Chapter 10
The room seemed to drop ten degrees as the truth crashed over me like a tidal wave.
My mother hadn’t just married Julian Sterling by random chance three years ago in Boston.
She was the twin sister of William’s late wife, trapped in the same dark web of high-society greed.
“Julian didn’t marry your mother out of love, Lily,” William explained, handing the locket back to me.
“He married her to gain access to the family trust fund that my late wife left behind for Leo.”
“Your mother found out what Julian was doing to the estate funds two years ago.”
“That’s why she disappeared,” I realized, tears spilling over my cheeks again.
“She didn’t abandon Maya and me… Julian did something to her!”
“We’re going to find out what he did, Lily,” William promised, his eyes burning with intense determination.
“My legal team in Zurich just intercepted Julian’s encrypted communication logs from New York.”
“He’s currently sitting in my family’s estate in Newport, Rhode Island, trying to clear the bank accounts.”
“He thinks you and Maya are on your way to Rome, completely helpless and alone.”
“Then let him keep thinking that,” I said, wiping my tears with the sleeve of my oversized jacket.
William looked at me with newfound respect, a tiny, rare smile appearing on his hard face.
May you like
“You’ve got a lot of fight in you for a ten-year-old girl from premium economy,” William noted.
“I had to be strong for Maya,” I answered simply. “Because nobody else was coming to save us.”
