The article went live at six AM on Sunday.Ethan was making coffee in the estate's kitchen when his phone started buzzing. Three texts in rapid succession from Morrison, then one from Victoria, then Derek, then half a dozen foundation board members he barely knew.All saying the same thing: It's live.He opened the newspaper's website on his laptop. The headline filled the screen in bold, black letters:STERLING ARCHITECTURE MATRIARCH ORCHESTRATED DECADES OF FRAUDExclusive Investigation Reveals Embezzlement, Tax Evasion, and Systematic Cover-UpBelow the headline, Morrison's byline. Below that, a photo of Catherine Montgomery at some gala, elegant and composed, looking like the last person who could be capable of the crimes detailed in the article.Ethan started reading.The first paragraph laid out the scope: three point two million dollars embezzled from Sterling Architecture between 2014 and 2019. Federal grant fraud totaling another two million. Falsified tax documents dating bac

The call from the District Attorney's office came on Wednesday morning.Victoria sat in her office, staring at her phone after the prosecutor hung up. They wanted her to testify. Voluntarily, not under subpoena. They wanted her to detail everything she knew about Catherine's crimes—the embezzlement, the fraud, and anything else that might be relevant to their criminal case.She could say no. She should say no.Instead, she called them back and said yes.The courthouse was a circus.News crews lined the steps, cameras tracking every person who entered. Protesters held signs—some supporting Catherine, claiming she was being railroaded by vindictive competitors, others demanding justice for her victims. Security was tight, metal detectors and bag searches for everyone.Victoria arrived in a black suit, minimal jewelry, her hair pulled back severely. She looked like she was going to war. In many ways, she was.Ethan sat in the gallery, three rows back. He'd left Isabelle at the estate und

The doctor's office felt different this time. Less urgent, less terrifying. Isabelle sat on the exam table while Dr. Patel reviewed her chart, and for the first time in weeks, she felt like she could breathe."Blood pressure is one twenty over seventy-eight," Dr. Patel said, smiling. "That's perfect. Back to normal range.""So the bed rest worked," Isabelle said."The bed rest worked. And whatever stress management you've been doing." Dr. Patel closed her tablet. "I'm clearing you to resume light activity. Nothing strenuous, no marathon work sessions, but you can go back to a more normal routine."Relief flooded through Isabelle. A week of bed rest had felt like a year—lying in Marcus's master bedroom, watching the world continue without her, feeling useless while Catherine's lawsuits and media attacks raged on."What about work?" Isabelle asked. "Foundation meetings, that kind of thing?""A few hours a day, with breaks. Listen to your body. If you feel tired, rest. If your blood pres

Derek hadn't seen Isabelle in two weeks.Every time he'd suggested meeting for coffee or stopping by the estate, she'd had an excuse. Bed rest. Doctor's orders. Ethan was handling everything. She was fine, she promised, just needed to rest.But Derek knew what was really happening: Ethan was keeping her away from him.Not maliciously, maybe. Not even consciously. But Ethan had moved into the estate, taken over as Isabelle's primary support, and created a protective bubble that didn't include Derek. And Isabelle—either too tired to fight it or genuinely wanting the distance—had let him.So when Derek called her on a Tuesday afternoon, he half-expected her not to answer.She picked up on the third ring. "Hey.""Hey." Derek's voice came out rougher than he intended. "How are you? How's the baby?""I'm good. Off bed rest finally. Blood pressure's back to normal." She sounded genuinely happy. "And the baby's good too. We had the anatomy scan yesterday.""Everything looked okay?""Everythin

The board meeting convened three days after Catherine's arrest.Gerald Friedman called it to order at ten AM, the conference room filled with faces that had looked skeptical and worried for months. Now, something had shifted. The tension that had permeated every meeting since Catherine's initial threats was gone, replaced by cautious optimism."Before we begin," Gerald said, "I want to acknowledge what we've all witnessed this week. Catherine Montgomery has been arrested and charged with serious crimes. The foundation's cooperation with investigators has been noted publicly. And I'm pleased to report that we're seeing tangible results."Patricia Wu pulled up a presentation on the screen. "Donor confidence is returning. We've had four major contributors who pulled funding last month reach out to reinstate their commitments. Two new donors have expressed interest. The total is approximately six point three million restored or pledged."Isabelle felt her breath catch. She sat beside Etha