"Vanessa, that''s all I needed to hear. My mother is counting on you," Serena said, her voice filled with gratitude.


    "Serena, it makes me so happy that you understand. I was afraid you had started to believe Eleanor."


    "Why would I believe her? Even if she tries to drive us apart, I won''t let her seed," Serena scoffed. Then she added, "But I need to see you. There are things I want you to tell me."


    "Serena, you must be busy taking care of your mother—"


    "My brother is taking care of her. I''m bored to tears here. The coffee shop across from theb. I''ll wait for you." Serena was insistent.


    "Serena, it might not be convenient for me right now—"


    "But I want to see you," Serena cut her off, dangling a piece of bait. "Vanessa, don''t you want to know what''s going on between my brother and Eleanor?"


    "Alright. I''lle find you," Vanessa agreed instantly.


    A cold gleam of hatred settled in Serena''s eyes as she hung up. She would make sure Vanessa paid for all of it-every year of deception, every twisted maniption.


    She was sure there was one person in theb who knew Vanessa best: Dr. Smith. He was the one who had dealt with her from the very beginning. Serena decided to pay him a visit.


    Smith happened to have some free time, and he sat down with Serena in his office to talk about Vanessa.


    "She''s from the slums in Drexford?" Serena was shocked. She had always assumed Vanessa was from a wealthy immigrant family.


    "As far as I know, she was born out of wedlock. Her mother gave birth to her in Drexford, and they lived in extreme poverty."


    Serena let out a coldugh. It all made sense now-why Vanessa had been so grasping after bing a donor. She was desperate to change her fate, to use her brother as stepping stone into high society. And for the past decade, she had seeded, transforming herself into a world-ss pianist.


    At Serena''s urging, Smith repeated what he had told Eleanor: how they found Vanessa, how she had initially refused to donate, and how she had changed her mind just two minutester, after running inton.


    Now that she knew Vanessa''s true nature, Serena wasn''t surprised. It wasn''t the money that had changed Vanessa''s mind; it was her brother. She wanted the money, yes, but her real goal was much bigger: she wanted to marry him.


    and


    "You know the rest," Smith said. "She made many demands of your brother-financial support for her education a luxurious lifestyle, So onsmith had never liked Vanessa. Her ambition and greed were so tant that even an outsider like him found it excessive.


    "Have you ever noticed the scars on Miss Shannon''s wrist? Those were all tools she used to pressure your brother. Hemember one time he couldn''t find her. It turned out she was at home, having cut her wrists. He rushed her to the emergency room and saved her. After that, he gave in to almost all of her demands. It wasn''t out of affection, but... fear." Smith shook his head. "Vanessa knew exactly how valuable she was, and she knew how to


    exploit it to get what she wanted."


    Serena bit her lip so hard she could taste blood, her nails digging into her palms.


    Vanessa was truly ruthless. She had held her mother''s life over her brother''s head, using her own body to ckmail him for a decade. How much helplessness and pain had he endured? She knew he wouldn''t dare gamble with their mother''s life.


    A person who had wed her way out of poverty would never let an opportunity like that slip away. She would stop at nothing to achieve her goals.


    Serena thought about the romantic, fairytale version of her first meeting withn that Vanessa had once told her. It made her stomach turn. To think she had once looked up to that woman as a trusted confidante, even hurting Eleanor for her sake.


    "Miss Goodwin, let the past be the past. Now that El has found a new solution, you can all be free of her."


    Serena nodded. Her brother could be free, yes. But did that mean Vanessa should face no consequences for what she had done?


    No. Serena couldn''t let it go. She needed to get justice for herself.


    And now, she would use Vanessa''s misced trust in her to dig up something she could use.