Chapter 9

<p>"Emily, let me be real with you," Dorothy said, leaning in close. "Do you think you have a choice? No money, no connections, no job.</p><p>"You walk out that door, and you won't even have a place to crash. The only thing you've got going for you is that title, Mrs. Oliver. Once you give that up, what else do you have?"</p><p>Emily looked up, meeting Dorothy's gaze head-on. "I'll sign," she said.</p><p>Dorothy was taken aback. She hadn't expected Emily to agree so quickly.</p><p>Emily said, "But I want one thing changed. Three years without seeing Jayden is way too long. Make it one year instead. The rest is fine."</p><p>Dorothy straightened up, thinking it over for a few seconds. "One and a half years."</p><p>"One year," Emily insisted.</p><p>Dorothy shot the lawyer a look. The lawyer nodded.</p><p>"Fine. We'll make the change, print it out, and you can sign it," Dorothy said.</p><p>Emily stood up, leaning on her crutch as she headed for the door. As she reached the entrance, Dorothy called out from behind her, "You really ought to know your place. You were never one of us. Seven years, and you still haven't figured that out?"</p><p>Emily didn't look back. She stepped out the front door, the sunlight spilling across her face.</p><p>As she stood by the door waiting for her ride, someone walked up beside her.</p><p>It was Derek, the Olivers' old butler.</p><p>"Mrs. Oliver," Derek said, standing next to her with a bag in his hand. "Mr. Bruce Oliver asked me to bring you this blueberry muffin. He said it's your favorite."</p><p>"Thank you, Derek," Emily replied.</p><p>Derek handed her the bag, but didn't leave right away. He stood there for a moment, then lowered his voice. "Mrs. Oliver, Mr. Bruce Oliver asked me to pass along a message."</p><p>"What is it?"</p><p>"He said, 'Gold shines wherever it goes. Some things stay with you, even if you give them away.'"</p><p>Emily took the blueberry muffin and glanced at Derek. His face was as calm as ever. After delivering the message, he turned and walked away, as if nothing had happened at all.</p><p>Emily stood there, replaying Bruce's words in her head, letting them sink in.</p><p>Then she got in the car and headed to the hospital for her follow-up checkup.</p><p>*****</p><p>Day 15. Only five days left until the shareholders' meeting. Emily's leg was doing much better now. She could walk on her own without the crutch, but if she tried to hurry, the pain would still kick in.</p><p>That afternoon, Emily was at home, packing up her stuff. After seven years in the Olivers' house, all she really had were a few clothes, some books, and an old photo album.</p><p>She picked out what she wanted to keep and stuffed it all into a suitcase.</p><p>As she was packing, the doorbell rang downstairs.</p><p>The housekeeper opened the door, and Emily heard a woman's voice. It was bright and cheerful, deliberately sweet. "Where's Jayden? Noah asked me to take him to that piano lesson."</p><p>Amber had arrived.</p><p>Emily stayed upstairs, not moving. She heard Jayden's footsteps thundering down the stairs, and he called out cheerfully, "Amber!"</p><p>Amber's voice floated up next. "Jayden, come here, sweetheart! Put this jacket on. It's a little chilly outside. I got it for you last week. Do you like it?"</p><p>"I love it!" Jayden piped up, his voice full of excitement.</p><p>Amber said, "Alright, let's go! We'll try out the lesson today, and if you like it, we can go every week."</p><p>"Okay. Is Mom home?" Jayden asked.</p><p>There was a brief pause. Then Amber said, "Your mom's resting right now. Let's not disturb her, okay? After your lesson, I'll buy you some ice cream."</p><p>"Okay!" Jayden replied.</p><p>The door closed, and the car started up.</p><p>Emily stood by her bedroom window, watching a white car drive off from the gate. In the back seat, Jayden was showing Amber something, the two of them laughing together, looking like they were having the time of their lives.</p><p>Emily stepped back, sat down on the bed, and tucked a neatly folded sweater into her suitcase.</p><p>Her phone buzzed. It was a message from Noah.</p><p>Noah: [I've got a business dinner tonight. I won't be back. Jayden's out with Amber, so you'll be eating alone.]</p><p>She texted back. [Okay.]</p><p>Above her [Okay,] there was a whole string of similar messages. [Won't be back tonight], [I'll pick up Jayden], [Don't wait up], and [Handle dinner yourself.]</p><p>Scrolling through seven years of chat history, it was always these short, matter-of-fact updates. Her replies never changed. [Okay], [Got it], and [Sure.]</p><p>There was never a hello or anything more than what was needed.</p><p>Emily set her phone aside and went back to packing.</p><p>*****</p><p>Day 18, nightfall. Everything changed. Emily was at home when Bruce called.</p><p>"Emily." Bruce's voice was lower than usual. "We're having a family meeting this afternoon. I need you to come over."</p><p>"What's it about?" Emily asked.</p><p>"You'll find out when you get here."</p><p>When she got to the old house, the main hall was already packed. Noah, Dorothy, Wesley's family, and Jeremy's family were there. Nobody looked happy.</p><p>Noah sat next to the head of the table, his face as cold as ice. Dorothy was on the other side, clutching her phone, her lips pressed into a thin line.</p><p>As Emily walked in, all eyes instantly turned to her.</p>