Chapter 2: The Truth Unveiled
The gala was abruptly cancelled. Within an hour, Maya found herself sitting in the private, mahogany-lined library of the Sterling estate, wrapped in a plush cashmere blanket. Across from her sat Victoria and the family's lead attorney, while Chloe and her mother hovered near the door, glaring with pure venom.
The DNA test results came back via express courier by midnight—Victoria had kept a file of Eleanor's childhood hair brush for decades. The attorney cleared his throat, reading the document. "The match is conclusive. Maya Vance is the biological daughter of Eleanor Sterling. She is your legitimate granddaughter, Mrs. Sterling."
Chloe gasped, taking a step back. "That’s impossible! She’s a servant! A nobody!"
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"She is a Sterling," Victoria corrected, standing up with terrifying authority. "Which means, Chloe, she has more right to this house, this fortune, and this name than you ever will. Your mother was adopted into this family; Maya carries my actual blood."
Maya looked at the silver coin on her wrist. All her life, she had struggled to pay rent, working double shifts and enduring the cruelty of elites like Chloe, never knowing that the blood running through her veins belonged to the very empire she served.
