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.

“Oh, Vanessa, honey, she’s ruined,” my mother whispered in surprise. Then she looked at me, a terrifying coldness filling her eyes. She stepped forward and lightly kicked Leo in the leg. “Get up, Isabella. Stop pretending to be sorry. He’s a clumsy profiteer, just like you. Look what you’ve done to your sister’s evening.”

“He’s unconscious,” I said in a hoarse, unrecognizable voice. My hands shook as I held Leo’s head. “She hit him.” She hit a five-year-old.

“He had to learn a lesson,” my father said, standing over us like a judge. “He’s been a burden to me since the day he was born. Now take him and get out of my sight before security throws you out onto the street.”

I looked at them. I saw all three of them—Vanessa, Marcus, and Elena—standing in a row. They looked like the perfect family. They looked like winners.

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