MY HUSBAND KICKED ME TO THE FLOOR TO PROTECT HIS MISTRESS—BUT WHEN I PLAYED A SECRET RECORDING, HIS OWN LOVER TURNED AGAINST HIM! WHAT SHE HEARD LEFT EVERYONE SPEECHLESS...

Six federal agents poured into the boardroom, weapons drawn but low, led by Marcus Miller. Behind them stood Vanessa, holding an official court-sealed asset freeze order.

"Eleanor Sterling," Miller announced, stepping forward with handcuffs glinting in the morning light. "You are under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder, corporate sabotage, securities fraud, and the federal wiretap violations related to the Pier 47 explosion."

Eleanor didn't move. She didn't raise her hands, nor did she cower. She slowly set her porcelain teacup down on the saucer, turned her head, and looked directly at Vanessa.

"You always were too sentimental, Vanessa," Eleanor murmured. "Just like your mother."

Vanessa froze in the doorway, the tablet in her hands trembling violently.

Sophia whipped around, her protective instincts instantly flaring. "Vanessa? What is she talking about?"

"She didn't tell you, did she, Sophia?" Eleanor’s voice was venomously sweet as she smoothed her cashmere lapels. "Ask your loyal, self-sacrificing chief of staff whose bank account received the initial seven-figure transfer from the Obsidian trust twenty-four hours after Daniel’s arrest."

"Shut up, Eleanor!" Vanessa choked out, tears instantly flooding her eyes. "Don't listen to her, Sophia!"

Sophia felt the ground beneath her feet tilt. "Vanessa... what is she saying?"

"Tell her, darling," Eleanor purred, leaning back in her leather chair as the federal agents hesitated, unsure of the sudden shift in the room's dynamic. "Tell her why you were the one who recommended Daniel’s forensic accountant. Tell her who brought Victoria the encrypted dossier on Daniel’s mistresses. You didn't think Sophia stumbled onto Daniel’s betrayal by accident, did you?"

Sophia stared at Vanessa. Her breath came in short, jagged gasps. "Vanessa... you found Daniel’s mistress. You were the one who handed me the hotel keycard at the gala."

"Sophia, please, listen to me," Vanessa pleaded, stepping into the room, her voice cracking with pure terror. "Eleanor had my sister! She had Maya in an offshore facility in Cyprus! She told me if I didn't break your marriage apart, if I didn't trigger the war between Daniel and Victoria, she would execute Maya! I didn't know she was going to poison you! I swear to God, Sophia, I never knew about the neurotoxin!"

Miller swore under his breath, raising his weapon toward Vanessa. "Step away from the tablet, Ms. Cross! Right now!"

"Don't shoot her!" Sophia screamed, stepping directly between Miller’s gun and Vanessa. "Don't you dare touch her!"

"She sold you out, Sophia!" Miller shouted over the mounting chaos. "She's Eleanor’s inside operative!"

"She's a hostage!" Sophia roared, her voice echoing off the mahogany walls with such terrifying authority that the entire room froze.

Sophia turned to Vanessa. Her chest rose and fell, the betrayal stinging like battery acid in a fresh wound. But as she looked into Vanessa’s red, terrified eyes, Sophia saw the same terror she had felt when Daniel held the shears in the penthouse. This wasn't malice; it was survival under Eleanor’s boot.

"Where is Maya right now?" Sophia asked Vanessa, her voice dangerously calm.

Vanessa swallowed, tears streaming down her cheeks. "The... the coordinates are in the encrypted partition of the tablet. Eleanor’s private transport was scheduled to move her to a freighter in Athens at noon."

Sophia slowly turned back to Eleanor, whose smirk was widening, savoring the destruction of the trust between the only two people who had stood against her.

"You really think you won this round, don't you, Grandmother?" Sophia whispered.

Eleanor chuckled, a dry, rattling sound. "You have no allies left, child. Your husband was a whore. Your assistant is a turncoat. Your father is dust. And you are alone."

Sophia smiled—a dark, blood-chilling grin that wiped the laughter right out of Eleanor’s throat.