The world lost my mother when I was six. Or so I was told. Before she vanished, she held my face in her hands, her eyes burning with an intensity a child couldn't possibly understand. “Listen to me,” she’d whispered, her voice tight. “You are a Rhodes. You are the heir to everything. Don’t you ever let them see you as weak. Don’t let anyone push you around.” Her last words to me were, “I can’t take you with me. Don’t hate me for it.” I think I misunderstood. To keep from being pushed around, I started doing the pushing. Fights in the schoolyard turned into brawls in back alleys. I learned to smoke, to dye my hair shocking colors, to cultivate a reputation that made people cross the street when they saw me coming. Then, on the night of my eighteenth birthday, a ghost from my past kicked open the door to a grimy back room of a bar, and my whole world tilted on its axis. 1 When she walked in, I was grinding the cherry of my cigarette into the back of some punk’s hand. He’d called me a motherless charity case. The words had sunk into me like needles. He was bullying me, so I had no intention of letting him go. My crew had his head pinned to the sticky table. My right-hand guy, Jax, was leaning in close, his voice a low growl. “You must be new in Bayview. Nobody talks shit about Sadie. You’re lucky if she lets you walk out of here tonight.” The cigarette hissed against his skin, the smell of burnt flesh mixing with stale beer and cheap perfume. The kid’s scream was just another layer of noise in the chaotic room. I was sick of it. I tossed the butt aside, my hand closing around the neck of an empty beer bottle. I was going to bring it down on his head. But before I could, a hand snatched it from my grasp. A strong, sure hand. The rage inside me flared white-hot. I whipped my head up, ready to fight, and froze. She was dressed in a simple, elegant tracksuit, her body lean and athletic. She was beautiful, stunningly so, but it was her face that made my breath catch. She stood over me, her brow furrowed, radiating an aura of pure, undiluted authority. “Sadie Rhodes,” she said, her voice dangerously calm. “Who taught you to be like this? Do you have any idea what you’re doing?” That voice… I stared at her face, a perfect, living replica of the only photograph I had of my mother. For a second, the world spun. But I’d worn my bravado like armor for too long to take it off now. “Who the hell are you to talk to me like that?” I sneered. “You got a death wish?” Jax stepped forward, ready to roll up his sleeves. What he got for his trouble was a slap that echoed through the room. A clean, crisp sound, delivered with a surprising force that sent him stumbling back. Before I could even react, the woman said four words that shattered my universe. “I’m your mother.” I just stared. My mother had disappeared twelve years ago. Not died, not left a note. She had simply… ceased to exist. My father had searched for her for years. The police had an open case that gathered dust in a file cabinet somewhere. Not a trace. And now, after twelve years, this woman shows up claiming to be her. It was laughable. Another one of his replacements. Another wanna-be trying to use me to get to my father’s fortune. They all thought that if they looked enough like her, they could win the jackpot. I let out a cold, dismissive laugh. “My mother’s been dead for over a decade. And even if she wasn’t, she wouldn’t look like you. You want to run a con, at least make it believable.” The woman’s expression was a complicated storm of emotions I couldn’t begin to decipher. “You were so young when I left. It’s normal that you don’t remember. But you’re coming with me. Now.” She reached for my wrist. I actually smiled. This one was really committed to the part. I wondered if my father had already cleared out his collection of look-alikes for her. Too bad for her, I wasn't interested in a stand-in for motherly love. With a flick of my wrist, I signaled my crew. They moved in. It was over in seconds. A blur of motion and a series of sharp cracks as she slapped each one of them into submission. They collapsed like dominoes. The hand I’d been reaching for another beer bottle slowly retracted. Okay. I had to admit, I respected power. And this woman could clearly handle herself. Maybe I wouldn’t pick a fight with her… just yet. In the end, she hauled me out of there like a stray cat she’d found in the rain. 2 The autumn air was sharp and cold against my skin. She dragged me all the way to the curb under the flickering streetlights. “Call your father,” she commanded. “Tell him to send a car. And tell him to be there when we arrive.” Her seriousness was so absolute, I couldn't help but laugh. “You’ve got to be kidding me. If you’re trying to get Carter Rhodes’s attention, you need to do your homework. Nobody’s coming to pick me up. And I don’t have a father.” I shifted my weight, jamming my hands in my pockets. “If you think using me is your ticket to the good life, you’re dead wrong. Save yourself the trouble and walk away now.” I pulled a key from my pocket and pressed the button. Across the street, the lights of a beat-up, second-hand scooter blinked twice with a pathetic chirp. I didn’t miss the flicker of confusion and shock in her eyes. She followed me as I crossed the street, her frown deepening. “You ride… this thing?” That little comment was the match on the gasoline of my temper. She was one of them. A materialistic leech. Her face was probably the result of a dozen plastic surgeries, all designed to mimic the woman whose memory she was desecrating. I swung my leg over the scooter’s cracked vinyl seat. