Chapter 3 - The Van Der Beek Dynasty
For three days, Elena existed in a state of paralyzing shock. She sat in her dark apartment, surrounded by the contents of the lockbox, her laptop glowing brightly in the gloom.
She had obsessively researched the Van Der Beek family. They were American royalty. Real estate moguls who owned half of the Manhattan skyline. The father, Richard Van Der Beek, had parlayed his inheritance into a ruthless global empire. The mother, Eleanor, was a socialite who ran the largest philanthropic foundation in New York.
They had never stopped looking for their daughter. Every year on Chloe’s birthday, they released a statement to the press.
I am a billionaire's missing heir, Elena thought, staring at her reflection in the dark screen. The concept was absurd. She was a high school English teacher who drove a twelve-year-old Honda Civic and lived paycheck to paycheck.
At the bottom of the lockbox, she found a handwritten letter from Margaret. It was a confession.
"I was the head housekeeper," the letter read. "My own baby was stillborn a week before you were born. The grief made me insane. Richard and Eleanor were cruel people. They treated you like an accessory, not a child. I convinced myself I was saving you. I took you, I changed our names, and I ran. I know I am damned, but I loved you, Ellie. I loved you more than life itself."
May you like
Anger, white-hot and blinding, flared in Elena’s chest. Margaret hadn't saved her; she had kidnapped her. She had stolen a life of extreme privilege, of family, of a future that belonged to her.
Elena picked up her phone and dialed the number for the Van Der Beek corporate headquarters. It was time to take her life back.
