Chapter 37

Isadora sat alone in her office.

She pressed her fountain pen to her forehead, eyes fixed on the view outside as she fell deep into thought.

The Vaughan Group's Global Project was seeking $400 million in sponsorship.

She knew Pearl would pull every trick in the book to secure it.

After all, a 10% stake in The Vaughan Group meant annual dividends that could reach millions—money that would keep flowing for years to come.

Once upon a time, Isadora might not have cared so much about money.

She'd cared about family-except her adoptive mother, Carla, had been anything

but loving. In fact, Carla had been downright cruel.

For twenty years, Isadora had endured a relentless cycle of emotional

manipulation, icy silence, and outright abuse.

If she brought home perfect grades, Carla would only grow colder.

If she made friends, Carla's mood soured.

Even laughter became a sin.

Back then, Isadora couldn't understand why Carla disliked her so much, why she seemed determined to make her miserable.

gaze was always loveless-cold,

truth came

entire baby-switching scheme from

hadn't wanted to raise Isadora at all—she'd even abandoned her at a hospital, leaving her in a trash bin out of sight. The only reason Carla took her back was fear: if someone

Carla was just as terrified that Isadora might outshine

up in the shadows, her childhood

back into the Vaughan family, she craved the love of Richard,

tried, Pearl was always the daughter, always the sister,

bent over backward, swallowing her pride, doing everything she could

Nothing changed.

being kidnapped for Isadora to

matter how much you sacrifice or how loyal you are, if someone doesn't love

she couldn't have

money. Her own

now, that $400 million investment

Group

going to humble herself and ask

No.

go back to the days when she begged for scraps

one person who could help her now:

Isadora remembered that night.

had promised her

never agreed to make her

favor-she could cash it in

The Fitzgerald Group.

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