The car didn't go to a house. It pulled onto the tarmac of a private airfield just across the state line.
Liam opened her door. "This way, Miss Vance."
Elara-she had to start thinking of herself as Elara-stepped out. Her legs felt wobbly. She followed Liam toward a small, modern terminal building made of glass and steel.
They entered a private conference room. A woman in a tweed Chanel suit sat at a round table, sipping coffee. When Julian entered, she stood up so fast her chair scraped loudly against the floor.
"Mr. Sterling," she said, her voice breathless. "I wasn't expecting you personally."
"Time is a luxury we don't have, Ms. Harper," Julian said. He didn't sit. He walked to the window and looked out at the waiting jet. "The application."
Ms. Harper turned to Elara. Her eyes scanned Elara's flannel shirt and dirty jeans with a mixture of pity and distaste.
"Right," Harper said. She opened a leather portfolio. "We have acceptances prepared for Brown and Columbia."
Elara blinked. "Acceptances? I... I didn't apply. I only have my GED."
Harper gave a nervous, high-pitched laugh. She looked at Julian for help.
Julian turned from the window. "The Family Trust's legal team has handled the... discrepancies," Julian said, his tone detached, as if discussing the weather rather than a felony. "They have optimized your history. According to the paperwork generated by the Trust's lawyers, you attended a private boarding school in Switzerland. You completed your coursework remotely due to... family health issues."
"That's fraud," Elara said, her eyes widening. "You're a prosecutor. You're talking about forging transcripts."
"I am not talking about anything," Julian corrected smoothly. "I am merely informing you of the educational background the Trust has established for you. I had no hand in its creation, but I expect you to memorize it. Sterlings do not attend community college. You need a pedigree to survive the dinner table."
Harper pushed a thick, cream-colored envelope across the table. "Columbia University. Department of Art History."
Elara stared at the gold embossing. "Art History?" She looked up at Julian. "I want to study law."
Julian let out a short, derisive sound. "Law is for wolves, Elara. You are a lamb. You wouldn't survive a semester."
"I'm smart," she argued, her chin lifting. "I memorized the entire tenant rights handbook when Ray tried to get us evicted."
"Memorizing a pamphlet is not the law," Julian said, walking closer to her. He towered over her, sucking the oxygen out of the room. "The law is a weapon. It's dirty, it's heavy, and it breaks weak people. You need a degree that makes you look polite and harmless. Art History is perfect. It gives you something to talk about at galas."
"I don't want to talk at galas," Elara said, her hands balling into fists at her sides. "I want to be able to protect myself."
Julian stared at her for a long moment. His eyes narrowed slightly, as if he saw something in her face he hadn't expected.
"Learn to use the right fork first," he said quietly. "Then we can talk about protecting yourself."
He checked his watch, a silver Rolex that caught the light. "Liam, get her to the jet. Arthur is waiting for the call."
Julian turned and walked out of the room without looking back.
Elara stood there, shaking with humiliation. She looked at Ms. Harper, who was dabbing her forehead with a handkerchief.
"He's... intense," Harper whispered. "But he gets what he wants."
Elara picked up the acceptance letter. It felt heavy, like a shackle painted gold. She realized then that Julian Sterling didn't just want to control her present; he was architecting her entire future to fit a mold she had never asked for.
"Miss Vance?" Liam was at the door. "The pilot has a slot in forty minutes."
Elara shoved the letter into her back pocket. "I'm coming."
