Adira's POV
I knew the moment I stepped into my parents' Belgravia townhouse that it wasn't going to be good.
The silence was too heavy, the air too tight. Even the marble floors felt judgmental.
My father was in the sitting room, papers spread across a glass table, the glow of international news channels reflecting in his glasses. My mother sat opposite him, stiff-backed, a teacup untouched in her hands. Ashley, of course, lounged by the window in silk, pretending to scroll through her phone but smirking whenever her eyes flicked to me.
"Adira." My father's voice was calm. Too calm. "Sit."
I did, though every nerve screamed at me to turn and walk away.
He slid a paper across the table the Financial Times interview with Jayden. My heart clenched.
"Do you know what this looks like?" he asked.
"Yes," I said quietly.
"Good. Because perception is everything. I've spent decades building this family's name into an empire. Now, the world is debating whether one of my daughters built her business alone or was propped up by a man."
I clenched my fists. "With respect, Dad, my company has nothing to do with your empire. I built it."
He looked at me over the rim of his glasses, expression unreadable. "Everything you do has to do with my empire."
My mother finally spoke, her voice sharp. "I warned you, Femi. This one would always bring scandal. She craves attention in ways Ashley never has."
My chest burned. "Attention? I never asked for any of this. I built my business quietly. It was Ashley who—"
"Careful," Ashley drawled, finally lifting her gaze from her phone. "Jealousy doesn't suit you, sister."
I almost lunged across the table, but my father's raised hand stopped me.
"Enough," he said. "Both of you. The world is watching, and I won't have the Williams family name dragged through mud by sibling rivalry." His gaze settled on me, hard and unyielding. "Fix this, Adira. Prove yourself beyond doubt. Because if you don't, the board, the investors, the family" He leaned forward. "they will side with Ashley."
I sat frozen, the weight of his words crashing over me.
Not daughter. Not blood. Just an asset to be measured, compared, judged.
And in that moment, I understood something painfully clear:
If I wanted to win, it couldn't just be for me anymore. It had to be for survival.
Jayden's POV
From the moment I heard Femi Williams' tone in the boardroom years ago, I knew he didn't see Adira for who she was. Only for what she could do.
But I did.
And when she finally realized that her family would never hand her the crown she deserved...
She'd understand why I'd been holding one for her all along.