The table exploded. Squeals, tears, hugs. In the middle of the chaos, Madison turned to me. Her smile didn’t reach her eyes.
“This baby will inherit a legacy,” she said. “Since you’ve chosen not to contribute to the family’s success financially, maybe you could contribute by helping with childcare. Nannies are so impersonal. You could move back home. Help raise the baby. It would give you something to do.”
There it was. The real offer.
Not a job. A role. A servant. A permanent orbit around Madison’s star.
“I’d be honored to help,” I said softly.
My mother clapped her hands. “See? This is perfect. A complete solution.”
Later, over coffee in the living room, the conversation turned back to business. Madison settled into the center of the sofa like a queen holding court.
“So,” Uncle Harold asked, “tell us more about this CEO role. What is RevTech’s strategy?”
“We’re targeting Fortune 500 clients,” Madison explained, her voice loud and confident. “I’m about to close the biggest deal in our company’s history. A partnership that will double our revenue overnight.”
My father leaned in. “With whom?”
Madison paused for dramatic effect.
“Tech Vault Industries.”
The name landed in the room like a grenade.
Everyone gasped. Uncle Harold whipped out his phone. “Good Lord. Their valuation is over a billion.”
“1.2 billion, actually,” Madison corrected smugly. “And they chose RevTech as their exclusive consulting partner.”
“Tech Vault is insanely selective,” Jessica breathed.
“They reached out to us,” Madison lied. “Specifically because of the projects I managed.”
My hand, holding a cup of coffee, didn’t tremble. My face remained a mask of polite interest. But inside, my mind was racing.
I knew Tech Vault’s calendar. I knew the partner evaluations. I knew every proposal RevTech had submitted because the final review of partnerships ended on my desk.
“The meeting is tomorrow,” Madison added.
“Christmas Day?” my mother asked, frowning.
“It’s a billion-dollar company, Mom. I’d work on Christmas if they asked.” Madison checked her phone. “The meeting is at their downtown subsidiary location. 327 Oak Street.”
My blood ran cold.
327 Oak Street was my bookstore.
Tech Vault owned the building through a shell company for privacy. My “office” was hidden behind the fiction section.
Madison was about to walk into my workplace expecting to meet anonymous executives.
“Sarah Chen—Tech Vault’s executive coordinator—texted me,” Madison said. “The founder specifically requested to handle the meeting personally.”
Then, she looked at me with a smirk.
“It’s near that little bookstore of yours, isn’t it Della? Actually… that’s perfect. You can open up early tomorrow. Let us wait there before the meeting. You can make us coffee. Introduce us to the neighborhood.”
My family nodded. It made sense to them. The failure should serve the success.
I looked at Madison. I looked at my parents, who were already discussing what they would wear to “support” Madison at the meeting.
“Of course,” I said softly. “I’ll be there early.”
I wasn’t going to scream. I wasn’t going to flip the table.
Because tomorrow, Madison wasn’t just going to meet the founder of Tech Vault. She was going to meet the sister she had spent a lifetime trying to erase.
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