Chapter 2 - THE VANCE DYNASTY’S DARKEST SECRET"Where did you get that necklace?"
Arthur’s voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable weight that silenced the entire room. Paramedics had rushed in with a stretcher to tend to Julian, but the crowd barely noticed. All eyes were locked on the patriarch.
Evelyn touched the silver pendant instinctively. It was an intricate piece, shaped like a blooming lotus with a tiny, flawless sapphire at its center. "That's none of your business, Mr. Vance," she replied steadily.
"It is my business," Arthur said, his voice cracking slightly as he descended the stairs with surprising speed for a man of his age. He ignored Julian, who was being loaded onto a gurney, groaning loudly. When Arthur reached the floor, he stopped inches from Evelyn, his hands trembling. "That pendant... that was commissioned by my late wife thirty years ago. It vanished the night our firstborn daughter was stolen from her nursery."
A collective gasp echoed through the ballroom. Eleanor froze, her mouth agape. "Arthur, what are you talking about? That woman is just a nobody! A gold-digger Julian picked up from the streets!"
"Shut up, Eleanor," Arthur snapped without breaking eye contact with Evelyn. He looked past her to little Lily, who peeked out from behind her mother’s velvet skirt, her wide blue eyes mirroring the exact shade of the sapphire in the pendant.
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"Evelyn," Arthur whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "Your real name isn't Evelyn, is it? It's Katherine. Katherine Vance."
Evelyn’s facade finally cracked. A bitter, chilling smile touched her lips. "Took you long enough to notice, Father. But I’m afraid you’re a few decades too late for a happy family reunion."
