Chapter 1 - The Reunion
"Mommy!"
The little boy's cry cut through the ballroom.
Everyone turned as three-year-old Noah ran across the marble floor in his tiny black tuxedo.
His father, Edward, stood beside his elegant fiancée, Vivian, confused and alarmed.
But Noah did not run to them.
He ran straight into the arms of a waitress holding a silver tray.
The tray nearly slipped.
The woman froze.
"Noah..." she gasped.
The boy clung to her neck, crying hard.
"You came back!"
"I knew you'd come back!"
Vivian's face twisted with anger.
"Noah!"
"Get him away from her!"
Edward rushed forward, but Noah looked up at him with wet, innocent eyes.
"Daddy... why is everyone calling Mommy the maid?"
The ballroom went silent.
Edward stared at the waitress.
His voice broke.
"Clara...?"
The tray finally crashed to the marble floor, shattering the expensive champagne glasses into a hundred pieces.
Clara stared at the billionaire, her heart hammering violently against her ribs.
She had absolutely no idea who this powerful man was.
She had no memory of ever giving birth to this beautiful little boy.
Before she could speak, the angry event manager grabbed her shoulder from behind.
"I am so sorry, Mr. Sterling," the manager stammered in pure panic.
"This woman was hired from a cheap temp agency just two days ago."
Edward completely ignored the manager, taking a slow, trembling step toward Clara.
His dark eyes desperately searched her face, mapping every familiar feature he thought he had buried a year ago.
"Where have you been?" Edward whispered, reaching out to gently touch her pale cheek.
Vivian aggressively slapped his hand away in front of the entire crowd.
"Are you completely insane, Edward?"
"Clara burned to death in the estate fire last year!"
Vivian glared at the trembling waitress in the stained black uniform.
"This is just a sick, twisted gold digger who clearly got plastic surgery to look exactly like her."
Noah tightened his tiny grip on Clara's neck, burying his face in her shoulder.
"Don't let the mean lady yell at Mommy," the boy cried softly.
Clara felt a sudden, agonizing pain slice right through her head.
A terrifying, blurry flash of a burning room and a screaming baby flooded her mind.
She stumbled backward, gasping for air as the ballroom began to spin.
Two massive security guards immediately stepped forward and blocked the main exit doors.
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"Nobody leaves this room," Edward commanded, his authoritative voice echoing through the silent crowd.
"Take this woman down to the underground security room immediately."
