"Where have you been?"Vera barely stepped back into the ballroom when Johnson grabbed her arm. His face was flushed with champagne and anger."I needed air," Vera said, pulling her arm free. "Let go of me.""Do you have any idea how you're embarrassing us?" Johnson hissed. "Disappearing while Mr. WR is here? He probably thinks you're not interested.""Maybe I'm not," Vera said boldly.Johnson's eyes narrowed. "What's gotten into you?""Reality," Vera said. "I'm done being your family's pawn."Before Johnson could respond, a commotion near the entrance drew everyone's attention. The crowd parted as security guards escorted someone out forcefully.Victor Kane, disheveled and shouting, was being dragged toward the exit."Let go of me!" Victor yelled. "I have every right to be here! I was invited!""Sir, your name is not on the guest list," one of the guards said firmly."That's impossible! Check again!"Vera watched in shock as Victor struggled against the guards. He looked terrible. Hi

"Miss White, you're under arrest for embezzlement, fraud, and conspiracy."Beatrice White stood in her luxury apartment Monday morning, her silk robe hanging open, her face pale with shock. Two detectives stood in her doorway with a warrant, and behind them, more officers waited to search her home."This is ridiculous," Beatrice said, but her voice lacked conviction. "I'm a lawyer. I know my rights.""Then you know you have the right to remain silent," Detective Rodriguez said, pulling out handcuffs. "And you probably should exercise that right."Across the city, Vera sat in her office at the law firm, watching the commotion through her window. Police cars surrounded the building. Officers were escorting Beatrice out in handcuffs, her designer clothes and perfect hair looking absurd against the harsh reality of her arrest.Vera's phone rang. Mr. Harrison, the senior partner."Miss Sterling, can you come to my office please?"When Vera entered, she found Mr. Harrison looking grim. Seve

"Victor's video has been viewed over fifty thousand times in the past two hours."William stood in Chris's office, tablet in hand, monitoring the social media fallout. Chris sat behind his desk, fingers steepled, expression unreadable."Let it spread," Chris said calmly. "Let him rant.""But he's accusing you directly," Vera said from her seat by the window. "He's using your real name. People will start asking questions.""Let them ask," Chris said. "Victor Kane is a bankrupt businessman having a public breakdown. No one with credibility will take him seriously.""Some people already are," William said, scrolling through comments. "There are threads speculating about who Chris Winchester really is. A few people have connected your last name to David Winchester and Quantum Corp."Chris's jaw tightened slightly. "How many?""Not many. Maybe a dozen comments out of thousands. Most people think Victor is delusional or making things up.""Keep monitoring it," Chris instructed. "If the spec

"She did what?"Victor Kane stared at his brother Hunter in disbelief. They were in Hunter's warehouse, a legitimate business front for less legitimate activities. The space was filled with crates and shipping containers, and men who worked for Hunter moved about with purpose."She confronted her family," Hunter repeated, leaning against a metal desk. "Cut them off completely. Chose Chris Winchester over them.""That doesn't make sense," Victor said, pacing frantically. "The Sterlings were on my side. They wanted her to divorce him and marry me. Why would she choose him now?""Because you're bankrupt and humiliated," Hunter said bluntly. "And because maybe she actually loves him.""She can't love him," Victor insisted. "He's nothing. A warehouse worker living in a crappy apartment. What could she possibly see in him?"Hunter studied his younger brother with a mixture of pity and frustration. Victor had always been ambitious but never particularly smart. He saw what he wanted to see an

"Your father wants to see you."Chris looked up from his desk to find William standing in the doorway, expression grave. It was late evening, and the Quantum Corp building was mostly empty except for security and a few workaholics."Is something wrong?" Chris asked, immediately concerned."He didn't say. But he asked that you come to the penthouse as soon as possible. He said it's urgent."Chris grabbed his jacket and followed William to the private elevator. During the ride up, he tried to prepare himself for bad news. His father's cancer was progressing. Maybe it had taken a turn for the worse.When he entered the penthouse, he found David Winchester sitting by the window, a blanket over his legs despite the warm evening. He looked frailer than he had just a week ago, his skin almost translucent in the soft lighting."Dad," Chris said, crossing the room quickly. "What's wrong? Are you okay?""Sit down, son," David said, his voice weaker than Chris remembered. "We need to talk."Chri