Chapter 9 - Becoming Someone Else
“I built something of my own,” Elara said.
Her voice was no longer just calm—it was certain.
“I learned what power actually is. Not control. Not fear. But accountability.”
Daniel scoffed faintly. “That’s what this is? Accountability?”
Elara didn’t respond to the tone.
“I changed my name,” she continued. “Not to hide. But to choose who I wanted to be.”
Richard’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Vance…”
Recognition flickered.
“You’ve heard it,” Elara said.
Of course he had.
The Vance name had grown quietly, steadily—an emerging force in industries the Cross family had once dominated without question.
Strategic. Precise. Unpredictable.
“You…” Richard exhaled slowly. “You’re behind that.”
Elara gave a small nod.
“I didn’t come here tonight for revenge,” she said. “If I wanted that, things would look very different.”
Daniel glanced again at the men by the door.
He believed her.
That was the problem.
“Then why are you here?” Victoria asked through tears.
Elara looked at her.
May you like
“To be seen.”
The simplicity of the answer broke something in the room.
