Lily thought losing Ethan in front of the whole party was the worst pain of the night.

Chapter 4: A House Divided

The legal threat was a classic Eleanor Beaumont tactic: swift, brutal, and designed to crush the spirit. They dragged Vanessa out of the apartment, locking her in the back of a black SUV while Lily was left standing among her overturned furniture, her world spinning out of control.

But Eleanor underestimated one crucial thing: the bond between sisters, once awakened, is an unstoppable force.

Vanessa was placed under house arrest in the Beaumont mansion, her phone confiscated and guards placed at her door. Eleanor was preparing a press conference for the following evening to announce Vanessa and Ethan’s immediate wedding, a move designed to lock down the family alliances and bury the locket scandal forever.

Locked in her room, Vanessa refused to eat. But late at night, a tapping on her balcony window startled her. She threw open the glass to find Ethan climbing over the trellis, looking disheveled and desperate.

"Ethan!" Vanessa gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't just sit by," Ethan said, catching his breath. "My dad told me if I don't go through with this wedding, he’ll cut me off completely. But I don't care about the money anymore, Vanessa. I love Lily. And what your mother is doing to her... what my family is enabling... it's sickening."

Vanessa looked at Ethan, feeling a sudden surge of respect for the boy she had once viewed as just another aristocratic trophy. "If you want to save Lily, and if I want to get my sister back, we have to play Eleanor's game. We let the press conference happen. In fact, we make it bigger. Invite every major news outlet in the country."

Ethan frowned. "Why?"

"Because Eleanor wants a show," Vanessa said, a dangerous smile spreading across her face. "We’re going to give her a masterpiece."

While Ethan used his high-society connections to secretly manipulate the media guest list, Vanessa managed to smuggle a burner phone from one of the sympathetic maids. She called Lily, who was hiding out in a motel on the edge of town, terrified but refusing to run.

"Lily, I need you to trust me," Vanessa said through the phone line. "Tomorrow night, a car will pick you up. Do not wear a maid's uniform. Wear the prettiest dress you can find. It’s time you take your rightful place."

The night of the press conference arrived. The grand ballroom was packed even tighter than the night of the gala. Flashbulbs blinded the eyes as Eleanor Beaumont took the stage, radiating power and elegance. Vanessa stood to her left, looking stunning but completely unreadable, while Ethan stood to the right, his jaw clenched.

"Thank you all for coming," Eleanor announced into the bank of microphones. "Tonight, we put to rest the absurd, malicious rumors circulating online. The Beaumont family remains undivided, and we are thrilled to officially announce the wedding date of my daughter, Vanessa, to Ethan Harrington."

The crowd erupted into applause, but before the cameras could focus on the happy couple, Vanessa stepped directly up to the main microphone, gently pushing her mother aside.

"Actually, mother," Vanessa’s voice echoed powerfully through the speakers. "There is a correction to that statement. The Beaumont family is divided. Because fifteen years ago, you kidnapped and abandoned my father's rightful eldest heir."

A collective gasp sucked the air out of the room. Eleanor’s smile shattered. "Vanessa! Step down this instant! She is having a nervous breakdown—"

"Turn on the main screens," Ethan shouted to the tech booth.

The massive LED walls behind the stage flickered to life, displaying a crystal-clear image of the official DNA results, followed by bank transfer receipts discovered by Ethan, showing Eleanor’s secret monthly payments to the shady orphanage director fifteen years ago.

The press erupted into absolute chaos. Shouts, questions, and blinding flashes filled the room. Eleanor stumbled back, her hands shaking as her empire crumbled in front of the national media.