In the sleek penthouse of the Callums mansion, Vanessa was stretched out on a white leather couch, casually scrolling through her latest post. A smile tugged at her lips as blue-check accounts flooded the comments with praise for her outfit and flawless looks. Jonathan walked in, a tumbler of whiskey in hand, clearly in a good mood. “Great news, princess,” he said with a grin. “We just locked down the Brighton Hills deal.” She looked up, eyes wide. “Wait, seriously?” He chuckled and sank into the sofa across from her. “Of course.” “Damn, that’s huge,” she said, her face lighting up. “Once that project’s done, I’m pretty sure Timber Development Group will hand us the East Coast one too.” She smiled. "About time. I've been wanting a place in the Hamptons." The Hamptons was one of the most elite neighborhoods on the East Coast—home to the city’s wealthiest and most powerful. He let out a light chuckle. “You’ve been my biggest motivation on this project. I told you I’d make you

Vanessa’s mind raced as she stared at the threatening message on her phone. But after a moment, she brushed it off, concluding it was just someone trying to take advantage of her family’s mess to scare her and make her believe they were behind it. Then, she deleted it. She straightened her shoulders and looked at her mother and sister, both still lost in their emotions. Someone needed to take charge, and it would have to be her. "Mom, Yvonne, stop crying. We need to act fast," she said, her voice suddenly steady and commanding. Blanche looked up. "What can we possibly do now? Your father—" "Is counting on us to fix this mess," Vanessa cut in. "I have a plan." "So, what's your plan?" Blanche asked her. A sly smile tugged at Vanessa’s lips as she stared at the phone screen. “Just watch and see,” she muttered under her breath. Without wasting a second, she tapped through her contacts and called her father’s lawyer. The line barely rang before a voice answered. “Mr. Matthew,

Online, people were rallying around Vanessa, questioning the FBI's methods and motives, and #IStandWithCallums was already trending. The story had changed—they had stopped seeing Jonathan Callum as a corrupt businessman and started portraying him as a victim of betrayal by his own company. "See?" she said, showing her mother the screen. "It's working. This is how to manage a crisis," she announced proudly. "Public opinion is shifting. Dad's going to be okay." Yvonne's eyes widened. "Really? People believe us?" "Of course they do," Vanessa said confidently. "We're the Callums. People love us." She quickly called her father’s PR director. “Make sure clips of my media briefing get sent to all the major networks. I want them on every channel right now." She ordered him. "Already on it," he assured her. "You've completely changed the conversation, Mrs. Callum. It's impressive." After the call—without having dropped the phone—her phone rang again. Mr. Matthew was the caller. "Go

Ryan rushed back to the table, nearly knocking over his chair. His composure had been replaced by wide eyes and a pale face because he knew that if the words got out, he would be doomed. "How do you know about that?" he repeated, his voice barely above a whisper. "Tell me right now!" Ethan said nothing, just calmly took another sip of his coffee. The silence stretched between them until Ryan couldn’t take it anymore. He decided to mask his panic and fear by intimidating Ethan, convinced that people like Ethan always give in eventually, no matter their initial arrogance and boldness. "It was Lara, wasn't it?" Ryan chuckled. "Though I can't understand how she found out..." He ran a hand through his hair, messing it up. "I can’t believe she was so blinded by love that she actually told you something like that,” he said, narrowing his eyes at Ethan and leaning forward. "Now, tell me—what do you want from me? Why are you saying this to my face?” Ethan just stared back at him

Later in the day, as Vanessa and her family were still celebrating, a sudden news report interrupted the air. “Breaking news,” the anchor’s voice was grim, grabbing everyone’s attention. "New evidence has emerged in the Callum Construction scandal, directly implicating Jonathan Callum and his daughter, Vanessa Callum, along with other executives, in what authorities are now calling one of the largest fraud schemes in the city’s history.” Vanessa’s heart skipped a beat, and so did the rest of her family’s. Then, the screen flickered to show emails—dozens of them—between Jonathan and other directors, discussing ways to cut costs by using cheap materials and bribing inspectors. Then came documents with their signatures at the bottom. “What?!” The words escaped their mouths in unison, their faces paling. The anchor continued, “These emails and documents, provided to us by senior vice president Ryan Callum, directly contradict Ms. Callum’s statements from the media briefing earlier, w