Chapter 3 - Standing frozen in her navy blue lace dress while upscale party guests whisper frantically about the shocking arrival of three unexpected little mirror images now.
Whispers erupted like wildfire among the wealthy elite gathered along the Hamptons lakeside for the annual autumn charity gala.
Socialites in designer evening gowns turned away from the caterers, their eyes locked entirely on the stunning scene unfolding near the black luxury SUV.
"Are those really Ethan’s boys?" a prominent local senator whispered to his wife behind a cupped hand of utter disbelief.
"Look at their eyes; they have the exact same piercing blue gaze as the late Sterling heir," another guest murmured back rapidly.
Eleanor wanted to look away, to dismiss the murmurs as baseless gossip, but the collective gaze of the crowd trapped her in place.
Her mind raced back to the day Ethan was cast out of the family estate, stripped of his title and banished without a dime.
She had believed he died alone in Europe years later, broken and forgotten, leaving the family empire entirely to her eldest son Julian.
Now, standing on the emerald lawn, the past had returned with a vengeance, embodied in three six-year-old boys who wore Ethan's face.
Clara adjusted the bowtie of the youngest boy with practiced tenderness, ignoring the frantic whispers swirling around them like a storm.
May you like
The social hierarchy of the entire eastern seaboard was shifting on its axis, and every powerful person present knew it.
---
Related Stories
