Jane sat in her childhood bedroom at 11 PM, laptop balanced on her knees, scrolling through news websites with the desperate focus of someone searching for any mention of the man who had destroyed her life. She'd been doing this every night for weeks, checking business journals, social media, local news, hoping to find some crack in Mac's perfect new existence.That's when she found the headline that made her heart stop: "Federal Investigation into Thompson Bank Reveals Decades-Old Murder Case."Jane's hands trembled as she read the article. Thompson Bank was under federal investigation for financial crimes, but buried in the third paragraph was a detail that made her stomach clench: "The investigation has also reopened questions about the 2005 deaths of business leaders James and Elizabeth Clement, whose car accident is now being reviewed as a potential homicide connected to Thompson Bank's criminal activities."James and Elizabeth Clement. Mac's parents.Jane scrolled frantically thr

Three days into Mac's assault on Thompson Bank, Shirley felt like she was living with a stranger. The man who had once asked her opinion on everything from dinner choices to business decisions now barely acknowledged her presence as he orchestrated what he called "the final phase" of his twenty-year plan.Shirley sat in Mac's living room, pretending to read while actually listening to his phone conversations from the war room he'd created in his home office. The words she overheard made her stomach turn."I don't care about their pension fund," Mac was saying to someone on the phone. "Thompson Logistics needs to be eliminated. If their drivers lose their retirement savings, that's Thompson's fault for building his empire on criminal proceeds."Shirley set down her book, unable to concentrate on anything except the cold calculation in Mac's voice. These weren't abstract numbers he was discussing, these were real people with families, mortgages, children who needed food and clothing."S

Shirley sat on Mac's guest room bed at 9 PM, surrounded by printed photos from her phone and handwritten notes documenting every lie she'd uncovered. The evidence spread across the white comforter told the story of a deception so complete it made her question her own judgment about everything.Financial statements showing Mac owned dozens of companies. Business cards with different names and titles. Correspondence proving he'd controlled Golden Enterprise all along. And underneath it all, the growing certainty that the man she'd fallen in love with had never really existed.Her phone buzzed with a text from her father: "Are you sure about confronting him tonight? I could pick you up right now."Shirley stared at the message, tempted by the escape her father offered. She could pack her few belongings, leave Mac's penthouse, and never look back. Start over somewhere Mac's influence couldn't reach her.But running away wouldn't give her the answers she needed. And despite everything, som

Shirley sat alone in a 24-hour diner at 2 AM, her third cup of coffee going cold while she stared at her phone. Seventeen missed calls from Mac. Eight from her father. And three from a number she now knew belonged to Harold Thompson, her grandfather, a word that felt foreign and wrong in her mind.She'd been sitting in this booth for four hours, watching the city's insomniacs and night shift workers come and go, trying to understand who she was now that everything she'd believed about her identity had been stripped away.When her phone rang again with Thompson's number, Shirley surprised herself by answering."Hello?""Shirley, thank God." Thompson's voice carried relief and warmth that sounded almost genuine. "I've been so worried about you. Are you somewhere safe?""I'm fine.""You left very upset, and given everything you learned tonight, I wanted to make sure you weren't alone with all of this."Shirley felt tears threatening again. "I need to be alone. I need to think.""Of cours

Shirley stood in her father's small apartment, unpacking her overnight bag with shaking hands. Robert watched from the doorway, his expression a mixture of relief that she'd left Mac and worry about what would come next."I'm proud of you for leaving," Robert said quietly. "I know that wasn't easy.""It was the easiest decision I've made in months. Everything else has been impossible."Shirley's phone buzzed with another call from Mac, the fifteenth since she'd left his penthouse two hours ago. She declined it and continued unpacking."He's not going to give up easily," Robert observed."I don't care what he wants anymore. I'm done being manipulated by powerful men who think they own me."Her phone rang again, but this time it was a number she didn't recognize. Shirley almost declined it, but something made her answer."Miss Chen, this is David Kim, Mr. Clement's attorney. I need to speak with you about your employment contract immediately."Shirley felt ice forming in her stomach. "W