At thirty years old, I had somehow become the one person my family could always agree on.

"Let them stay," Miles commanded, his voice ringing through the vast room like a clap of thunder.

The security guards immediately halted, releasing my parents' arms, though they remained posted at the door, watchful and tense.

My mother hurried forward, stopping ten feet away from us. Her eyes were red-rimmed, her face twisted in a mixture of fury, panic, and hysteria. My father lingered behind her, looking utterly defeated, his hands shoved deep into his pockets.

"Serena," my mother gasped, breathing heavily. "The police just showed up at your Uncle Marcus’s house! They have a warrant! And Lois... two security officers pulled Lois out of her office in handcuffs!"

"They didn't handcuff her, Mom," I said flatly, surprising myself with the cold calm in my own voice. "They escorted her to corporate legal for questioning."

"How can you be so heartless?!" she screamed, tears springing to her eyes. "She is your sister! Your own blood! And Marcus is your godfather! How could you let your... your hired boyfriend destroy this family?!"

Miles stepped forward, his body shielding half of mine, but I gently laid a hand on his forearm, holding him back.

"No, Miles. Let me," I whispered.

I stepped around him, taking three slow steps toward my mother.

"Miles didn't destroy this family, Mom," I said, looking her dead in the eye. "Marcus destroyed himself when he stole millions of dollars from Sterling Global. And Lois destroyed herself when she helped him forge corporate documents and lied to everyone to feed her toxic pride."

"She did it for us!" my mother sobbed wildly. "She wanted us to be proud of her! She wanted to show everyone at the club that the Vance family was elite!"

"And what about me?" I asked, my voice cracking slightly as years of buried grief surged to the surface. "What did I have to do for you to be proud of me, Mom?"

My mother blinked, caught off guard by the raw pain in my question.

"I built a career from scratch," I said, tears blurring my vision. "I bought my own home. I paid off my student loans. I worked seventy hours a week to become a respected analyst. But every time I walked into your house, you made me feel like trash because I didn't have a husband or a designer title. You told me three days ago that I was humiliating you just by walking into a party alone!"

"Serena... I didn't mean..." my mother stammered, looking away.

"Yes, you did," I said fiercely. "You meant every word. You loved Lois's fake shine because it fed your ego. You hated my real work because it was quiet. Well, guess what? Lois's shine was built on crime. And my quiet work just exposed it."

My father finally spoke, his voice weak and trembling. "Serena... please. Talk to Mr. Sterling. Tell him to drop the charges against Marcus and Lois. If this goes to court, our reputation... the family name... it will be ruined. We won't be able to show our faces in Connecticut ever again."

I turned my gaze to my father. The man I had looked up to as a child. The man who had always laughed when Lois mocked me, who had offered Miles two fingers for a handshake because he thought he was a blue-collar worker.

"The family name is already ruined, Dad," I said quietly. "Because you built it on a foundation of vanity, judgment, and cruelty. You don't care that Marcus stole. You don't care that Lois lied. You only care about what the neighbors will say."

"Serena, please!" my mother dropped to her knees, weeping hysterically, grasping at my skirt. "We are your parents! You can't do this to us! Tell him to stop!"

I looked down at her. Six months ago, seeing my mother on her knees would have broken me. I would have conceded, apologized, and taken the blame just to make the tears stop.

But as I looked at her now, I realized something profound.

Her tears weren't for me. They weren't even for Lois. They were for herself.

I took a step back, slipping my skirt from her grasp.

"I can't stop anything, Mom," I said softly. "The truth is out. And for the first time in my life... I'm not going to carry your lies."

I turned my back on them and walked toward Miles.

Miles looked at my parents, his eyes cold and unyielding. "Security, please escort Mr. and Mrs. Vance off the premises. If they attempt to re-enter the building, have them arrested for trespassing."

"Serena! Serena!" my mother screamed as the guards firmly grabbed her arms, pulling her to her feet and escorting her out the heavy double doors. Her shrieks echoed down the long hallway until the doors slammed shut, sealing the executive suite in dead silence once again.

I stood there, staring at the closed doors. My body was shaking. My chest felt tight, as if a giant hand were squeezing my heart.

Suddenly, Miles's arms wrapped around me from behind. He pulled me gently back against his broad chest, holding me tight. He didn't say anything. He just held me, anchoring me while the emotional storm raged inside my mind.

I turned around in his embrace, buried my face in his crisp navy lapels, and finally let the tears fall.

I wept for the childhood I never had. I wept for the sisterly bond that was never real. I wept for the parents who had failed me.

Miles held me through all of it. His hand stroked my hair gently, his chin resting against the top of my head.

"I'm here," he whispered into my hair over and over again. "I've got you, Serena. You're not alone anymore."

After what felt like an eternity, my crying subsided. I pulled back slightly, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand, feeling embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I ruined your executive suite."

Miles gave a soft, crooked smile, reaching out to gently wipe a stray tear from my cheek with his thumb. "This room has seen plenty of greed, panic, and lies today. Your tears are the only real thing that’s happened in here all morning."

He took my hand, lacing his fingers with mine.

"Come on," he said softly.