Chapter 35The Caldwell mansion hummed with nervous energy, the air thick with desperation and the lingering scent of abandoned wedding flowers now wilting in expensive vases. Outside, security had doubled to keep reporters at bay, their camera flashes occasionally visible through heavy curtains like distant lightning. Inside, the family sat scattered through the vast living room, each lost in their private despair, Emily mechanically shredding declined credit card notices, Samuel nursing his third scotch since breakfast, Sarah sobbing quietly into a silk pillow, and Richard staring silently at a family portrait from happier times.The grandfather clock, a priceless antique that had witnessed five generations of Caldwell triumphs, struck three in the afternoon when the massive oak doors burst open. Lora swept in, her designer heels clicking frantically against marble floors, her face flushed with excitement, waving a leather portfolio of documents in her manicured hand."I did it!" He
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