Skyler took a deep breath and said, "Star, about what happened before... It''s true —it was my fault. I never should have said those things in anger."
He hesitated, as if searching for the right words, then continued, "All these years, not a day has gone by that I haven''t thought about you. If you''d just reached out to me, I would have dly let the past go."
"Star-"
He was gearing up for a heartfelt speech, but Ste cut him off, her tone cool and businesslike.
"Since you agree that what happened before was your mistake," she said, “let''s start by handling the paperwork to change my legal status. It won''t take long. I''ll soon bepeting internationally, and the attention I get won''t just be local."
Her gaze was steady as she went on, "When that timees, rival teams might resort to any kind of dirty trick to undermine me. I don''t want my background to be ammunition for them."
She gave Skyler a polite, almost mocking smile. "You wouldn''t want my academic record or family situation to be used against me, would you?"
Jonathan, ever the loyalist, jumped in. "You''re Skyler''s daughter! Who would dare mock you? Star, as long as the Williams family stands, your father will never allow anyone to nder you."
Ste barely suppressed a bitterugh.
Just a short while ago, when Felipa and her friends were busy dragging her name through the mud, not a single person from the Williams family had spoken up for her.
She knew exactly what Skyler''s words really meant.
She had to be officially recognized as his daughter, a member of the Williams family, before he''d even consider stepping in to help. In other words, his support came with strings attached.
Ste changed tack. "If you want me back in the Williams family, that''s not impossible. But I have one condition."
Skyler''s face lit up with joy, as if he''d finally found his long-lost daughter.
"Anything you want," he said eagerly. "As long as you''re willing toe home, I''ll agree to whatever you ask."
Ste nodded
dded "Before my mother
passed away, she left me some
original shares in thepany. They belong to me alone, and I have no
intention of handing them over to
anyone else. I trust you have mo objection to that, Father?"
The smile froze on Skyler''s face for a split second.
Even Jonathan''s expression shifted, a flicker of something uneasy passing across his features.
So Ste knew about the original shares? Since when?
They''d tested her before—at the time, she''d seemed clueless, never betraying a
hint that she knew anything about them.
Who told her? Nora''swyer? One of thepany''s old guard?
Jonathan spoke up, his voice a touch too casual. "Star, even if you keep those shares, they''re not use to you. You''re not trained to
manage apany, and hoch
onto them will only make yo@a
target for jealousy. If you just want the dividends, we can exchange them for ordinary shares at the current buyout price. That way, you''ll get your cut every year without any risk or hassle."
He''d been watching Ste closely these past few months, and he knew she was no pushover.
The only reason Rachel had been able to bully her before was because Ste had no support. Haynes, her husband, always sided with Rachel. Jasper was nothing more than Rachel''sckey. Ste had neither money nor connections; it was no wonder she''d been outmatched.
But ever since she''d met Neville, Mr. Burton, and a few others, everything had changed. The rumors and scandals that should have ruined her only made her more famous, boosted her influence.
Even Haynes, who''d always had the upper hand, had gotten nowhere with hertely.
Then there were Sherman Burton, Karl, even Sellers Burton-every one of them ended up embarrassed and outmaneuvered by Ste.
It was obvious: with the right allies, Ste was a force to be reckoned with.
So if they thought they could snatch her shares for nothing, they were dreaming.
Even if it weren''t for everything that had happened, even if they were siblings by blood, he wouldn''t let her walk away empty-handed.