fit the innocent-but-sexy Instagram aesthetic perfectly.

In front of our parents, she was still the picture of a fragile victim.

But last night's recording taught her I wasn't a pushover.

She sat down across from me, no longer playing the crying victim. Instead, she watched me with a cautious hostility, like a Persian cat whose tail had been stepped on―beautiful, but with her claws out.

"Harper, you know that recording was obtained without my consent, right? My lawyer said―"

Looks like she did some homework. Too bad it wasn't enough.

"New York is a one-party consent state, Bella. I was in the next room, and the door was open. Your lawyer should have told you that―unless he's one of those guys who advertises on Instagram."

Bella's lips tightened. The comment about the Instagram lawyer stung. In this world, implying someone's lawyer is second-rate is a deeper cut than any direct insult.

I put down my coffee cup and looked at her seriously.

"Listen, Bella. I get it. You've been here for twenty years, and suddenly a biological daughter shows up. It's scary. But I'm not here to take your place."

She didn't speak, but her eyes were turning red―for real this time.

"Your territory is being the princess―the Instagram socialite, the one everyone adores. I don't want any of that. What I want is a seat at the boardroom table."

Bella stared at me, as if realizing for the first time that I wasn't here to steal her spot.

I was here to steal Richard's.

That afternoon, my supposed fiancé, Harrison Sterling, paid a visit.

He was a notorious asshole. Dressed in a Ralph Lauren polo with a popped collar, he radiated the greasy energy of a washed-up Ivy League jock.

He sized me up like an item he was about to return.

"So you're the one from Missouri. You've got the Vance bone structure, I'll give you that. But the rest... needs work."

He was originally into Bella, but the Sterling family trust forced him to accept the real heiress, so he was full of resentment towards me.

I couldn't be bothered with him. As I was about to head back to my room, a deep voice came from the living room entrance.

"Harrison, if you spent half the energy you waste on being an asshole on managing your investment portfolio, Sterling's quarterly report wouldn't be such an embarrassment."

Liam Sterling walked in.

Harrison's face changed instantly. In front of Liam, all his arrogance vanished―not because of seniority, but because Liam held the real power at Sterling Capital, which meant he controlled the tap to Harrison's trust fund.

"Liam... I didn't know you were coming."

Liam ignored him and walked straight to me, extending a hand.

"We didn't get a proper introduction yesterday. Liam Sterling."

I shook his hand. His palm was dry and warm, the pressure just right―not a power play, but not dismissive either.

"Harper Vance."

"I know who you are."

He let go of my hand, his gray eyes lingering on my face for a moment.

"Richard gave you the board observer seat?"

"News travels fast."

"In this circle, nothing stays secret for long."

He tilted his head, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

"I'll be at the board meeting next Wednesday. Let's see what the newest member of the Vance family can do."

With that, he turned and left, leaving behind the faint scent of cedar and leather.

Harrison was left standing there, baffled as to why Liam was more courteous to a girl from the Midwest than to him.

I was wondering, too.

What was Liam Sterling's game?