Chapter 1

Ellie Vance stood on the edge of the manicured lawn, the sprawling Texas ranch of the Harrison family stretching out before her like a kingdom.

It was a kingdom she had no part in, not really.

Her late adoptive mother, Maria Sanchez, had been the bridge, the fixer for the patriarch, Charles Harrison Sr.

Now Maria was gone, and Ellie was just... Ellie.

Victoria and Ashley Harrison, Brenda' s daughters, swept past her, their expensive boots barely touching the imported grass.

They possessed the "Harrison touch," a supposed knack for sniffing out deals and political leverage.

Ellie possessed a quiet watchfulness they always mistook for dullness.

They looked down on her, always had, especially after Maria died.

"Look at her," Victoria whispered to Ashley, loud enough for Ellie to hear. "Still looks like a lost puppy."

Ashley giggled, a sharp, unpleasant sound. "Mother says she has no instinct for anything important."

Ellie kept her face blank.

Their words were old, familiar.

Inside, the air was thick with tension and the smell of expensive leather.

Charles Harrison Sr., the patriarch, looked smaller than Ellie remembered, his illness carving new lines into his face.

He sat in a large armchair, a king on a fading throne.

Brenda Harrison, his second wife, hovered near him, her eyes sharp and possessive. She was the one who despised Maria, the one rumored to have orchestrated her death.

Charles Sr. cleared his throat, a dry, rattling sound.

"I've called you three here for a reason."

His gaze swept over Victoria, Ashley, and then, briefly, Ellie.

"This family, this company, needs a clear line of succession."

Brenda' s smile was tight.

"My sons, Charlie Jr. and Daniel, are the future. One of them will lead."

Charles Sr. nodded slowly. "Victoria, Ashley. You both have... instincts. I want you to vet them. Champion one of them."

Victoria spoke immediately, her voice confident.

"Charlie Jr. is the obvious choice, Father. He has market appeal, charisma."

Ashley, always a little more cautious, countered.

"Daniel' s financials are more stable, Father. He' s the steadier hand."

All eyes then turned to Ellie, an afterthought.

Brenda smirked. "And Ellie? What use can she be in this?"

The sisters exchanged amused glances.

Ellie met Charles Sr.' s tired gaze.

"I don't want to champion either son," she said, her voice surprisingly steady in the heavy silence.

A flicker of surprise in the old man's eyes.

Brenda scoffed. "Then why are you even here?"

"I want to work directly for Mr. Harrison," Ellie continued. "As a special advisor."

Victoria burst out laughing. "Advisor? On what? Flower arrangements?"

Ellie ignored her. "I have a unique intuition, sir. An intuition for navigating threats to the Harrison legacy."

She paused, letting her next words sink in.

"My mother, Maria, cultivated it in me."