He turned and walked back to his car, ignoring her calls after him. Something felt very wrong about that interaction. Sarah's mother hadn't seemed surprised or concerned that Sarah had supposedly been gone for two days. And the timeline didn't make sense—he'd dropped her off just hours ago.The manager drove straight to the hospital, his mind racing through possibilities.When he reached Michael's room, he found him working on his laptop despite the doctor's orders to rest."Sir, we have a problem."Michael looked up immediately. "What happened?""First, Isaac sent a fake bomb to my apartment. It was a warning—psychological warfare. My girlfriend left me because of it.""I'm sorry—""Don't be. That's not the important part." The manager set Sarah's phone and bag on the table. "Sarah left these in my car this morning when I dropped her at her family's house. I just went there to return them, and her mother claims Sarah hasn't been home for two days."Michael's expression hardened insta

Derek's father paced outside the police station, checking his watch every thirty seconds with growing impatience. When Derek finally emerged through the glass doors, he was cursing under his breath at someone behind him."Yeah, well you can tell your sergeant that this is harassment! I'll be filing a complaint!"The older Manning's eyes immediately dropped to his son's ankle, where a black electronic monitor was clearly visible above his shoe."What the hell is that?"Derek looked down and scowled. "An ankle monitor. Michael Thompson got me released but made sure I'm on a leash. I can't leave the city."SLAP!The sound of the blow echoed across the parking lot. Derek's head snapped to the side, his cheek instantly reddening from the impact."You disgrace!" his father hissed. "You absolute disappointment! Everything is your fault! Do you understand that? Everything! If I lose to Michael Thompson because of your incompetence, I swear to God I'll disinherit you. You'll get nothing—not a

Michael sat alone in his hospital room, the silence pressing down on him like a physical weight. Everyone had scattered to handle various errands—the manager dealing with investors, Victoria checking on his grandfather, even the nurses had stepped out for shift change.But Michael couldn't rest. Something gnawed at him, a persistent feeling of wrongness that made his skin crawl.Sarah was in trouble. He knew it with absolute certainty.Gritting his teeth against the pain, Michael began the agonizing process of sitting up straight. Every muscle in his torso screamed in protest, and sweat beaded on his forehead from the effort.The door opened, and Santiago entered carrying bags of takeout, the tech guy Alex following close behind with his laptop bag."Michael! What the hell are you doing?" Santiago rushed over, dropping the food on the table and supporting Michael's back. "You're going to tear your stitches again!""Something's wrong with Sarah. I can feel it. I need to go get her.""Y

Sarah's mother sat frozen on the stairs for only a moment before something shifted in her expression. She looked around at the armed men, at Michael in his wheelchair, at the approaching sirens, and suddenly she threw her head back and laughed.It was a mocking, theatrical sound that echoed through the foyer.She began clapping slowly, sarcastically. "Oh, bravo, Michael! Bravo! What a wonderful performance! Such drama! Such accusations!""Your full name is on the account, Mrs. Fletcher. Tina Marie Fletcher. Date of birth March 15th, 1972. Social security number—""Stop!" She held up a hand, still smiling. "Anyone could have created a fake account using my name. Identity theft is a real problem these days, you know. I'm probably a victim here, just like those poor people who donated."Derek, still clutching his bleeding arm, seized the opportunity. "That's right! She's a victim! You can't pin your crimes on innocent people just because you're desperate!"Grandmother Fletcher descended

"You're making a mistake! You keep surrounding yourself with irrelevant people! That nobody in a wheelchair who's brought nothing but scandal and shame to our family!""Irrelevant?" Sarah's voice rose. "He's worth more than our entire family combined! He's actually accomplished something with his life instead of living off old money and family reputation!""Sarah Elizabeth, you will not speak to your grandmother that way!"Michael cleared his throat, drawing their attention. "Mrs. Fletcher, I believe we have some unfinished business. The IP address that uploaded those photos and created the fraudulent account? It's registered to a device in this house. Your device, to be specific."Sarah's mother waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, please. Don't start with that nonsense again. I already told you—identity theft.""No more fainting, Mrs. Fletcher. I want a real answer. Why would you go through such elaborate lengths just to see me in trouble?"She looked at him—really looked at him—and so