Chapter 2

At Regency Crest Hotel, I stepped out of the car with Lesley trailing close behind. We hadn't even made it to the entrance before I spotted Emily gliding through the front doors with a whole entourage orbiting around her like she was the sun.

Right beside her was a man clutching a bouquet of roses, gazing at her with puppy-dog eyes dripping with tenderness.

The second they saw me, both of them went rigid for a heartbeat. That flicker of panic darting through their eyes before they could mask it.

Emily recovered first, her voice pitching up with rehearsed excitement. "Claire! You're back!"

She plastered on a smile and rushed toward me.

"Claire, how have you been? Three whole years overseas!"

She circled around me slowly, eyes scanning me up and down like she was running an inventory check. Then her shoulders relaxed.

"Honestly, Claire, you look totally fine just the way you are," she said sweetly. "Seriously, don't even bother with dieting anymore, okay?"

I kept my expression perfectly neutral. I had spent three long years picking up the pieces and preparing for my return. I thought time had buried the scandal, but she dug it up with a few effortless sentences.

"Wait, is that Claire Sterling?" someone whispered nearby. "The one who knocked out a client with a flying button?"

"Oh my god, after three years of dieting, she's still that big?"

"Didn't her family basically exile her? How does she even have the nerve to show up?"

Emily stomped her foot with practiced indignation, protesting, "Guys, come on! Don't say stuff like that! Claire's been through enough already!"

She turned to me, reaching for my hand with those doe eyes of hers. "Claire, don't listen to them. They're just..."

I pulled my hand back. "Why would I waste my energy," I said evenly, "on people who aren't even in my league?"

Emily's mouth opened. Nothing came out.

The crowd didn't take it nearly as well.

"Excuse me? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Girl, you're out here looking like that and still running your mouth?"

"What makes you better than us? Your 200-pound frame? Your inability to finish a sentence in public?"

"She really still thinks she's the queen bee of the city. Unbelievable."

I sneered, "Who else would it be? You?

"Honey, even if I were so heavy that I needed a wheelchair, all your families combined still couldn't hold a candle to my family.

"And let's not forget, every single one of your family businesses still comes crawling to us for deals.

"Go home tonight. I'm sure your families will have plenty to say to you."

I gave them one last look and pushed past Emily without a second glance, walking straight through those doors.

Behind me, the whispers erupted like wildfire.

With tear-rimmed eyes, Emily sobbed softly, "I'm sorry. I don't know why she's like this now. It's my fault for not being a better friend.

"Claire! Please don't be mad, okay? This is all because of me. I just..."

I stopped and turned just enough to look at her over my shoulder, interrupting her, "Emily, you're really not that important. You don't have the power to make me angry."

She froze. Her face cycled through about six different emotions in two seconds flat before settling on something desperate.

"So you're really not mad? Well, today's actually my birthday. Will you come to my dinner?"

Before I could even open my mouth, Ryan finally broke his silence.

"Claire," he snapped, "Emily's being gracious here. Don't be ungrateful.

"We're heading to the private room. Go pick up a gift and get in there.

"That necklace, 'Starry Night,' Emily's been eyeing just launched. You can get her that."

I turned slowly and looked him up and down. He had been riding high lately. But ever since I had decided to fight back, the power dynamic had shifted. And he didn't even know it yet.

"You might want to get your head checked," I said sweetly. "Her birthday has absolutely nothing to do with me.

"I'm not her mother. What makes you think you can walk up to me and demand I buy her presents?

"The Sterling family has exactly one daughter. And that is me. Even if I'd lost every brain cell I ever had, the two of you could never, ever touch me."

I flicked my wrist, and my bodyguards moved in, forming a wall between us to ensure my meeting with Leonard went undisturbed.

Behind me, Ryan was practically vibrating with rage. Emily had turned on the waterworks. I knew she would be doing her whole poor-little-me routine, dabbing at her eyes while making sure everyone was watching. But I didn't care.

Once I got to the private room, I told Lesley to bring out the house favorites and to keep the double-malt milkshakes coming. Anything with a staggering calorie count was a priority.

Leonard walked in just as I was settling into my feast. He took one look at the spread in front of me and actually sighed with relief.