When a polished stranger knocked on my door one crisp Tuesday morning,
I had no idea my world was about to tilt on its axis. He was tall, composed,
dressed in an expensive suit that practically screamed power and confidence.
But it wasn’t his presence that rattled me—it was what he said. “Ah, the
cleaning lady,” he smiled politely. “Could you let Mrs. Lambert know David
from Faircrest Holdings is here?” I froze, caught between confusion and curiosity.
Cleaning lady? I almost corrected him on instinct, but something
in his tone—and the name he used—gave me pause.Mrs. Lambert. That
was me. Or at least, it used to be.But David didn’t mean me. He meant my sister,
Allison.So I played along, invited him in, offered him coffee while
I gathered the pieces. He talked casually, unaware of the storm he’d
just stirred. That’s when it all unraveled.David, it turned out, had been negotiating a business acquisition
—one that required my signature, my authority, and my title. Except, apparently,
