Thrown Away With Nothing, Rose to the Top with Everything

At the Andrews estate, the family gathers to choose a husband for Zera Andrews. Everyone expects she will pick Vernon, the man who has been groomed for years to lead Andrews Corporation. But Zera's eyes hold only cold hatred, and Vernon understands: she has been reborn, just as he has. He steps aside and lets her choose Calvert Thompson instead.

Zera and Calvert waste no time claiming what they believe is theirs. She demands control of the company and the San Francisco project, and Calvert grabs the signet ring that marks its true power. Vernon hands over the files and the ring without protest, but warns that the project's confidential terms could cost fifty million if mishandled. Calvert, confident and arrogant, insists he knows what to do.

When Calvert demands that Vernon leave with nothing, Zera says nothing. Her silence tells Vernon everything he needs to know about the decades they once shared.