It was a gemstone of the Four Great Families.
"This is proof." Vickie smiled faintly at Debra. "The Frazier family heirloom. I was weak as a kid, so my parents turned it into a pendant for me. You never had one."
When Debra stayed silent, Vickie addressed the room. "Don''t believe me? Look it up. I wore this ne in childhood interviews. My parents mentioned it publicly. The records are there."
Debra said nothing.
Juan stepped forward and dered, "Vickie is the true heiress of the Frazier family. All the family assets and thispany belong to her."
The shareholders erupted.
"Bullshit."
"We won''t ept this."
"Thispany is Mrs. Houston''s life''s work. We won''t hand it to a stranger."
"That''s right. We''ve stood by Mrs. Houston through hell. We won''t let this impostor take over."
"We only follow Mrs. Houston''s head. We don''t care if thisdy is the heiress or not."
Debra nced back at her team.
Memories shed through her mind.
These people had been there
her
g the darkest hours. She wasn''t
alone. They still had her back.
Any lingering doubt vanished.
She straightened up. "Hear that? You''ve made a mistake. The McKinney Group merged with the Frazier Group long ago. I built thispany. If you want the family assets,e back with proof of your identity."
Vickie''s smile stiffened, and Debra added, "But fair warning, the Frazier Group owed heaps of debt. Even if you prove your bloodline, you''ll inherit nothing."
"I''m not here for money." Vickie lifted her chin. "I''m reiming my name. In two days, I''ll debut as the heiress of the Frazier family."
She sped Juan''s hand and smiled, "And to announce my engagement to Juan."
Debra watched Juan''s fingers tighten around Vickie''s. No smile, but no resistance either.
"Congrattions." Debra turned to Ben. "See our guests out."
Ben stepped forward, his face stony. "Mr. Nichols, Ms. Donaldson, this way."
As they turned, Debra called out, "Wait."