Chapter 2 â The Envelope That Destroyed a Queen
Inside the limousine...
nobody spoke.
Isabella couldn't take her eyes off the envelope resting in Maya's lap.
"What did he give you?"
Maya looked uncomfortable.
"I don't know."
"Open it."
Julian answered before Maya could move.
"No."
His voice remained calm.
"It belongs to her."
The drive to the Vance estate felt endless.
The moment they entered the mansion, Julian dismissed every servant.
Only three people remained inside the enormous marble living room.
Julian.
Isabella.
Maya.
Julian finally nodded.
"You can open it now."
Maya carefully broke the seal.
Inside were only three items.
A birth certificate.
An old photograph.
And a handwritten letter.
The color slowly drained from Maya's face.
Her hands began shaking.
"What..."
She looked at Julian.
"This can't be real."
Isabella snatched the birth certificate.
The room spun.
Mother:
Sophia Bennett.
Father:
Julian Vance.
Child:
Maya Bennett.
"No..."
Isabella whispered.
"No, this is fake."
Julian calmly removed another document.
"A DNA test."
He placed it on the table.
"99.9999 percent."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Maya looked as though she couldn't breathe.
"You mean..."
Julian nodded slowly.
May you like
"You're my daughter."
The world Isabella had spent fifteen years controlling collapsed in a single sentence.
