Chapter 2

Lily's small face crumpled, her eyes red. She kept muttering, "I'm the winner. I'm the winner."

It hurt to see her like this, but a part of me found the situation almost comical.

I leaned down and whispered something in her ear.

Her eyes widened. "Mom? Are you serious?"

I nodded. "Watch."

Just as Brandon swaggered towards the stage, Mr. Henderson hurried back, looking even more flustered.

"Mrs. Hayes," he stammered, "this card... it's been locked. It can't be used!"

Jessica's brow furrowed. Her voice rose an octave. "What? Impossible! You hicks probably don't know how to use it!"

Mr. Henderson, looking pained, held out the portable card machine to her.

A mechanical female voice chirped: "Card declined. Card locked."

"How can this be?" Jessica stumbled back a step, her composure cracking.

A few parents in the audience snickered.

"Mrs. Hayes, did you find that card on the street?"

"If you don't have the money, why pretend? Aren't you embarrassed?"

Jessica's face turned a blotchy red. She snatched the machine and swiped the card again. And again.

"Card declined. Card locked."

"Card declined. Card locked."

The laughter and chatter grew louder.

Brandon whined, "Mom, what's going on? I want my prize!"

I watched Jessica's slightly panicked expression, then stepped forward with a pleasant smile. "Since Mrs. Hayes can't seem to produce the five hundred thousand, I believe the first prize still belongs to my daughter."

Lily's face had cleared. She winked at me and started towards the stage.

"Wait!" Jessica's voice was shrill. "This card has a problem, but that doesn't mean I don't have the money! This award is my son's, and my son's alone!"

She glared at me, then quickly dialed a number on her phone. Soon, the unmistakable voice of my CEO, Mark Olsen, echoed from her speakerphone.

Jessica hung up, her confidence flooding back. "Don't worry, son. No one is taking this prize from you. It's yours!" She shot me a defiant look.

I let out a small, cold laugh.

Just moments ago, Jessica and Mark had put on a public display of affection over the phone, their a Moreso sickeningly sweet.

My own phone, an old, unassuming model, buzzed in my purse.

Mark's voice, arrogant and demanding, barked through the receiver. "Sarah Miller, what the hell is wrong with that card I gave you? Contact the bank immediately and unlock it. And while you're at it, raise the limit to five million!"

I kept my voice remarkably calm. "Why do you need that much money, Mark?"

"Business entertainment, obviously! Stop asking stupid questions and do it!"

I lowered my eyes slightly, hiding the icy storm brewing within them.

I'd been the silent power behind Nova Dynamics for over a decade. Those who truly knew me understood that this tone, this demand, was a signal. Someone was about to face utter ruin.

How amusing. A man who owed his entire career to my family's backing, daring to keep a mistress under my nose and order me around.

My leniency had clearly made him forget who was really in charge.

When I didn't respond immediately, Mark fired off a few more irritated voice messages, then went silent.

Jessica, however, was already holding up her phone, displaying a bank transfer notification. Five hundred thousand dollars.

A polite, practiced smile touched her lips, but her eyes shone with smug triumph.

"There, Mr. Henderson," she said. "Satisfied? I told you, a family like ours wouldn't blink at half a million. Fifty million would be pocket change."

She glanced pointedly at me. "Not like those who live paycheck to paycheck, scrimping and saving just to find a hundred thousand."

Then, feigning kindness, she addressed Lily. "Little girl, better hope for a richer family in your next life. So your hard work isn't so easily snatched away."