Chapter 4

The day I left the country, Richard Vance himself drove me to the airport.

My mother was in the car too, sitting in the passenger seat, silent. She’d spent three hours doing her makeup; her lipstick was bright red, her powder too heavy, and her face looked ashen, as if she'd lost blood.

She stared out the window the entire time, watching the road she’d traveled countless times, as if sealing herself off into her memories.

Richard wore a slightly worn, navy blue suit, his smile perfectly polite. To outsiders, he looked like the ideal husband and father.

He gripped the steering wheel, talking to me about the school while turning to tell my mother, "I've arranged Eleanor's accommodation. Seraphina will take care of her. The child will be much more settled at her place."

My mother didn't respond, only clutching the strap of her handbag, her knuckles white.

She, of course, knew exactly who Seraphina was.

The youngest female executive at the company, thirty-five years old, with two MBA degrees, beautiful, sweet-talking, and most importantly – she had given birth to Richard's boy-girl twins three years prior.

The Vance Group’s HR even had a nickname for her: the Corporate Crown Princess.

My mother wasn’t oblivious; she just pretended not to know.

Just like now, she was wearing her most expensive champagne-gold dress, supposedly the first valuable item my father bought her after he made his fortune.

Mom sat bolt upright in the passenger seat.

She would see me off, and she would do it like a true Mrs. Vance.

Even if, after I left, she would become a woman no one remembered.

At the airport, my father’s driver was already waiting at the VIP channel, pulling my luggage.

My mother held my hand, softly asking, "Did you bring your passport? Do you have any cold medicine? Don't forget that cashmere scarf…"

I nodded, watching her eyes well up.

She tried hard to smile but couldn't keep it up.

Her voice was tight, "If it's cold over there, FaceTime me, and I'll send you clothes…"

My eyes felt a little warm, but I held back my tears.

This wasn't just saying goodbye; it was a parting.

My father stepped forward, gently putting his arm around her shoulder, and smiled at me. "Your mother worries so much; she hasn't slept well these past few nights."

Mom's eyes widened, clearly disoriented by the phrase "your mother."

Her eyes actually welled up, as if she was being loved again.

I looked at her, both angry and heartbroken.

This was her.

Even knowing she had been betrayed so completely, she still desperately tried to snatch a tiny bit of security from any scraps of false affection.

Perhaps it was because her entire youth had been spent by his side.

I stood up. Before I entered the boarding gate, Mom suddenly hugged me.

"Eleanor…" She buried her face in my shoulder, her voice trembling uncontrollably. "If it's too hard over there, just come home. Mom will always be here."

I patted her back. "Mom, just wait for me."

"Wait for what?"

"Wait for me to come back and take back everything that belongs to you."

I whispered in her ear.

She paused, her eyes momentarily blank, then nodded. "Okay… Mom will wait for you."

When I looked back, I saw my father still holding her, looking like an affectionate old couple, reluctantly sending their daughter abroad.

Only I knew that in his office drawer, he had a photo of Seraphina and the two children at Disney, smiling more genuinely than in any family photo he'd taken with us.

Only I knew that this wouldn't stop him from giving all his family fortune to his illegitimate children decades later.

I entered the VIP lounge. Seraphina sat on a sofa, waiting for me.

She wore a camel trench coat, her makeup impeccable, her lipstick a cool rose-red. Her Chanel earrings gleamed, clearly a new design. My dad must have given her quite a lot of money.

She stood up, extending her hand with a welcoming smile. "Eleanor, it's so good to see you again. Your father has told me so much about you."

I didn't shake her hand, only nodded.

"Thank you for going through all this trouble."

She didn't seem to mind, turning her hand to pick up her handbag. "No trouble at all. From now on, you can think of me as family here in America. Just tell me if you need anything."

I smiled.

She thought I didn't know who she was.

In my past life, I lived in her house for four years. I knew which drawer held the children's vaccination records, which passport was hidden in the safe, how many nannies she’d replaced, and at what time of night she liked to call Richard Vance. I knew everything.

She thought I didn't remember anything.

She didn't know I was back to settle scores.

Seraphina took me onto a private jet. The seats were spacious, the flight attendants bowed as they offered water; everything felt like a fairy tale.

I sat down and didn't say a word. I just inserted the new SIM card into my phone, activated location services, internet, recording permissions, and bound my financial accounts to SMS verification.

I knew that by leaving, I was completely saying goodbye to my identity as the eldest daughter of the Vance family.

They could raise their illegitimate children in peace.

But soon, they would realize I wasn't a daughter sent away. I was a creditor returning to collect.