Chapter 2

I walked out of the office building and turned the corner. A black Rolls-Royce waited at the curb, and I slid into the back seat.

Samuel James, my husband, immediately picked up on my mood. His eyes swept over me, reading every tense line of my body.

I gave him the quick version of what had just happened. Samuel's jaw tightened, and regret flashed across his face.

He said, "I should've gone up there with you. I would've loved to meet Christopher and that piece of trash. Nobody messes with my wife and gets away with it."

He leaned forward slightly. "Want me to handle this?"

I shook my head. "No. I just want them to leave me alone."

Samuel reached over and squeezed my left hand. "I'm here whenever you need me."

When I walked into the office the next day, everything had changed.

My coworkers looked at me with a mix of fear and disgust.

They must have dug up those old news articles about Evelyn and me.

I kept my expression neutral and tried to act like nothing was wrong. Then my boss came over, practically bowing as he smiled and asked me to deliver some documents to Grant Group.

I didn't want to go. But I also didn't want to abuse my power and refuse.

After thinking it over for a moment, I headed to the Grant Group building.

Six years had passed since I'd last been here. Most of the employees were new faces who didn't recognize me.

But a few of the veterans spotted me right away. They stood up and nodded respectfully. "Ms. Grant, it's been a long time."

I ignored them and went straight to Christopher's office.

I knew this was his doing. He'd arranged for me to come here.

"Madeline, you're a Grant. If people find out you're working as a clerk at some no-name company, where does that leave the family's reputation?" Christopher said.

"The family's reputation?" I ran my fingers along my empty sleeve, a habit I'd developed over the years. "That was destroyed six years ago, wasn't it?"

Six years ago, I had been the Grant family's pride and joy.

I'd made a name for myself young and became a bestselling author before I even turned eighteen. My books dominated the sales charts, and critics loved me just as much as readers did.

My brother adored me, my parents doted on me, and I'd gotten into my dream university.

I had everything, and I thought I was the luckiest girl in the world.

Then I met Evelyn in my college dorm room.

Her poverty was impossible to miss. She wore clothes so faded they were nearly colorless, covered in patches.

She didn't even have bedding when school started, let alone the few thousand dollars for tuition.

I thought I had it all, so my guard was completely down when my compassion kicked in.

The rush of playing savior blinded me, and I spoiled Evelyn without any limits.

I paid her tuition and bought her bedding. I took her shopping for clothes and shoes, and I loaded her bank account with a five-figure credit limit.

I even brought her into my personal life.

I took her home to meet my parents and brother, and I introduced her to all my friends.

I taught her how to write novels and gave her hands-on guidance with everything.

Evelyn was smart and gentle, the complete opposite of my passionate, headstrong personality.

She knew exactly how to charm my parents and play vulnerable in front of Christopher, drawing out his protective instincts.

I'd been soaking in happiness for so long that I'd grown numb to the changes happening around me.

I didn't notice when it started, but suddenly all my friends stopped reaching out to me and started hanging out with Evelyn instead.

Christopher began pursuing her aggressively, showering her with expensive gifts and calling her dorm room every night to chat for hours.

But he forgot my birthday for the first time ever and didn't contact me once for an entire month.

My mother, Margaret, memorized all of Evelyn's favorite foods and reminded her to come back to the Grant family house every week for a proper meal. Still, she stopped fussing over me the way she used to.

I couldn't hold it in anymore and snapped at my family, demanding to know why they were shutting me out like this.

But they just said I was overthinking everything. "Evelyn has it so hard, and you're jealous over a little attention? That's ridiculous!"

Then summer break came, and I went back to Grant Manor alone, only to find the house empty.

The butler looked uncomfortable as he explained that my father, mother, and brother had all taken Evelyn on an overseas trip.

Not a single one of them had even thought to tell me.

I broke down completely, crying and screaming, feeling like my whole world had collapsed.

But all I got back from my family was even harsher scolding and disgust.

"You're getting more selfish every day, Madeline. Evelyn is so pitiful and has no one. She's never even been abroad. What's wrong with taking her on one trip?" Margaret slapped me across the face for the first time in my life.

"Madeline, you've been the Grant family princess for so long. Why can't you make room for someone else? She's going to be my wife. What's wrong with me treating her well?" Christopher snapped at me with a harshness I'd never heard from him before.

I never opposed Christopher dating Evelyn.

But I couldn't understand why her becoming Christopher's wife meant I had to be pushed out.

Was the massive Grant family really too small for two girls?