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I snapped. “You got a problem with my ride? It may be a piece of junk, but it’s mine. I bought it. You have an opinion, you can keep it to yourself. And don’t think for a second I’m scared of you.” In my world, you never showed weakness. I braced myself for another slap. But instead, she just sighed. Then, with a fluid grace that seemed utterly out of place, she sat down on the seat behind me. The poor little scooter groaned under the added weight, its frame creaking in protest. My brain stalled. “What are you doing? Get off. I’m going home. I don’t have time for your games.” She didn’t say a word. She just wrapped her arms around my waist. Her hands were soft and warm. A jolt went through me, an alien feeling of… something. I stiffened, every muscle in my body screaming in protest. Her voice, when she spoke again, was softer. “Sadie. I’m your mother. I’m not lying to you. Please, just take me home.” I had never met anyone so shamelessly persistent in my life. We were at a standoff for a long time, but she wouldn’t budge. Finally, I gave up arguing. Fine. I revved the pathetic little engine and peeled out into the empty street. Let’s see how long she’d last on this ride. It was late, the city streets deserted and quiet except for the whine of my scooter’s struggling motor. Halfway there, I stopped at a 24-hour bodega and bought a pre-made sandwich and a bottle of water. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do. When I came out, the woman was standing by the scooter, her arms crossed. Her expression was grave. “This isn’t the way to the Rhodes estate,” she said. “Where are you going?” I ignored her. If she wanted to follow, fine by me. Let’s see how committed she was to this charade. I turned down a series of side streets, finally entering a narrow alley where the only light came from a single, buzzing streetlamp that threatened to give out at any moment. I could feel her tension behind me, her body held stiffly. I parked the scooter in front of a crumbling brick tenement building and slid off, grabbing my meager meal. “This is where I live,” I announced, daring her. “You brave enough to follow me in?” Her face was a mask of conflicting emotions. She hesitated for only a second, then squared her shoulders and followed me through the graffitied front door. 3 The hallway smelled of damp and decay, the light from the bare bulbs a sickly yellow. Our apartment was on the third floor, the door plastered with eviction notices and takeout menus. I popped a piece of gum in my mouth and unlocked the door. To my surprise, she brushed past me and went inside first. “Are you crazy?” I exclaimed, shutting the door behind her. “You really came in.” She ignored my outburst, her eyes scanning the tiny, cramped apartment. I didn’t care what she thought. Once she realized I had nothing of value, no leverage to use against my father, she’d be gone. The apartment was old, but I kept it clean. To the left was the one small bedroom. On the single twin bed, a woman with graying hair lay sleeping. She stirred at the sound of our entry, her eyes slowly fluttering open. I placed the sandwich on the nightstand and gently helped her sit up. “Time for a late-night snack, Maria.” Maria seemed to have more energy tonight, but that just meant more questions. “Why are you dressed like that again, Sadie? It’s your birthday. Did you go see your father…?” “No.” I cut her off, fluffing her pillow. “Now eat. And stop meddling.” The smell of the cheap deli meat made my stomach rumble. It was all this woman’s fault. My crew had scraped together enough cash for a tiny cupcake for my birthday. I never even got a bite before she dragged me away. I pulled out my phone and checked my bank balance. A pathetic two-digit number stared back at me. Whatever. Skipping a meal would be good for me. Dieting, or whatever. Maria was mid-sentence when her eyes fixed on the doorway. She froze. “Ava?” she whispered, her voice trembling. “It’s you. Mrs. Rhodes!” I turned. Of course, the woman had followed me into the bedroom. They ignored me completely. The woman—Ava, apparently—rushed to the bedside, her face a picture of shock. “Maria?” Tears streamed down Maria’s face. She dropped the sandwich and reached for Ava’s hand, her grip desperate. “Mrs. Rhodes, you’re alive! Thank God you’re back! You have to talk to Sadie. Make her go back to her father. Make her go back to school! Please, don’t let her keep fighting. She’s going to ruin her life!” “What are you talking about?” I snapped, my patience gone. “She’s not my mother! And if I don’t run my crew and collect protection money, how am I supposed to pay for your medicine?” I was furious now. I grabbed Ava’s arm, trying to pull her out of the room. Maria was clearly losing her mind, calling this imposter ‘Mrs. Rhodes.’ But in a flash, Ava had pushed me out of the bedroom and slammed the door in my face. I heard the lock click. Damn it. This was a rental. I didn’t have a key for the bedroom door. I pressed my ear against the cheap wood, yelling at her not to lie to Maria. But the door was thin, and I could hear every word they said. “Mrs. Rhodes, the year after you left, that bitch dropped her act. She couldn’t stand Sadie. She framed her, set her up… then she had Carter legally sign Sadie over to my care…” The words hit me like a physical blow, and the memories came flooding back. 4 I was six. My father, Carter Rhodes, brought his high school sweetheart home. With her was a little boy. That night, I hid behind a door, listening to them argue. “Ava, Penelope just got back to the country. Her son needs a father. I can’t have people gossiping. He’s not mine, I know, but I’m going to adopt him. Mason.” “Don’t worry,” he’d pleaded. “Mason is a good kid. Just think of it as gaining a sister, and a son. You know you’ll always be the one I love.” My mother didn’t accept it. Her voice rose with each question, each accusation. Penelope, in contrast, just stood there silently, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. Her vulnerability was her greatest weapon. In the end, she got what she wanted. My father insisted they stay. And that was the beginning of the end for our family. At first, he tried to be considerate of my mother’s feelings. But soon, he bought a house for Penelope and her son. He had a second family. On my mother’s birthday, Penelope slit her wrists. My father dropped everything and rushed to the hospital. That night, my mother was like a hollowed-out shell. She held me all night, her tears falling one by one onto my hand. “Sadie,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Mommy can’t be with you anymore. My mission failed. I can’t stay.” “I’m so sorry. It’s my fault. I’m not strong enough to take you with me.” “But you have to remember, you are a Rhodes. You’re the rightful heir. Don’t be weak. Don’t let anyone bully you. The Rhodes fortune… it’s yours.” “Sadie, I’m so sorry…” I was too young to understand what she meant by a “mission.” All I knew was that she was leaving. I cried and begged her not to go, but the next morning, she was gone. Just like that, I was the girl without a mother. My father called her cruel. He dared her to never come back. And then he moved Penelope and Mason into our home. Secretly, though, he started hiring women who looked like her, an endless parade of failed replacements. Penelope’s schemes were endless. She would arrange for my father to see me pushing Mason down the stairs. She would trick me into putting strawberries in her milk, knowing she was allergic. At six years old, I was no match for her. My father’s disappointment in me grew with each passing day. The breaking point came when Penelope and I argued on a street corner. She shoved me into traffic. Maria, our nanny, threw herself in front of me, taking the full impact of the car. Afterward, Penelope twisted the story, claiming I had pushed her. My father didn’t even bother to ask for my side. He believed her instantly. He said that since Maria loved protecting me so much, I could just be her daughter. And so, I was. Maria, the woman who had saved my life, was now paralyzed from the waist down. Her family was destroyed for my sake, and I had a debt to repay. At seven years old, I left the Rhodes estate with Maria. My so-called father never once came to see me. The memory was a sledgehammer to the chest. I thought I had buried it, thought I didn’t care anymore. But hearing Maria retell the story ripped the wound wide open. The bedroom door swung open. I looked up and met the woman’s red-rimmed eyes. She pulled me into a fierce hug, her body trembling like a leaf. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “Mommy’s so sorry she’s late.” For a split second, I caught her scent—a faint, familiar fragrance that unlocked a door deep in my memory. “Tomorrow,” she said, her voice hardening. “Tomorrow, I’m taking you to see Carter Rhodes. We’re going to get you justice.” My throat felt tight, like I’d swallowed a fishbone. I turned my face away, forcing a tough-guy swagger into my voice. “Who needs you to get justice for them? I’m just going for the show. It’ll be fun to watch you try.” 5 The car pulled up in front of the gleaming glass-and-steel skyscraper of Rhodes Industries. The gold letters of the company name glinted in the sun, blinding me for a moment. I’d only ever seen this place in business magazines, usually with a picture of Penelope and Mason at some company gala, their smiles brighter and more obnoxious than any cover model’s. Ava grabbed my wrist and pulled me through the revolving doors. Her heels clicked sharply on the marble floor, each sound a hammer blow against my heart. The employees in the vast lobby stared. “Who is that woman? She looks like she owns the place.” “And the girl with the dyed hair… looks like trouble. Are they here to protest something?” The whispers followed us. I popped a fresh piece of gum into my mouth and stared straight ahead, letting them look. “What floor is Carter Rhodes on?” Ava’s voice was ice. The receptionist clutched her tablet. “Do you have an appointment? Mr. Rhodes is in a board meeting…” “Get him down here.” Ava pushed me forward slightly, a silent