the city buzzed with its own life, but my entire world was focused on that small, glowing rectangle. For three years, I had poured my soul into building the Asian

e last detail from across the ocean. The best caterers in San Francisco, a top DJ, and a

oned it. The camera panned across a crowd of elegantly dressed teenagers, all laughing and dancing. My heart swelled w

nd now, let' s give a huge welcome to the birthday

ile f

ff

my brow furrowed in confusion. A girl I had never seen before walked into the spotlight. She was beautiful, I couldn't deny that, but she wasn

irloom, a sapphire necklace passed down through my family for generatio

you all for coming to celebrate my daughter Tiffany' s 18th birthday. As the C

he CEO. What was happening? A cold

the side, away from the mai

L

ill-fitting server' s uniform. Her face, when she briefly looked up, was a mask of humiliation and despair. A group of Tiffany' s friends walked by, and one of them d

l, the distance between us too vast. I snatched my phone from the

plain this. This had to be som

g once, twice

ge to it I couldn't place. "Everything okay? I was

dangerous calm settling over my fury. "Who is Tiffany? Wh

s a slig

arah' s daughter. You remember Sarah Miller, from college? She' s my new co-CEO. We

olt through me. His old girlfriend. The

"A PR move that involves my daughter serving drinks at her o

ickly. "It' s a madhouse here. Look, it' s all part of a

n the phone

ction is bad. I' m he

it was like he wasn't even trying. Before I

ugly and twisted. I tried calling Lily' s phone directly, but it went s

and found the number for Maria, one of Lil

hing the live stream. What

ne buzzed. The reply w

any and her mom, Sarah, moved in a while ago. They told everyone Lily is an illeg

to close in on me. Moved in. Illegitimate child. Abandoned her.

been simmering inside me erupted into a volcano of ice-cold resolve. Mark w

ue party vanishing into darkness. I stood up, my movemen

o more phone cal

I was going to burn th