Present Day - Friday MorningAria hasn't slept.She sits at her kitchen table at 9 AM, staring at the threatening message for the hundredth time, her coffee growing cold in the mug Marcus made her hours ago.The photo of Sophie walking out of school haunts her.Someone was close enough to take that picture.Close enough to hurt her daughter."Any new messages?" Marcus asks, appearing in the doorway with his own cup of coffee."No. Just the one.""That's good, right?"Aria looks at him like he's lost his mind."Someone threatened our four-year-old daughter, Marcus. There's nothing good about any of this."He sits beside her, his hand finding hers across the table."I called the school. They're adding extra security during pickup and drop-off.""Extra security won't stop someone who's determined enough.""What do you want to do?"The question she's been wrestling with all night."I want to pull Sophie out of school and disappear until this is over.""And?""And I know that's exactly wha
Present Day - Thursday AfternoonThe Sheep Meadow stretches out like a green sea in the heart of Manhattan, but Aria sees only the shadows where someone could be hiding.She sits on a bench, checking her watch for the fifth time in ten minutes.2:07 PM.The mysterious contact is late.Around her, New Yorkers enjoy the autumn afternoon. Couples sharing picnics, children playing frisbee, tourists taking photos.Normal people living normal lives while she sits here like a target.Marcus had begged her not to come.Sophie had cried when Aria dropped her off at school this morning, sensing something was wrong even if she couldn't name it.But forty-seven families are depending on the money that Leon stole and hid.Money that could rebuild their lives.Money that might be worth the risk."Dr. Vale."Aria turns to find a woman approaching her bench. Mid-forties, professionally dressed, with the kind of careful composure that suggests law enforcement training."You came alone. Good.""Who are
Present Day - Wednesday MorningThe crowd outside Vale Tech's headquarters grows larger by the hour.Aria watches from her office window as more people arrive with handmade signs and desperate faces. Former Hart Industries employees, some she recognizes, others she doesn't.WHERE ARE OUR PENSIONS? VALE TECH PROFITED FROM OUR LOSSES. WE TRUSTED YOUThat last sign hits hardest because it's true."The police want to know if you're pressing charges for trespassing," David Kim says from her doorway."They're not trespassing. They're on the public sidewalk.""Some of them are getting pretty aggressive. Security is concerned."Aria turns from the window to face her chief technology officer."Concerned about what? That people who lost their life savings might be angry?""Concerned about your safety."The irony isn't lost on her. She's built a fortress to protect herself from media attention and legal threats, but she never considered protection from the people Leon's crimes actually hurt."I'
Present Day - Tuesday MorningThe courthouse steps are a sea of cameras and microphones, reporters jostling for position like sharks sensing blood in the water.Aria sits in the back row of the courtroom gallery, Marcus beside her, both of them watching the final act of a drama that began in their marriage.Leon stands before the judge in an orange jumpsuit, his shoulders hunched, looking nothing like the confident CEO who once commanded boardrooms and charity galas.Prison has aged him. Or maybe accepting responsibility has."The defendant will rise for sentencing."Judge Catherine Morrison's voice cuts through the murmur of the packed courtroom.Leon stands on unsteady legs, his lawyer's hand on his elbow for support."Mr. Hart, you have been found guilty on seventeen counts of securities fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy. These crimes were not committed in a moment of weakness, but over a period of years, with deliberate intent to deceive investors, employees, and the public."Aria
Present Day - Monday Morning, Three Weeks LaterSophie stands in front of the bathroom mirror, trying to reach the toothpaste on the counter."Need help, baby girl?"Aria appears behind her, still in her robe, hair messy from sleep. They're both adjusting to the new routine."I can do it myself. I'm in kindergarten now."The pride in Sophie's voice makes Aria's chest ache with joy and terror in equal measure.Today is supposed to be normal. The first normal milestone in Sophie's life that isn't overshadowed by custody battles or media attention or the chaos of adult mistakes.Just a little girl starting school."Did you pick out your backpack?""The purple one with the unicorns. And my lunch box matches."Sophie has been planning this day for weeks. She's memorized her teacher's name, practiced writing her letters, and chosen her first-day outfit with the seriousness of someone preparing for a job interview.Mrs. Peterson. ABCs and 123s. The blue dress with the pockets that are "perfe
Present Day - Wednesday MorningElena Kozlov stares at the termination letter on her desk, the words blurring through her tears.Effective immediately... breach of professional conduct... moral turpitude clause...Twenty-three years of building her consulting practice, gone in a single paragraph."I'm sorry, Elena."Richard Pemberton stands in the doorway of what used to be her office, his face a mask of corporate regret."The board voted unanimously. After yesterday's revelations about your involvement with Leon Hart, we can't maintain our relationship."Elena looks around the space she's called home for over a decade. Awards on the walls. Photos from successful campaigns. The life she built after her divorce from the Russian oligarch who gave her his name and nothing else.All of it is meaningless now."I testified against him, Richard. I'm helping put him in prison.""After three years of helping him maintain his reputation while destroying his ex-wife's."The words hit like physic