It was the look of a woman measuring another. Not out of admiration but out of calculation. And suddenly, Raellyn understood. This wasn’t just a family visit. This was a silent war of presence, of elegance, of unspoken stakes neither of them had named aloud.
“This is my first time meeting you, Sister-in-law. My name is Sylvia,” the woman said with a smile that didn’t once leave her face, bright, practiced, and utterly flawless.
Raellyn studied her for a brief moment. She had seen Sylvia countless times before, on television screens, printed across glossy magazine covers, her name mentioned in elegant fonts beneath striking headlines. In those pictures, she had looked beautiful. Sweet, even. But seeing her like this, in the quiet intimacy of her own living room, Raellyn had to admit she w
