Chapter 8: The Gym Debacle

Fourteen-year-old Maya Vance stood in the lobby of the Elite Athletics Gymnastics Center, her cheeks burning with humiliation.

She was wearing her favorite rhinestone-studded leotard, her hair tied back in a perfect, tight high-ponytail. Around her, the other girls in he

Chapter 9: A Taste of Poverty

The dining room of the Vance estate, which had once hosted elegant catered dinner parties for the city's social elite, now felt like a funeral home.

Richard sat at the head of the long mahogany table, staring blankly at a plate of cold, over-salted spaghetti. Chloe ha

Chapter 10: The Rose-Tinted Glasses Shatter

Morning usually arrived gently in Oakridge.

Sunlight filtered through mature maple trees, sprinklers clicked across manicured lawns, and luxury vehicles glided silently from heated garages. The neighborhood had been designed to make wealth look effortles