The next day, Tahlee’s gown for her 18th birthday gala arrived.
Eight staff members carried the gown inside. The tiny diamonds covering its skirt glittered almost blindingly.
Mom took Tahlee by the hands and twirled her around three times, beaming with delight.
“Our Tahlee looks just like a princess!”
When I came downstairs, the smile on Tahlee’s face faltered for a moment.
“Sloane, you’re not mad, are you?”
“This is a one-of-a-kind designer gown.”
“Phoebe said you already have tons of dresses, so she gave this one to me first.”
I glanced down at my old hoodie.
All those dresses I supposedly had?
Mom had given them to Tahlee a long time ago.
“Looks nice.”
I walked past her, heading for the door.
Dad stopped me.
“Where are you going?”
“School. I need to pick up my graduation documents.”
“Have the family chauffeur drive you. And be home early.”
Mom pushed a jewelry box toward me.
“We have the rehearsal tonight. Take this with you.”
Inside was the pearl tiara Grandma had left me.
When I was seven, Grandma had placed it on my head herself.
She’d told me to wear it when I stepped onto the stage for the succession ceremony at my 18th birthday gala.
The couture stylist had searched everywhere for it the night before.
So Mom had been keeping it all along.
“This’ll look perfect with Tahlee’s white gown.”
Mom kept smiling at Tahlee, never once taking her eyes off her.
“If Grandma were still here, she’d feel for Tahlee too.”
I closed the box.
“Grandma left this to me.”
The living room fell silent.
Rhys immediately shot me an irritated look.
“It’s just a tiara!”
“It’s not like a pearl’s gonna fall off if she wears it!”
Dad’s expression darkened too.
“Your Grandma cared more about the Fontaine family’s reputation than anything!”
“If you start a scene right before your sister’s 18th birthday gala, that’s what would really disappoint her!”
Graham happened to walk in just then.
When he heard what was going on, he came straight over to me.
“Sloane, don’t let things come between us.”
I glanced at him.
“Then what do you call giving away the necklace your mom left for your future wife? Isn’t that coming between us?”
His expression tightened.
“I told you, I’ll get it back after her birthday.”
Tahlee’s eyes began to fill with tears.
“Sloane, I’ll give it back.”
She reached up to remove the necklace.
The heart-rate-monitoring smartwatch on her wrist immediately flashed orange.
Rhys rushed over and stopped her.
“Don’t take it off!”
Then he turned and snapped at me.
“You had to bring that up in front of her?”
“What are you trying to pull?!”
I said nothing.
I simply handed the pearl tiara to Tahlee.
“Here. Take it.”
She hesitated before carefully accepting it.
“Sloane, you really want me to have it?”
“Yeah.”
“You don’t have to give it back.”
Only then did the anger fade from Mom’s face.
“Good. That’s what a big sister should do.”
Tahlee clutched the jewelry box to her chest, unable to hide the smug look in her eyes.
As she passed me, she lowered her voice.
“Sloane, they choose me every single time.”
“Aren’t you used to it by now?”
I glanced at the brooch pinned to her chest.
“Hold on tight to everything you wanted.”
“Just pray you never have to give it back.”
During the rehearsal, the event coordinator discovered that the final page of the sheet music for the entrance music was missing.
Tahlee stood on the spiral staircase, stomping her foot in frustration.
“How’s the live ensemble supposed to coordinate without the full score?”
Mom immediately turned to me.
“Sloane, fill in the missing page.”
“I forgot it.”
“You wrote the song yourself!”
“How could you forget it?”
I closed the piano lid.
“Just use another song.”
But Tahlee refused.
“But I like this one!”
“Sloane, is it because you don’t want me to use it?”
The moment she finished speaking, the watches on Rhys’s and Graham’s wrists going off again.
Everyone panicked.
Rhys shoved a pen and some paper into my hands.
“Just write it down already!”
“Stop upsetting her!”
Graham’s voice turned icy.
“You promised you’d take care of everything.”
“I said I’d handle the music.”
“I never said I’d play it myself.”
I wrote a phone number on the paper and handed it to the event coordinator.
“Call this musician for the event.”
“He can play the whole piece.”
I’d solved the problem.
And not one of them even bothered to thank me.
When I got home, I received a reply from the legal department.
“Your withdrawal request has been approved. Under the rules set by the late chairman, the Fontaine family’s voting rights will be temporarily suspended now that the heir position is vacant.”
I closed the email.
Then I tucked my passport into the innermost compartment of my suitcase.
Only fourteen hours remained until my flight.