Some people might prefer a carefree life, like Ste''s. But she was nothing like Ste.


    She was a woman with ambition, with desires that went beyond day-to-dayforts. She refused to drift through life without leaving her mark. That was why, whatever Skyler asked of her, she made sure to do it to perfection.


    On the surface, men and women seemed to stand on equal footing these days, but the truth was, inequality lurked everywhere. As a woman stepping into the Williams Group, dealing with those powerful family patriarchs, she knew she''d be underestimated, dismissed before she''d even spoken. Connecting with the wives and daughters of those families, on the other hand, would be far easier-doors opened more readily in those circles.


    She''d heard stories: back when her father lost his memory and no one was left to run the Williams Group, it was Mrs. Williams who steadied the ship. She rallied support from the societydies, shoring up thepany''s position when it wavered.


    In those rarefied circles, the influence of women was not to be underestimated.


    Skyler had never let her study business or work directly at the Williams Group. The real n had always been to have her forge connections among the city''s elite women, to build awork that would be just as vital as any boardroom skill. In this era, who you knew often mattered more than what you could do.


    Tonight, she was ostensibly here to pick up Raven and pay her respects to Mr. Walden. The real goal, though, was to use Mr. Burton''s g as an opportunity to deepen her ties with some of the city''s most important families.


    She was, after all, the city''s most prominent socialite-famous, well-liked, always at the center of things. But who everined about having too many friends?


    The Chapmans, the Gardners, the Burtons, the Watsons-every one of them mattered, and she intended to make the most of this evening.


    As for Ste... They were sisters by blood, but intimacy had always eluded them. From the very first meeting, she''d known they were worlds apart. Ste was never a rival, not even when she''d been granted a share of the family''s assets. She''d never considered Ste a threat.


    After all, where you started in life determined how far you could go. No matter how hard Ste worked, she''d never reach her level. The friends and allies she''d cultivated over the years were the kind Ste couldn''t even dream of.


    Ste simply wasn''t a danger to her position.


    She''d often advised her second and third brothers not to view Ste with such hostility. It wasn''t a


    pretense she genuinely meant in et


    Ste had grown up within the Williams family, perhaps things would be different. But she was just a girl who''d grown up on the outside, hardly someone to worry about.


    If Ste wanted a better life with the Williams family, she was wee toe back. Her only real goal was to marry well. But men had never been something she concerned herself with.


    She had no desire to marry anyone, let alone rely on a man. The endless scheming, the jealousy behind closed doors-that was the world she despised most.


    Her only wish was to fulfill her own ambition, to reach the very top on her own terms.


    "What? The old man''s throwing a huge birthday party this year just to back up some woman?" Sherman''s eyes widened in amusement as he spoke. “Don''t tell me she''s some secret love child he had behind Grandma''s back?"


    "Don''t be ridiculous," Karl said, his tone low. "I heard from my uncle that this woman''s been helping out at the clinic for a while. She''s always taken good care of Grandpa. They get along well, and he''s thinking of taking her on as a student."


    Sherman had a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth, a roguish smile on his lips. His grin revealed a mischievous glint and a hint of dimples. "Since when does the old man take on students? He''s always been so particr never let anyone study under him. What''s so special about this woman? Is she a medical prodigy or something?"


    Karl shook his head. "Quite the opposite. He hasn''t taught her much-not even as much as a regr doctor knows. But he likes


    her. He was originally going to


    recognize her as a granddaughter, but for some reason, he changed his


    mind and decided to take her as a student instead."