Chapter 8

Isabel followed me into the VIP suite on the second floor. The light refracted through the crystal chandelier, casting an icy glow on her haggard face. "Rose..." Her voice choked with emotion. "Throughout the years... everything at home has changed." It turned out that while I was expanding my business overseas, our mother had become obsessed with so-called "spiritual devotion". She spent her days with a group of like-minded "besties", drifting between wellness retreats and meditation camps. She barely even returned home for Christmas. The massive Jefferson estate was now but an empty shell. Isabel was the only one left behind to guard the silence. "You know what the most ridiculous thing is? Irena Channing," Isabel sneered, digging her nails deep into her palms. "She's nothing more than a housekeeper's daughter. Her mother catered to Dad so well that he acknowledged Irena as his goddaughter." A mere housekeeper, who used to tremble before me, now had the audacity to let her daug