LOGINMILLIE'S POVI was having the best day I'd had since New Year’s Day.The paternity results had vindicated us completely. The agency restructuring was going smoothly. Leo had asked if we could start planning the wedding "for real this time" at breakfast. Everything felt like it was finally settling into place.Then my phone rang at 2 PM, a number I didn't recognize."Ms. Harvey? This is Detective Anderson with the county sheriff's department. I'm calling regarding your stepsister, Martha Harvey."My stomach dropped. "What about her?""She was found unresponsive in her cell approximately an hour ago. She's been transported to the County General Hospital. Her condition is serious.""What happened?""She ingested a large quantity of prescription medication. We're investigating whether it was accidental or intentional." He paused. "She's six months pregnant, Ms. Harvey. The medical team is doing everything they can for both her and the baby."I sat down heavily. "Is she going to survive?"
MARTHA'S POVThe news played on repeat in the prison common room. I couldn't escape it."Braham Gothan has been conclusively proven to be the biological father of three-year-old Lionel Harvey. Genetic testing shows 99.9999% probability of paternity, effectively ending the scandal that has plagued the couple since New Year's Day."I stared at the screen, my hands shaking.They'd proven it. Braham was Leo's father. Which meant the story that had destroyed Millie's reputation—the story everyone blamed me for—had accomplished nothing except making everything worse for me."Ms. Harvey's legal team has filed additional charges against her incarcerated stepsister, Martha Harvey, for defamation and witness intimidation based on a letter sent in December threatening to spread these exact accusations.""No," I whispered. "No, no, no.""Martha Harvey, currently serving time for fraud and conspiracy, faces additional years if convicted of these new charges."The other inmates were watching me. So
BRAHAM'S POVThe genetic test results were due today. The lab had promised them by noon, delivered directly to the Council and to our legal team simultaneously.It was 10:47 AM, and something felt wrong."You're pacing," Renan observed from where he sat on my office couch. "The results will prove what we already know.""I know that." I checked my phone again. Nothing. "But this whole thing has been too convenient. Too well-timed. Too perfectly designed to cause maximum damage.""You think someone might tamper with the results?""I think someone orchestrated this entire scandal. And if they've gone this far, why stop now?" I grabbed my jacket. "Come on.""Where are we going?""The lab. Now."Renan didn't argue, just followed me to the car. The testing facility was in a medical complex downtown—sterile, professional, supposedly independent. The Council had chosen it specifically because it had no pack affiliations. But independence could be bought.We arrived at 11:53. “What could be
MILLIE'S POVThree days after the scandal broke, I was done being defensive.I'd spent seventy-two hours reading vicious comments, watching my reputation get shredded, waiting for test results that would prove what I already knew. Watching my engagement turn into tabloid fodder.I was done reacting. Done letting other people control the narrative.It was time to take something back."Are you sure about this?" Callie asked as we pulled up to the sleek glass building downtown. "You've got enough on your plate right now.""That's exactly why I'm doing this." I unbuckled my seatbelt, staring at the logo above the entrance: Maison Étoile. "My mother built this company. And I'm not letting my father and his decisions destroy it."I'd discovered the truth not long ago, buried in the trust documents Will had finally finished sorting through. My mother had left me sixty percent of her company—majority control that transferred when I turned twenty-five.I'd turned twenty-five months ago.Which
MILLIE'S POVBraham didn’t walk through the front door until a little after nine o’clock. He didn't look like the Alpha King; he looked like a man who had spent the last several hours being dismantled by bureaucracy. His expression was a mask of grim control, but the tension in his shoulders was sharp enough to cut glass."How bad was it?" I asked, rising from the sofa before he’d even shed his coat. I’d been pacing the living room for three hours, wearing a path into the rug."Bad enough." He tossed his coat over a chair and moved toward me, his movements heavy. "They want genetic testing. Independent lab, a facility of their choosing. They gave us a one-week deadline.""And you agreed?" My voice rose, a mix of disbelief and protective fury. "Braham, that’s invasive. That’s…""I had no choice, Millie." He sat heavily, rubbing his face with his palms. "If I refused, the narrative writes itself: Alpha King Hides Paternity Truth. It would look like we have something to bury. I had to ca
MILLIE’S POV I woke up on New Year's Day with Braham's arm around me and a ring on my finger.For about thirty seconds, everything was perfect.Then my phone started ringing."Ignore it," Braham mumbled, still half-asleep.But it kept ringing. Then his phone started. Then mine again."What the hell?" I grabbed my phone, squinting at the screen. Will's name flashed across it. At 7:43 AM on New Year's Day.That couldn't be good."Will?" I answered. "What's wrong?""Millie, I need you to stay calm." His voice was tight, controlled. The voice he used when things were very, very bad. "Have you seen the news this morning?""No, I just woke up. What…""Don't look at it yet. I'm sending over a statement for you to approve. The legal team is already working on response options."My stomach dropped. "Will, what happened?"Beside me, Braham was now fully awake, watching me with sharp eyes."There's a story. Multiple outlets picked it up overnight. Tabloids, gossip sites, some mainstream media."







