"Dad, just give Reese a little more time. I''ll talk to her again." Hank looked his


    father in the eye, his voice steady and sure. "Maybe after she calms down, she''ll change her mind."


    Bailey''s gaze lingered on him, a mess of anger and something like helpless. He knew Hank too well. He might look easygoing, but underneath he was stubborn as stone. Once he made a decision, prying him away from it was nearly impossible.


    After a long silence, Bailey finally said, "Fine. I''ll give her one week. If she still won''t drop the charges after that, I''ll think of something else." His voice was icy, the threat in as day. He was clearly ready for the worst.


    Hank felt a knot tighten in his chest, but he nodded. "Okay."


    He understood this was as far as his father would bend. One week. That was all he had to persuade Reese or find some other way to keep thepany intact.


    Once his father left, Hank headed back to his room and closed the door behind him, shutting out everything heavy and chaotic from the rest of the house.


    He sat at his desk, opened hisptop, and pulled up every record he had of Grace''s dealings with the Meyer family. Bank statements, call logs, old partnership files-he had it all on the screen in front of him.


    The glow from the monitor lit his face, sharpening his features.


    He couldn''t shake the feeling that his mother''s ident wasn''t as simple as everyone thought.


    Grace was greedy and ruthless, but back then she was just his father''s mistress. She had no power, no influence. How could she possibly have had the guts and the means to n something as serious as murder?


    Someone must have helped her. