Chapter 8: Elizabeth V Blanche Drake

" Barely born, I was already promised a future all mapped out. Father was inflexible about it. I had no say. My desires, my wishes… didn’t matter."

She fixed her gaze on a point behind her daughter, unblinking, her eyes lost deep in her memories. Her clammy hands, which she absentmindedly wiped on her pajama pants, betrayed her turmoil.

Blanche, attentive, said nothing. Her mother had never mentioned a grandfather, nor any other family for that matter. Out of respect, she had never asked questions. She had always told herself Elsa would speak when the time came.

That moment had come. Even if it clearly wasn’t planned.

" I knew what studies I had to pursue, who I had to marry, what profession I was supposed to take up… Like everyone who bears our name."

Her voice took on a low, simmering anger, stifled for far too long. It rekindled a dark glint in her eyes.

" Like my cousin Ely, who was also my best friend. She was two years older than me. When I was sixteen, Ely was about to get married. She hadn’t chosen anything either. She barely knew her future husband…"

Blanche raised an eyebrow. A grandfather? And now a cousin? Of course, she had always suspected her mother hadn’t just fallen from the sky, but still…

" Naturally, she made me her maid of honor. For her bachelorette party, we went bar-hopping through the trendiest spots in the city. And to spice things up a little, we “lost” our bodyguards. It wasn’t the first time, you know, she added, miming air quotes."

"Bodyguards?" Blanche blurted out, stunned.

Her mother ignored the interruption, as if speaking had become a challenge she could only manage once. Blanche no longer recognized her. Where had the whirlwind of energy she knew gone? The volcanic, impulsive, uncontrollable Elsa?

"We ended up in a strip club. A real den of debauchery. It was a first for me. And I’d had a bit to drink, I admit. When one of the dancers suggested I join him somewhere more private… I said yes. I wanted to… experience something else. Something that wasn’t already decided."

At that moment, her voice broke. And the tears followed.

Blanche froze. Elsa never cried. She shouted, swore, complained, threatened—but she didn’t cry. It was almost unreal.

Blanche stood up to move closer, but her mother raised a hand, palm out. Stop. She lowered her gaze to her feet, suddenly far more interesting than the rest of the world. Blanche understood. She had felt the same way with Kiyan… just that morning.

And then she felt it coming. The worst.

"You have his… magnetism, Elsa whispered. That’s what drew me to him. That… and his confidence. He moved as if the world belonged to him."

She avoided her daughter’s disapproving look. A stripper. Of course.

" Anyway. A few weeks later, a strange pain… and Ely forced me to take a test. I went into a pharmacy, paid in cash. I didn’t want to be recognized. I took the test in a restaurant bathroom during class hours. I was too afraid the staff would report me to Father."

Blanche leaned her head back, arms wrapped around her knees. Bodyguards, strippers, servants… Who exactly was her mother?

"When the test came back positive, Ely took charge. She told me to run. So I ran. And it’s the best decision I ever made. After you, of course."

"Wait a minute… " Blanche breathed, eyes wide.

A memory hit her full force. Last year, she had watched a documentary about the mysterious disappearance of the daughter of the founder of one of Epsilon’s most powerful economic empires. Elsa had been furious that she watched that kind of “nonsense.” Blanche had never made the connection. Until now.

" Elizabeth IV Delancey Drake," she whispered, like a revelation.

Elsa’s eyes widened. Goosebumps prickled her skin. She swallowed hard.

"Yes. That’s me."

Blanche jumped to her feet, running a hand through her hair, suddenly flooded with adrenaline.

"Wait, wait… Drake? As in Drake Industries? The giant of the Southern States?"

The name she saw in the media almost every day. The one attached to universities, avenues, museums, a country club… even an entire city!

"Holy shit… " Blanche swore. That’s why you always refused to let us leave the North…

She suddenly grasped what that name meant. Her name. She was the direct heir to a colossal empire. And the worst part? Her grandfather was none other than the CEO of the biggest company in the region. A titan. Practically a state builder.

"Fuck… " she muttered after pacing back and forth. "Wait… Winter is your father?!"

Her mother gave a nervous nod.

"William Drake? “Winter” of Drake Industries? That’s MY grandfather?" she repeated, as if trying to convince herself.

She stared at Elsa, who understood after a few seconds that she was waiting for confirmation. Another nod.

Blanche let her arms fall.

"We’re screwed. Completely screwed, she concluded."

Without a word, Elsa lay back down on the couch, eyes fixed on the ceiling. Her daughter sat on the floor right in front of her, still staring at her.

"So what… you’re a rich heiress?" Blanche stammered.

It was too much. It felt like a bad joke. A cosmic prank.

And to think the day had barely even begun.