Chapter 2 - The Weight of the Past
The silence in the private glass-walled boardroom on the fortieth floor felt heavier than the marble below. Eleanor sat at the mahogany head of the table, her hands gently resting on the jade pendant lying between them like a fragile truce. Mei-Ling stood rigidly by the door, refusing to sit in the plush leather executive chairs that smelled of old money and corporate dominance.
"You can't just ambush me in a lobby, claim I'm your long-lost child, and drag me up here like a stray dog," Mei-Ling said, her voice trembling despite her best efforts to sound detached. "People down there talk. My supervisor already gave me a warning."
"Let them talk," Eleanor whispered, her gaze fixed entirely on Mei-Ling's face, tracing the curve of her jaw and the stubborn tilt of her chin. "Let the whole city talk. For twenty-two years, the only thing that mattered to me was finding the nurse who walked out of the Portland hospital with my newborn infant. And now you’re standing right here, wearing the uniform of the company my late husband built."
"Coincidences happen," Mei-Ling retorted, crossing her arms defensively over her chest. "Millions of people wear jade. Millions of babies are abandoned or stolen every day. It proves nothing."
"Is that why your left shoulder bears a small crescent-shaped birthmark just below the collarbone?" Eleanor asked softly, leaning forward. "Just like your father's. Just like mine."
Mei-Ling flinched, her hands dropping instantly to her sides. The color drained from her face, leaving her looking stark and vulnerable under the recessed lighting. She had never told a soul about that mark, keeping it hidden beneath high collars and uniform shirts.
"How could you possibly know that?" Mei-Ling whispered, the armor finally cracking.
"Because I changed your diapers until the night you were stolen from your nursery," Eleanor said, tears spilling over her lashes once more. "I hired private investigators across three continents. I spent a fortune keeping your file open while the board of directors tried to declare you legally dead so they could divide your inheritance among greedy cousins."
"Inheritance?" Mei-Ling let out a bitter, humorless laugh. "I live in a thirty-square-meter studio apartment in a neighborhood where sirens sing me to sleep every night. I scrub toilets so I can afford night classes in accounting. Don't talk to me about inheritances."
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"You are the sole heir to Vanguard Global Enterprises," Eleanor stated firmly, standing up with the aid of her cane. "And your cousin Marcus is currently liquidating our assets behind my back."
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