The clock on Harrison's study wall ticked relentlessly.8 PM.James sat in the leather chair by the fireplace, arms crossed, jaw tight. Elena perched on the edge of the couch, hands twisted in her lap. The silence between them had weight and texture—thick, oppressive, suffocating.10 PM.Neither had moved. Neither had spoken. The fire burned low. Shadows danced across Harrison's bookshelves.Midnight.Elena finally broke."Can I tell you everything?" Her voice was hoarse from crying earlier. "Not as an excuse. Just so you understand."James stared at the dying embers. "Go ahead."Elena took a shaking breath. "I found the documents in my mother's storage room. Old contracts, bank transfers, correspondence. Fifty million dollars from Ashford Pharmaceuticals to Catherine Sterling. Payment date: August 2010."James's jaw twitched but he didn't interrupt."The memo line said 'Consultation Services—Thorne Matter.' Your family name. Right there in black and white." Elena's voice cracked. "I

6 AM.The Entertainment Daily website updated with a single article that would destroy everything.**STERLING EMPIRE BUILT ON BLOOD MONEY—EXCLUSIVE DOCUMENTS REVEAL COVER-UP**Below the headline, scanned documents loaded slowly. Contracts. Bank transfers. Email correspondence. All of it damning. All of it real.*"Sources close to the investigation reveal that Sterling Tech's initial funding came from pharmaceutical fraud and a conspiracy to make an entire family disappear. Catherine Sterling, mother of current CEO Elena Sterling, accepted fifty million dollars from Ashford Pharmaceuticals in 2010. Payment memo: 'Consultation Services—Thorne Matter.' The Thorne family—renowned medical practitioners—vanished shortly after. Their teenage son, identified only as 'Asset T-07' in facility documents, was held in an undisclosed research facility for three years..."*By 6:15 AM, the article had been shared ten thousand times.By 6:30 AM, every major news outlet was running the story.By 7:00 A

The Sterling Tech boardroom had hosted countless victories over the years. Today, it hosted an execution.The emergency shareholder meeting was only twenty minutes old, but already three major clients had appeared via video call to deliver the same message in different words. The optics were too damaging. Their shareholders wouldn't accept continued association with Sterling Tech. Partnerships that had survived economic downturns and competitive threats were dissolving overnight because of a scandal fifteen years in the making."We can't continue like this," one board member said, his voice tight with barely controlled panic. "The company is hemorrhaging money and reputation. We need to make changes. Serious changes."Another board member leaned forward, his expression grim. "I'm proposing a motion. Remove Elena Sterling from all executive positions and from the leadership succession track."Marcus stood so quickly his chair scraped against the floor. "She's my daughter. She's the fut

James stood outside the apartment above the noodle shop and realized he hadn't been here in weeks. The key felt foreign in his hand as he unlocked the door and stepped into the small space that had been his home before Elena, before everything changed.Nothing had changed here. The furniture sat exactly where he'd left it. The kitchen was clean and empty. The whole place had that still, waiting quality of a space that knew its occupant might not return.He walked to the closet and pulled out the locked metal box from the top shelf. It was smaller than a shoebox, made of brushed steel that had worn smooth over fifteen years of carrying. He'd moved this box from place to place, apartment to apartment, never opening it but never leaving it behind.James set it on the small dining table and stared at it."If I'm walking into Victor's trap tonight," he said to the empty room, "I need to know what I'm walking into."The key hung on a thin chain around his neck. He'd worn it so long he barel

Sterling Tech headquarters stood mostly dark at midnight, just a few security lights glowing in the lobby and one office window lit up on the executive floor. James walked through the empty building with footsteps that echoed too loudly in the silence and tried to ignore the voice in his head telling him this was a mistake.Marcus's office door was open. He stood when James entered, looking older than he had even a week ago. The scandal had aged him, or maybe it was just guilt finally showing on his face."This better not be a trap," James said."It's not." Marcus gestured to the chair across from his desk. "Sit. Please."James remained standing until Marcus walked to the wall safe and pulled out a thick folder. Something about the careful way he handled it made James finally take the offered seat.Marcus set the folder on the desk between them. "For ten years, I've been investigating Ashford Pharmaceuticals. Ever since I discovered what my wife did, what she was paid to help them acc