Chapter 16 - The Arrival
The sun was just beginning to crest over the horizon when the heavy iron gates of the Vance estate swung open. Sarah blinked awake, shielding her eyes from the morning light. As the SUV rolled up the long, tree-lined driveway, her jaw slightly parted. The sprawling stone mansion, with its manicured gardens and towering oak trees, looked like something out of a fairy tale.
Lily pressed her face against the glass, her breath fogging the window. "Is this a castle?"
Eleanor smiled softly from the driver's seat. "It's just a house, Lily. And now, it's yours."
May you like
When they stepped inside the grand foyer—the very place where Eleanor and Lily had collided just days earlier—the household staff was waiting. Eleanor introduced Sarah and Lily not as guests, but as family.
Sarah held Lily's hand in a vice grip, her defensive instincts still humming beneath the surface. She watched the housekeeper bring out warm pastries and fresh juice, expecting a catch. Poverty had taught Sarah that nothing in this world was free. But as she looked at Eleanor, who was gently wiping a smudge of dirt from Lily's cheek with genuine affection, Sarah felt the tight coil of anxiety in her chest finally begin to loosen.
