~ Aria POV ~The call comes at 6:47 AM, jarring me from the first decent sleep I've had in weeks. My phone buzzes against the nightstand, and I fumble for it in the darkness, my heart already racing. Nothing good ever comes this early."Mrs. Walton? This is Rebecca Chen from Channel 7 News. We'd like your comment on the allegations against the Children's Hope Foundation.""What allegations?" The words scrape out of my throat, raw and confused."You haven't seen the morning news? Ma'am, there are serious accusations of financial impropriety—"I hang up. My hands shake as I reach for the remote, clicking on the bedroom TV with trembling fingers.The anchor's voice cuts through the morning quiet like a blade: "—shocking revelations about one of New Jersey's most prominent charities. Documents obtained by this station suggest that the Children's Hope Foundation, founded by billionaire philanthropist Aria Walton, has been funneling donations into private accounts rather than helping disadv
The coffee shop smells like burnt beans and disappointment. I sit in the corner booth, watching steam curl from my untouched latte while scrolling through the latest business headlines on my phone. Another failed attempt. The financial rumors I'd carefully planted last week—anonymous tips to three different financial journalists about irregularities in the Walton-Campbell merger—had been debunked within forty-eight hours.*Damn them.*Michael and Aria's response had been swift and brutal. Press conferences. Financial transparency reports. Third-party audits. They'd turned my attack into a showcase of their business integrity. The headlines now read like love letters to their corporate marriage.My fingers tighten around the phone until my knuckles go white. Ten years in that hellhole of a prison, and for what? To watch them parade around like some power couple success story while I scrape together schemes that fall apart faster than wet tissue paper.The bell above the door chimes. I
~ Micheal POV ~The studio lights burned hot against my face, but nothing compared to the fire in my chest. Across from me, Channel 7's lead anchor shuffled her papers, that practiced smile barely masking the hunger in her eyes. Blood in the water. That's all we were to them."Mr. Walton, serious allegations have surfaced suggesting your Wife deliberately hid your twin sons from you for eighteen years. Some are calling it kidnapping. How do you respond?"My jaw clenched. The word *kidnapping* hit like a physical blow, and I felt Aria stiffen beside me. Her hand found mine under the desk—cold, trembling slightly. I squeezed back, harder than necessary."That's complete bullshit," I said, ignoring Marcus's wince from behind the cameras. "My wife protected our children from a family that had already proven they'd destroy anyone who got in their way."The anchor's eyebrows shot up. Good. Let them be shocked. Let the whole damn world hear this."But Mr. Walton, surely you had a right to kn
~ Aria POV ~The phone's shrill ring cuts through the morning silence like a blade. My coffee mug slips from my fingers, ceramic shattering against the kitchen floor as I see Michael's name flashing on the screen."Aria." His voice is tight, strained. Not the warm tone I've grown used to these past months. "Have you seen—""No." The word comes out sharper than I intended. My heart's already racing, that familiar dread creeping up my spine. "What happened?""Turn on Channel 7. Now."I'm moving before he finishes speaking, bare feet stepping over coffee puddles and ceramic shards. The remote trembles in my hands as I fumble with the buttons. Michael's still on the line, his breathing heavy in my ear.The screen flickers to life, and there it is. My face. Our faces. Alex and Austin's university photos blown up on a split screen with some grainy paparazzi shot of Michael and me from last week."—explosive revelations about the Walton-Campbell empire continue to surface," the anchor's voi
The coffee shop's ceramic mug feels ice-cold against my palms, but I can't stop the tremor in my hands. Marcus sits across from me, his dark eyes soft with concern—the same eyes that used to watch Michael's back for decades. Now they're watching me.*Perfect.*"You seem nervous," he says, reaching across the small table to cover my hand with his. His touch is warm, callousing from years of hard work. Nothing like Michael's pampered billionaire hands.I let myself flinch slightly. "Sorry, I... it's been a rough few months." The lie tastes sweet on my tongue. Ten years of planning, ten years of rage fermenting in my chest, and now I'm finally here. Victoria Sterling—successful consultant, tragic widow, Marcus's new obsession. The plastic surgery was worth every excruciating moment."Tell me about it." His thumb traces gentle circles on my knuckles. "Sometimes talking helps."*Oh, Marcus. If you only knew.*I pull my hand away, just enough to seem vulnerable, not rude. "My husband... he
~ Jessica POV ~The bass thrummed through my chest as I adjusted the emerald silk dress that clung to my surgically perfected curves. The Platinum Lounge—New Jersey's most exclusive club where the wealthy came to pretend they were normal people for a few hours. Where men like Marcus Chen came to drown their loneliness in expensive whiskey.I'd been watching him for three weeks. Michael's loyal right-hand man, divorced two years ago, kids he saw on weekends. Vulnerable. Perfect.The bartender slid my martini across the polished marble. "Anything else, Miss Sterling?"Victoria Sterling. The name rolled off my tongue so easily now. Jessica Campbell was buried deeper than Miller's rotting corpse."Just waiting for a friend." I let my fingers trace the rim of the glass, a move that drew Marcus's attention from across the bar. His eyes lingered on my hands—soft, manicured, nothing like the callused ones that had held the knife that ended Miller's pathetic life.He approached within five min