"You're not my daughter anymore," Arabella laughed as she stepped into the makeup room. "Say that again," Lila spat, fingers tightening on the crown between them. "Say what?" Arabella tilted her chin and let the laugh land like a slap. "That I grew up with the right blood, the right last name. That you were a charity case until we found a better fit." "That's a lie," Lila said. "You swapped—" "Swapped?" Arabella smiled wide enough to show teeth. "You mean I did what everyone else wants to do when they get the chance. Fixed a problem. Raised our standing. Saved the family from a scandal no one would have forgiven." "Saved the family?" Lila's voice was low and raw. "You erased me." "Erased is dramatic," Mr. Matthews said without looking up from the phones stacked on the vanity. "You were a liability, Lila. Arabella is the plan. Plans are what keep our world intact." "You can't just—" Lila's hand ripped the crown off and flung it across the room. It struck a tray and sent powder into the air. "Control yourself," Mother said sharply. Her voice held the same cold calculation that had bought their townhouse, their clinic boxes of influence and quick apologies. "You are at the Kai. If you make a scene, we make a statement." "You're seriously siding with her?" Lila asked. "You raised me." "You were raised by charity," Mother said. "We raised Arabella to lead. Do you not