I never told my parents that I had invested $500 million to save their failing company. My sister took credit, claiming she had closed the deal. At the victory party, my five-year-old son accidentally spilled water on his dress. She hit him so hard he lost consciousness. My mother snorted, “You clumsy speculator! Take the boy and go!” I gave them one last chance to apologize. Instead, they shouted, “Your sister saved us! You’re nothing but a burden!” Then they turned their attention to me. “Hello, our CEO…” What I had done had completely shattered their world.

“Vanessa is amazing,” Mom continued, ignoring me and gazing admiringly at the stage. “She’s the brains of this family. The real Rossi. Unlike you, Isabella, who only knows how to have children out of wedlock and profit from our charity. Please stay away from movies. Don’t embarrass us today.”

She didn’t wait for an answer. She turned and walked back toward the group of shareholders, laughing. “Yes, Vanessa is simply a visionary!” I heard.

I squeezed Leo’s hand under the table. He looked at me with wide, innocent brown eyes.

“Mom, I’m thirsty,” he whispered.

“I know, honey. I’ll get you some water,” I said.

As I stood up, I glanced at the gold seal on the program table. It was the seal of Aurora Holdings. I knew exactly who had signed that $500 million check at six in the morning three weeks ago. I knew whose signature appeared on every legal document Titan Corp. currently possesses.

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