Chapter 2 - Backstage Vendetta
The auditorium lobby buzzed with excitement as the ceremony concluded, but to me, the world felt submerged underwater. Victoria stormed ahead like a tempest, dragging a weeping Madison behind her by the wrist. I trailed several paces back, my mind spinning into a terrifying vortex of guilt and panic. Thirteen years ago, blinded by greed, I walked out of a tiny, cracked-plaster apartment in Boston, leaving Rebecca with twin heartbeats inside her and an envelope containing three hundred dollars and a signed divorce document. I had traded her love for Victoria Sterling’s aristocratic empire, telling myself that greatness required ruthless sacrifices.
""Dean Callahan!"" Victoria’s shrill voice cut through the private backstage lounge, freezing the university’s elderly director mid-conversation.
Dean Callahan turned, holding a glass of sparkling water, his brow furrowing as Victoria cornered him against the wall of honorary plaques.
""Victoria, Nathaniel, what an incredible evening for STEM innovation!"" Callahan said warmly, though his eyes quickly detected the storm brewing behind Victoria’s diamond earrings.
""There is nothing incredible about fraud, Arthur,"" Victoria spat, jabbing an accusing finger toward the dressing rooms down the hallway. ""My family built the engineering wing on this campus. Brookfield Technologies supplies your graduate program with millions in computing hardware. And yet, you allowed two unknown girls with zero accredited institutional backing to steal the national championship right out of Madison’s hands!""
""Excuse me?"" Callahan stepped back, his expression hardening. ""Victoria, the scoring system is completely blind. Every line of code was evaluated independently by seven international referees. The Bennett twins cracked an encrypted recursive puzzle that our senior faculty couldn't resolve all semester. Madison’s submission, unfortunately, crashed during runtime within the first three minutes.""
""Because the server was sabotaged!"" Victoria screeched, completely unhinged. ""Those girls cheated! I want their medals revoked this instant! I want an official public disqualification, or Brookfield pulls every dime from this university, and my father’s trust will withdraw its endowment by Monday morning!""
""That is enough, Mrs. Brooks,"" a calm, resonant voice cut through the corridor like a scalpel.
We all froze. Turning slowly, I felt the air leave my lungs.
Rebecca stood in the archway of the lounge. Behind her, Evelyn and Clara held their heavy bronze medals and the championship certificate, looking at Victoria with calm, bewildered curiosity rather than fear. Rebecca looked directly past Victoria’s furious scowl and stared straight into my eyes.
""Hello, Nathaniel,"" Rebecca said quietly. Her voice was steady, carrying an emotional weight that made my knees physically buckle.
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""Who do you think you are, addressing my husband?"" Victoria snarled, stepping in front of me, her designer rings catching the fluorescent light. ""Are you the mother of these little fraudsters? You picked the wrong family to cross, darling. I have an army of attorneys on speed dial who will sue your little household into absolute bankruptcy before the ink dries on that trophy!""
Rebecca didn't blink. She didn't raise her voice. She simply adjusted the thick, navy-blue folder tucked securely under her arm. ""You won't sue anyone, Victoria. In fact, if you had any shred of decency left, you’d step aside and let your husband explain to you why my daughters look exactly like the man whose name is on his driver’s license.""
