Chapter 4

I froze, my fingers curling tightly into my palms.

I should be grateful to the family?

Who was ever grateful for me?

I didn't yell. In this house, no one cared to listen anyway.

After twenty years, my existence was erased from the Vance family register.

I moved into the quiet cottage, living among flowers, herbs, and oils.

I thought my life would remain peaceful.

Until the invitation arrived.

Heavy stock, embossed in gold: "The Engagement of Aurora Vance and Julian Sterling."

My name was nowhere on the card.

I was just another name on the general guest list.

My mother called to remind me. "Eve, it’s Aurora's big night. Dress appropriately. Nothing too flashy, nothing too shabby. Sit in the back, stay quiet, and don't embarrass your sister."

I knew what she meant.

My mere presence was an embarrassment.

The engagement gala was held at the Vance Sky Garden, atop our flagship seven-star hotel.

I didn't have designer couture, and though Aurora had an entire walk-in closet of vintage runway pieces, I refused to beg.

Using the prize money from my perfumery competition, I bought a simple, floor-length lavender silk dress.

When I stepped into the ballroom and saw Aurora, the old pang of inadequacy hit me.

She wore a custom Lebanese gown draped in ten thousand micro-diamonds, glittering like a cascading galaxy under the crystal lights.

She looked every bit the queen—commanding, breathtaking, triumphant.

Next to her, I was dust.

I gripped my clutch, clutching the last scrap of my dignity.

I found an empty table in the furthest corner, hoping to blend into the velvet curtains.

Julian spotted me anyway.

Cutting through the sea of socialites, he walked straight to my table.

"You look stunning tonight, Eve," he said softly.

"Thank you," I offered a polite, distant smile. "Congratulations to you and Aurora."

His gaze lingered on me, as if he wanted to say something, but it ended in a quiet, unreadable sigh.

The gala reached its peak.

Charles and Aurora took the stage, microphones in hand.

"The greatest pride of my life is my daughter Aurora!" Charles's voice echoed through the ballroom. "She is my sole successor, and the only future captain of the Vance Group!"

Applause thundered through the hall.

I watched my triumphant father and my glittering sister.

There was no chair for me on that stage.

There was no trace of me in their master plan.

Standing before the vanity mirror in the restroom, a bitter thought crossed my mind: for an ordinary girl, was having a brilliant sister a blessing, or a curse?

Then, a reckless idea sparked in my chest.

If I was destined to live in the shadows, then I would make the shadow burn.

If they only saw Aurora, I would step into her light.

On my own terms.

I took a deep breath and smoothed down my silk dress.