Rachel stood alone in the courthouse hallway after her testimony, her shoulders shaking with quiet sobs. Reporters circled like sharks but kept their distance when they saw her distress. Damien watched from across the hall. He thought about Emma, about Derek, about the chain of pain that connected them all. He walked over to Rachel. "Can we talk?" She looked up, startled. They had never spoken beyond that first meeting in the coffee shop months ago, before everything exploded. "I understand if you hate me," Rachel said. "I know this takes money from Emma." "I believe you. What Derek did to you was real and you deserve compensation. I will not fight your claim." Rachel's eyes widened. "Your daughter's inheritance…" "Will still be substantial even after your claim. You need this to rebuild your life. Emma will be okay." 

Damien left the coffee shop without giving Marcus an answer. He needed time to think and he needed advice from people who would not let emotion cloud judgment.The next morning, he called Richard. "I need your legal opinion on something. Can we meet?"Richard's office still smelled like old books and leather. Damien laid out Marcus's proposal, showed him the software demo on his phone, and explained the partnership terms."You want my honest assessment?" Richard asked."That is why I am here.""Your brother has burned you repeatedly. Trusting him again is a significant risk no matter how good the software looks.""I know that. But what if he really has changed?"Richard leaned back in his chair. "Let me have Catherine's firm run background checks on Marcus's fintech company and his partners. If this is legitimate, the truth will show."Catherine's firm was thorough. They investigated Marcus's employment history, verified his Gamblers Anonymous attendance, confirmed he had paid Sergei

Damien stayed calm while Marcus spiraled into panic. Years of custody battles and courtroom pressure had taught him to think clearly when others lost control. "Walk me through exactly what you found," Damien said. His voice was steady and it seemed to anchor Marcus slightly. Marcus pulled up the code on his laptop screen, his hands shaking. "The tax calculation module rounds incorrectly. When it processes multiple employees, the errors compound exponentially." "Can you fix it?" "Yes, but it requires rewriting part of the core algorithm. That takes time a

The woman was striking in a way that had nothing to do with makeup or artifice. Her natural locs were pulled into a professional updo, designer glasses framing her intelligent eyes, she looked early thirties with the kind of confidence that came from competence rather than arrogance. She gestured toward Damien's dead laptop. "Seriously, I might be able to help. Data recovery is literally what I do for a living." Damien looked at her skeptically. "You just happened to be sitting next to me when my laptop crashed?" "I just happen to work in this coffee shop three nights a week because my apartment is too quiet." She extended her hand. "Simone Mitchell. Owner of Mitchell Tech Solutions." Damien shook her hand, desperate enough to let a stranger touch his dying laptop. "Damien Webb. Desperate entrepreneur about to lose three hours of critical work." "May I?" Simone gestured toward th

Saturday morning arrived with the kind of energy Damien had not felt in over a decade. He stood in front of his bathroom mirror adjusting his collar for the third time, feeling ridiculous.Emma watched from the doorway with knowing eyes. "You look nice, Daddy.""Thanks, baby. Mrs. Chen will pick you up from Claire's house in an hour, okay?""I know. Have fun on your date."Damien's face heated. "It is just coffee."Emma grinned like she knew better and skipped away.The café Simone had chosen was across town, deliberately not the crisis coffee shop where they had first met. Damien appreciated the fresh start symbolism even if it made his stomach twist with anticipation.Simone was already there when he arrived, sitting by the window in jeans and a casual sweater that somehow looked elegant. She waved and smiled when she saw him."You found it," she said as he sat down."GPS is a beautiful invention."They ordered coffee from a server. Damien's hands felt clumsy as he doctored his coff