Tony returned to the main hall where the assembled Downey family members had been waiting, their whispered conversations dying immediately as he reappeared.Isabella still knelt in the center, her body trembling with exhaustion and fear.Tony retook his position on the elevated platform and surveyed his family with calculating eyes. He'd made his decision during the conversation with Samuel—a decision that would serve both short-term family stability and long-term strategic positioning."I've made my judgment regarding Isabella," Tony announced, his voice carrying clearly across the hall.Every eye fixed on him. Isabella's head lifted slightly, dread and desperate hope warring in her expression."Isabella will be grounded to the family estate for the next three months," Tony continued. "She will have no access to social media, no public appearances, and no contact with friends outside the family. She will attend daily sessions with a business etiquette consultant and a PR specialist t

Roden sat back down in his office chair, his phone pressed tightly to his ear as the line rang. A smile spread across his face—not one of genuine pleasure, but the calculated smile of someone about to unleash a weapon they'd been carefully preparing.The call connected after three rings."Chris," Roden said smoothly, his tone immediately shifting to something obsequious and ingratiating. "It's Gerald Roden from Whitewater. I hope I'm not catching you at a bad time.""Roden," came the response—a cultured, slightly bored voice that carried the unmistakable accent of someone raised in extreme wealth. "This had better be good. I was in the middle of something.""Oh, I think you'll want to hear this," Roden said, his smile widening. "It concerns Ms. Grace Coleman. And that special interest of yours."There was a pause on the other end, and when Chris spoke again, his tone had sharpened considerably. "Go on. You have my attention."Christopher Devoe—Chris to those few he considered equals—w