The iron gates of the prison slid open from both sides.


    Ca stepped out, her clothes threadbare, her face pale and drawn. Clutched in her hand was a canvas bag so worn it looked like it might fall apart at any


    moment.


    Not far away, a car waited, its horn ring impatiently.


    A momentter, Pearl Vaughan pulled the car up right in front of her, lowered the window, and barked, "Get in."


    Ca''s eyes, dull with exhaustion, flickered with a brief spark when she recognized Pearl.


    She rubbed her hands together nervously, then carefully opened the car door and climbed inside.


    "Pearl, what are you doing here?"


    As Ca settled in, Pearl caught a whiff of something unpleasant in the air. Maybe she was imagining it, but the stench seemed to grow stronger.


    A look of distaste shed across Pearl''s face. She couldn''t help herself. "Didn''t they let you shower in there?"


    Ca flushed with embarrassment. "I did shower. I''m sorry, honey, I didn''t mean to. Let me clean up-" She started rummaging through her battered bag for a handkerchief.


    Pearl cut her off with an exasperated sigh. "Forget it. Just stay still."


    The truth was, if she didn''t need Ca to get rid of Isadora, she would never havee to pick her up. The very idea of being near this woman made her skin crawl.


    Not long ago, Pearl had gone to Prescott for her usual allowance, expecting things to go as they always had. But Prescott only handed her a measly thousand dors.


    She''d never had to survive on so little in her life. It wasn''t even enough to cover her gas for the month!


    She broke down in tears, demanding to know if Prescott had stopped loving her, only to learn that Isadora had kicked both Prescott and Richard out. Now he was broke too.


    Pearl''s life had be indistinguishable from that of any ordinary person. No more spa days, no shopping sprees, no fine dining. She felt like she might suffocate.


    Still, hope flickered inside her. If only Isadora were out of the picture, Richard and Prescott could regain control of the Vaughan Group, and Pearl would be weed home-back to the life of a true heiress.


    The car rolled to a stop by a deserted riverbank, beneath a highway overpass. A handful of homeless people huddled in the shadows beneath the bridge.


    Pearl got out first.


    Ca followed, stepping carefully out of the passenger seat. She''d just been released from prison, penniless and with nowhere to go. She''d hoped Pearl would take her somewhere for a hot meal, maybe even arrange a ce for her to stay.


    Instead, Pearl had brought her here.


    But it didn''t matter. Just being out was enough. And Pearling to see her was luck beyond measure.


    Pearl lit a cigarette and took a long drag. She eyed Ca warily, as if she wanted to keep her distance but couldn''t help drawing her in.


    "Do you know why I brought you here?" she asked.


    Ca shook her head.


    Suddenly, Pearl let out a wail, her voice thick with misery. "I wish I could take you to a five-star restaurant, put you up in a luxury hotel. But I don''t have anything left! I''m drowning in debt! Any day now, I might end up worse off than the people living under that bridge—those loan sharks might sell me off to God knows where!"


    Pearl wasn''t just putting on an act-she was genuinely desperate. Still, growing up in the Vaughan family had taught her how to win people over, how to get what she wanted.


    "You''re my mother. Doesn''t it break your heart to see me like this? If you hadn''t let Isadora live all those years ago, I wouldn''t be here now, unwanted and alone."


    Ca''s heart twisted painfully. Her Pearl should have been living like a princess, adored by everyone.


    "Pearl, darling, just tell me what you need me to do. If it means getting our lives back, I''ll do anything."


    A cruel little smile curled at the edge of Pearl''s lips. She spoke each word with icy precision: "If you can help me get rid of Isadora, I''ll be the Pearl I used to be."