The familiar anger rose inside me.
For an instant, I felt twenty-four again, standing in our kitchen while my family dismissed everything I had worked to prove.
I took a sip of champagne and swallowed the feeling.
Then I looked beyond my parents.
Vanessa stood near the center of the ballroom.
Her custom silk-and-lace wedding gown was breathtaking.
She looked radiant, confident, and completely at ease.
Beside her stood a tall, silver-haired man with sharp, observant eyes.
I recognized him immediately.
Daniel Mercer.
Chief executive officer of Halden Group.
The man whose corporation Vanessa had allegedly been stealing from.
Vanessa noticed me.
Even from across the room, I saw her expression tighten with disgust.
Then she smiled.
It was the kind of smile I remembered from childhood, when she had decided someone needed to be reminded of their place.
She leaned toward Mercer and whispered something.
His expression changed slightly.
