Chapter 12

Vivienne, of course, was blissfully oblivious to all of this. She stood on the stage in a stunning gown, basking in the spotlight.

The crowd below applauded warmly. Richard and Diane beamed up at her with pride as Richard addressed the room. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet my eldest daughter—the one I lost all those years ago."

The announcement drew murmurs of confusion. Someone who hadn't heard the rumors leaned over and whispered, "Doesn't Richard Sterling only have one daughter? Claire?"

On stage, Vivienne's smile stiffened for a fraction of a second. A flash of malice crossed her eyes. Claire Sterling, that wretched girl. But it didn't matter anymore. The Sterling name, the family fortune, their father's love—everything that had once belonged to Claire was now hers.

A few guests still assumed this was Claire's birthday celebration and exchanged puzzled glances.

But Richard went on to explain that Vivienne was the child he and Diane had together years ago. Under the weight of countless stares, Vivienne's identity transformed—from illegitimate daughter to the Sterling family's eldest, Vivienne Sterling.

Someone in the crowd started clapping. "Congratulations, Mr. Sterling! What wonderful news—your daughter, returned to you at last!"

A chorus of flattery followed. Vivienne was glowing.

Then, the next second, Julian and Ethan walked into the ballroom, their faces like carved ice. Julian's voice cut through the room. "Father. I object."

The color drained from Richard's, Vivienne's, and Diane's faces simultaneously. Richard fixed his son with a hard stare. "Why would you object? Vivienne is your sister too. You can't play favorites."

Vivienne recovered quickly, turning to Julian and Ethan with a wounded expression. "Ethan, Julian—did Claire say something to you? I don't even know what I've done wrong for her to treat me this way."

She began to cry. Ethan didn't so much as blink. He regarded her with cold detachment. "You know exactly what you've done."

Vivienne's heart lurched. She exchanged a quick glance with her mother.

Richard, however, erupted. "What has Claire been saying now? She hasn't had a single peaceful day since she got back. I should never have let her out."

Diane rubbed his back soothingly. "You know how the girl is. Don't let her ruin your health over this."

Watching the two of them, Julian's expression turned to permafrost. The fury inside him was volcanic. "Father, I'd like you to see something."

The next instant, the massive screen behind them—the one that had been displaying Vivienne's birthday montage of glamorous photos—flickered and changed. It now showed footage of Claire being beaten inside the detention facility.

And that wasn't all. The recordings of Vivienne orchestrating the whole thing played next. Vivienne let out a shriek, her composure shattered. She scrambled to explain. "Dad, let me explain! It's not what it looks like. Someone set me up! It's all fabricated!"

Richard's proud smile had turned to stone. He stared at the screen—at the daughter who looked so much like Grace, being brutalized, being broken—and his eyes filled with a cold, boundless fury. When the staged assassination plot was revealed, along with the truth of everything Vivienne had done, his expression went arctic.

Diane saw it all unraveling. She seized Richard's arm. "Richard, Vivienne has always been sweet and kind. She'd never do something like this. She must have been framed."

"With today's technology, anyone could fake something like this. Whoever's behind it is trying to destroy our daughter!"

She was practically hysterical. Vivienne sobbed along with her. "Daddy, how could I ever do that to my own sister? This is all a setup to frame me!"

Richard listened to their tearful pleas, but his heart had gone cold. Moments later, the screen showed new footage—Diane and Vivienne together.

"You've done well, sweetheart. Grace stole my man and forced us to live abroad for over a decade. Too bad for her she didn't live long enough to enjoy it. Now everything that was hers is mine."

Diane stroked Vivienne's hair, her voice dripping with triumph. "That woman took everything from us. Now you go and take everything from her precious little daughter. What goes around comes around."

Vivienne's eyes lit up. "Mother, does that mean I can do whatever I want to Claire?"

Diane laughed softly, her expression indulgent. "Whatever you like, darling. They all believe her over us anyway. As long as you don't actually kill her, she's yours to play with."