She handed me the envelope. Inside was a one-way ticket to Dayton, Ohio, along with a formal note printed on stationery bearing my family crest. The message had been written by my younger sister, Beatrice. It stated that Elena’s presence at Whitmore House had become harmful to the family’s reputation and that she and Leo were required to leave immediately. Security had been instructed to help with their departure, and they were forbidden to return without written permission.
“She arrived before breakfast with two security guards. Leo was still wearing his pajamas. The staff packed our things while she told me the decision had already been made.”
“By whom?”
“That’s what I asked. She said that now Liam is gone, I have no place in your family. She said I was tolerated only because he loved me.”
My son Liam had died the previous year. Elena had never asked for wealth, influence, or a position in our family foundation. She had wanted only to raise their son peacefully in the guest house where she and Liam had lived. Beatrice, however, believed Leo represented the future of the Whitmore name. She had decided Elena’s modest background made her unfit to raise him.