presentation. “Tell him his daughter, Sadie Rhodes, and his wife, Ava Rhodes, are here to settle a score.” The words dropped like a bomb in the quiet lobby. The sounds of typing and printers suddenly ceased. Dozens of pairs of eyes locked onto us. I saw people discreetly pulling out their phones. Before the receptionist could make the call, the elevator doors slid open with a soft ding. Carter Rhodes emerged, his arm around Penelope’s waist. His tailored suit made him look every bit the powerful CEO, and Penelope’s designer dress and handbag screamed money. They were laughing together, looking like a perfect, happy couple from a magazine ad. The moment he saw us, his smile froze. The portfolio in his hand slipped from his grasp and hit the floor with a loud slap. Penelope shrieked and scrambled behind him, pointing a manicured finger at me. “Sadie! You little delinquent, what are you doing here? Security! Get her out of here!” A knot of pure hatred tightened in my chest. I opened my mouth to fire back, but Ava was already moving. She closed the distance in three long strides, grabbed a handful of Penelope’s perfectly coiffed hair, and slapped her across the face. The sound was shockingly loud in the cavernous lobby. A collective gasp went through the crowd of employees. Someone actually let out a little “whoa” before clapping a hand over their mouth. “Get who out?” Ava snarled, slamming Penelope’s head back against the wall. “You’re the parasite who took over my home. You don’t get to give orders here.” Carter finally snapped out of his shock, his eyes locked on Ava. His lips trembled. “Ava,” he breathed. “You’re… you’re back. I’ve been looking for you for twelve years…” He reached for her, but she shoved him away. He staggered backward, crashing into a glass display case. Trophies and awards shattered on the floor. Penelope’s face was blotchy with rage, her elegant updo completely undone. She looked like a madwoman. “You’re acting like a savage! You can’t just come in here and assault people! This is a place of business! Do you want to humiliate Carter in front of his entire company?” “That’s the whole point,” Ava said, dragging Penelope by the hair into the center of the lobby. “I want everyone to see. I want everyone to see how Carter Rhodes abandoned his own daughter to raise another woman’s bastard.” The lobby exploded with murmurs and the flash of phone cameras. “I heard a rumor his first wife died,” someone whispered. “That’s what they had to say to make room for the mistress, right?” “Is that really his daughter? A Rhodes heiress, dressed like that?” “What an embarrassment to the family.” Their words were like tiny daggers. I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. Just as I was about to scream at them, Ava spoke, her voice ringing with clarity and fury. “What’s wrong with how she’s dressed? Carter Rhodes threw his own flesh and blood out of his house, left her in the care of a paralyzed housekeeper, and never looked back. Tell me, how is a seven-year-old child supposed to support herself and a disabled woman? Sadie just turned eighteen yesterday. If she hadn’t learned to be tough, to survive on the streets, she would have starved to death! She took the only path you left open for her!” She turned to me, her voice softening for just a moment. “My Sadie is a rose that grew through concrete. There is no shame in her.” Her words hit me, and suddenly, my throat was tight. The years of resentment and pain I had buried so deep began to surface. Ever since I’d started down this path, everyone had looked down on me. They sneered, they judged, they called me trash, a blight on society. No one ever asked why. And now, she had said it for me. My eyes burned. I tilted my head back, refusing to let the tears fall. The crowd went silent, all eyes turning to Carter. Ava’s words had stripped him bare in front of his entire company. His face went from white to red and back again. He had no defense. No one here could have imagined that the great Carter Rhodes would let his own daughter fend for herself in the gutter. The whispers died. The only sound was Penelope’s hysterical sobbing. “Carter! Are you just going to stand there and let her do this to me?” Carter finally moved, his expression a storm of confusion and pain. But he didn’t go to Penelope. He went to my mother. “Ava, let’s go home. We have so much to talk about…” My mother’s response was another slap, this one for him. It landed with a sickening crack. More gasps rippled through the lobby. No one had ever dared to lay a hand on Carter Rhodes. Just when everyone expected him to explode in fury, Ava spoke again, her voice dripping with contempt. “Carter Rhodes. Does it give you a sense of accomplishment, raising another man’s son?” “You must be the world’s greatest father. You absolute fool.” My father’s head was turned to the side from the force of the blow, a bright red handprint already forming on his cheek. Ava looked at him, and the hatred in her eyes was so pure, so cold, it could have frozen fire. “Carter Rhodes, I want you to look at your daughter and tell me,” she said, her voice dropping to a deadly whisper. “Do you deserve to be a father? You don’t even deserve to be called a man.”
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