The rain tapped against the leaded glass windows of Whitaker House.

It had been exactly three weeks since we laid my mother to rest in the damp earth of Oakridge.

My hand shook slightly as I pushed open the heavy oak front door.

The familiar scent of beeswax and old paper washed over me, but it did not comfort me today.

The air inside felt cold, as if the heating system had been neglected during my absence.

Dina looked up from the reception desk, her eyes widening in surprise.

“Emma,” she whispered, her fingers freezing over her keyboard. “You’re back.”

“I couldn’t stay away any longer, Dina,” I said, trying to force a reassuring smile.

She stood up quickly, casting a nervous glance toward the double doors of the boardroom.

“Grant is in there with the board,” she said, lowering her voice to a soft murmur. “And Vanessa.”

I nodded, adjusting the strap of my leather purse on my shoulder.

“I expected as much,” I replied.

I walked past her desk and stepped into the central gallery.

The wall at the end of the corridor was bathed in the warm light of a picture lamp.

For thirty years, my mother’s oil portrait had hung there, watching over the foundation she built.

She had been painted in her favorite blue silk dress, her eyes bright and determined.

Now, the frame was gone.

In its place hung an oversized, glossy corporate banner.

It showed a sleek, minimalist logo and a large promotional photograph of Vanessa Hart.

She was smiling, her hands folded neatly under her chin, looking like the new savior of Whitaker House.

The text beneath her name read: *Lead Communications Strategist*.

My chest tightened as I stared at her polished, insincere smile.

“They took it down yesterday,” Dina said, having followed me into the gallery.

“Where is my mother’s portrait, Dina?” I asked, keeping my voice flat and controlled.

“Grant ordered it moved to the basement storage,” she said, looking down at the pattern of the carpet.

I walked closer to the wall, my boots clicking sharply on the parquet floor.

A yellow slip of paper was taped to the edge of the new banner’s mounting bracket.