Tedmond shifted gears, the car surging forward with terrifying power."You’re alive, and for some reason, you’re trying to work for me. That’s the only reality that matters right now. Keep your tears for the Griffins, they’re going to need someone to mourn them by the time I’m done with this meeting."Max gripped the door handle, his knuckles white as the city lights blurred into streaks. The Pagani tore through the streets, followed closely by three black SUVs. Max realized with a jolt that Tedmond wasn't heading toward a skyscraper or a Griffin stronghold; he was navigating the twisting, broken roads that led to the slums, the only place Max’s family could afford after the bankruptcy.‘How does he know the way?’ Max wondered, his heart hammering. ‘And why is he taking me home in a car that costs more than this entire neighborhood?’He stole a glance at Tedmond. The sharp, cold profile of his half-brother was illuminated by the dashboard's glow. Max opened his mouth to beg for an

Maxine stared at the sheer opulence surrounding the woman, the cars, the guards, and the raw power radiating from Tedmond. "Wasn't she supposed to be a nobody?" she hissed. "Wasn't she just a mistake?"Tedmond finally moved, stepping forward until his shadow eclipsed both Evelyn and Maxine."Mistakes can be very expensive, Maxine," he said, his voice dropping into a chilling, soft hum. "And as you can see, the reports of my mother’s death were... greatly exaggerated by those who wished they were true."Maxine’s shock curdled into white-hot rage. She stepped forward, ignoring the way Persis’s hand moved instinctively toward the holster at her hip. To Maxine, the sight of the Pagani, the crisp suits, and the sheer health radiating from the brother she had once despised was an insult to every hungry night she had endured in this shack."How dare you?" Maxine screamed, her voice cracking as it echoed off the neighboring houses. "How dare you show up here like this, Tedmond? Look at us!

The heavy envelope lay in the dust between them, a white rectangle of mocking victory. Evelyn stared at it, her vision blurred by tears, but as she looked up at Millicent, the grime of the slums seemed to peel away from the edges of her vision.The silence between them stretched, vibrating with the weight of years."You always did have a way with envelopes," Evelyn whispered, a ghostly, hysterical laugh bubbling in her throat. She looked at Millicent’s hands, now soft and manicured, resting on the armrests of her wheelchair, and remembered when those same hands were red and raw from the winter cold of the secondary estate. "Do you remember the first one? The one the Master gave you before I found out?"Millicent’s eyes didn't flicker. She didn't need to close them to see the image. The dusty yard of the slums vanished, replaced by the suffocating scent of lilies and the ticking of a grandfather clock in a room draped in gold leaf."I remember everything, Evelyn," Millicent replie

Standing just a few feet away, looking awkward and filthy against the backdrop of a thousand-dollar Persian rug, was Millicent. Evelyn’s smile didn’t just fade; it vanished, replaced by an icy mask of suspicion. She pulled her silk robe tighter, her eyes raking over Millicent’s matted hair and dirt-streaked skin with visible loathing."Harold," Evelyn demanded, her voice dropping an octave, "who, or what… is this? And why is it standing in our foyer?"Harold cleared his throat, his hand remaining protectively near Millicent’s shoulder. "She was wandering near the highway, Evelyn. I found her in a state no human being should endure. Since you’ve been complaining for weeks about the incompetence of the domestic staff, I thought I’d bring her back to fill the vacancy."He gestured between the two women. "Evelyn, this is Mill. Mill, this is my wife, Evelyn Griffin."Evelyn didn’t move. "A maid? Harold, she looks like she crawled out of a swamp. We have standards. We can’t just pick up

Seeing the look on Harold’s face, Millicent flinched."Don't you dare take that tone with me!" he hissed. His voice echoed through the quiet boutique as the shop assistants tactfully vanished into the back rooms. "I pulled you out of the dirt! You were fighting animals for bread, Mill! You would be dead if it weren't for me. You think you’re too good for me? You’re a nameless stray in a maid’s uniform!"He grabbed her arm, his fingers digging into her skin like talons. "I gave you a life, and I can take it away just as easily. Now, take the bags and get in the car. Not another word."Millicent stumbled toward the sedan, her vision blurred by hot, stinging tears. The warmth of Griffin Manor was gone. She realized then that she hadn't been rescued; she had simply been collected.**The air inside the car felt like it was thickening, turning into a suffocating fog of fear and betrayal. Millicent gripped the edge of her seat, her knuckles white. She looked at the man beside her, the