<h4>Chapter 103: Chapter 104 Terrifying Efficiency</h4>


    Two days after I was discharged, the Grangers sent out wedding invitations.


    Rhys and Catherine were official.


    I scrolled past the announcement without blinking, then got back to work.


    Well, another kind of work.


    Most of my week had been swallowed by meetings withwyers, tangled email threads, and too many evidence lists to count.


    I’d just spent thest forty-eight hours knee-deep in call logs and dusty school records, trying to build a case against Isobel Brooke.


    Today’s meeting was in a café off West 18th.


    Across from me sat Hannah Wu, LGH’s legal rep.


    Glossy ck loafers. Navy pinstripe suit, seams crisp. Lipstick the colour of dried blood. Nails short, square, painted like a healing bruise.


    She turned her tablet around and tapped the screen.


    ‘Isobel’s been questioned,’ she said. ‘But the police don’t have enough to detain her on the charges we’re pursuing. Right now, it’s just preliminary statements. No grounds for prosecution yet. But with additional witness testimony, that could change.’


    I nodded. That tracked.


    ‘I might have someone. Priya Sharma. Isobel broke her leg and burned her throat with boiling water. Her vocal cords never healed properly. Her family took hush money and moved away. I’ve kept in touch, sent her money now and then. I don’t know if she’ll testify, but it’s worth asking.’


    Beside her, Hannah’s paralegal jotted down the name.


    ‘That’s exactly what we need. Send me her contact details. We’ll take it from there.’


    ‘Would it be better if I called her first,id the groundwork?’


    ‘That would help, yes. Given the prior settlement, there’s likely a confidentiality use in ce. I’ll need to get a copy from her, then we can assess whether it’s enforceable and advise her ordingly. She may be more responsive once she understands her legal options.’


    I called Priya during lunch.


    She was cautious but agreed to speak with Hannah.


    Then I started texting old ssmates.


    The more witnesses we had, the better our odds.


    ***


    I was halfway through a cup of tea when my phone buzzed.


    ‘Mirabelle Vance speaking.’


    ‘Mrs Laurent, it’s Hannah.’


    ‘You’ve convinced Priya already? That’s fast work.’ I checked the time. ‘It’s barely been four hours.’


    ‘We’re still in talks. This is about the defendant.’


    I loved how she used that word to refer to Isobel. ‘Go on.’


    ‘She’s been formally charged with assault asioning actual bodily harm. The arraignment is set for tomorrow.’


    ‘I see. Do I need to show up? As the intiff or something?’


    ‘This is a criminal case. The Deputy District Attorney represents the state. You’re not the intiff. But you may be called as a witness.’


    ‘Got it. And the school stuff?’


    ‘Still under review. The officers did question her again, but nothing’s been filed yet.’


    ‘Think she’ll get bail?’


    ‘Normally, yes. But in this case, I doubt it.’


    ‘Why?’


    Hannah paused, like she was weighing her words.


    ‘Her father, Dashiell Brooke, tried to reach out to Mr Laurent.’


    I sat up. ‘What?’


    ‘He actually tried you first, unsessfully.’


    ‘Yeah, I’ve been screening my calls.’


    ‘He may have contacted your parents, too, though I can’t confirm that. Eventually, he reached LGH. Asked for a meeting. He wanted to discuss a private settlement, some kind of conciliation. From what I gather, hispany’s under serious financial pressure. Cancelled orders, elerated loan repayment schedules. He seemed to believe LGH was involved.’


    ‘Was he right to believe that?’


    Hannah, very much awyer, didn’t answer that.


    I moved on. ‘Did Ashton take the meeting?’


    ‘He declined. He sent Mr Everett and me instead.’


    I exhaled. ‘And?’


    ‘We made our position clear: it’s either the girl or thepany. He can’t keep both.’


    I let out a lowugh. ‘How long did he take?’


    ‘Less than a minute. He chose thepany.’


    ‘Figures. So that’s why you said bail’s unlikely.’


    ‘Exactly. Mr Brooke has already lost two major projects this week. Ten more clients have pulled out. Long-term contracts. He knows which way the wind’s blowing.’


    ‘Thanks for the update.’


    ‘Of course. Let us know if anything changes on your end.’


    She hung up.


    I stared at the screen.


    LGH’s legal team was terrifyingly efficient.


    If the rest of thepany ran that tightly, no wonder Edouard Laurent skipped over his son and handed Ashton the reins.


    ‘I should probably learn from the man,’ I muttered.


    I drained the cup, stretched, then stood.


    Time to get back to work.


    Real work this time.


    Back at Nyx Collective, the office was buzzing.


    The Venice Film Festival had just kicked off.


    Eliza ck had hit the red carpet that afternoon in Italy, which meant here in Skyline, photos were dropping right as everyone headed for lunch.


    She wore a floor-length gold strapless gown with Violet Lin’s set.


    It screamed big-budget makeover.


    Not my taste, but it photographed well.


    Violet stared at her screen like she was trying to will herself into it. Both hands on her phone, knuckles pale.


    ‘God, the ne looks incredible. It really suits Eliza’s face shape,’ she said, loud enough for the entire floor.


    She nced at me while saying it.


    Not nced—red. Eyes smug. Nostrils red.


    While everyone else watched the livestream, Violet refreshed Instagram and X every three seconds.


    She’d been crowing for weeks that Eliza would tag her directly. Personal ount. Name in lights.


    Didn’t happen.


    Instead, Eliza’s PR team posted a generic press roundup.


    Everyone involved got a tag—hair, makeup, stylist, designer, jewellery. All lumped into one caption.


    It didn’t matter. Violet still looked like she might cry from joy anyway.


    Notifications kept pinging, her follower count started climbing.


    She reposted the PR team’s post immediately, added a caption praising Eliza’s ‘elegance’ and how ‘she made anything look ssy’.


    Within a matter of minutes, paid shills had pushed ‘Eliza ck’s personal jewellery designer’ onto trending tags.


    Colleagues congratted her. A few even pped.


    Violet couldn’t stop grinning.


    Then she looked over at me.


    I was at my desk, coffee going cold, the livestream paused on a close-up of Eliza’s ne. I’d zoomed in.


    Violet sashayed over, nted a hip on my desk. ‘Ha. You couldn’t stop staring at it the other day either. Jealous? Don’t be. If you want tips, just ask. I don’t mind helping you out.’


    I ignored her and kept my eyes on the screen.


    I didn’t just zoom in on the ne. I checked the bangle, the ring, the earrings, everything


    The cuts, the sps, the cement of the stones.


    I had definitely seen them before.


    And they didn’te from Violet.