Chapter 3

The world seemed to spin, and a sharp pain stabbed through my chest.

Without hesitating, I discharged myself and headed straight for the Vance family's New York headquarters. The family crest only responded to the true bloodline. Even if Chloe held the physical pendant, she couldn't command our forces without my explicit permission.

But to my utter shock, when I arrived, not a single soul at the headquarters recognized me.

Even the manager had been replaced.

The guards at the gate shoved me roughly onto the pavement.

"Get lost, beggar! Do you even know whose territory this is?"

Ignoring the scrape on my knees, I grabbed one of the guards by his collar and demanded, "Where is Albert? Where is the old manager?"

The guard laughed sneeringly and pushed me away again.

"That old bastard offended the young mistress. He was stripped of his rank and sent to rot at some dirty dock on the West Coast long ago."

A bitter chill seeped into my bones, making it hard to breathe.

Albert had raised me since I was a child. He was practically my second father. And while I was asleep, they had ruined him.

Gritting my teeth, I hailed a cab and drove straight to the Sterling estate in Long Island.

Fortunately, the security system still had my fingerprints registered. I slipped inside quietly, avoiding the staff.

As I passed the living room, I saw a baby boy, about a year old, sitting in a high chair.

I glanced at the nanny busy in the kitchen, a cold light flashing in my eyes.

When I returned to the hospital, I collapsed onto the bed, completely exhausted, my palms covered in cold sweat.

Before I could even catch my breath, Ethan burst into the room, his eyes wild with fury.

"Where is Tommy? What did you do to my son?"

"Who is Tommy?" I blinked, playing dumb.

Ethan's face twisted in pure rage, as if he wanted to strangle me right then and there.

"Serena, stop playing games! I checked the security logs at the estate. Your fingerprints were used to enter the house today!"

"You took Tommy. I know it."

"I'm warning you, if you touch a single hair on his head—"

His threat was interrupted by his phone ringing.

Ethan answered it, and the anger on his face instantly vanished. I could faintly hear the voice on the other end saying the baby had been found hiding under a sofa.

Once he hung up, I asked quietly, "So, who is Tommy?"

Ethan's expression turned incredibly awkward. "No one. Did you go to the estate today?"

I shrugged. "Yeah. I missed you, so I went to look for you. But you weren't there, so I came back."

Ethan stared at me suspiciously for a long moment before letting out a soft laugh.

"Next time you miss me, just call. The house is a mess right now with all the wedding preparations and relatives visiting."

"Tommy is my cousin's son. He almost got lost today, so please don't go wandering around the estate for now."

I nodded obediently.

As soon as Ethan left, I pulled a folded piece of paper from my pocket.

It was a copy of the late Elder Mr. Sterling's will, which had been hidden in a secret compartment of his study.

Ethan would never guess that I was in the room when his grandfather drafted this will. And the true successor named in the document was Ethan's estranged younger uncle, Julian Sterling.

Back then, out of my foolish love for Ethan, I had helped him hide this will. Perhaps my current suffering was just karma for that betrayal.

My phone buzzed. It was a text from my brother:

I found Julian Sterling.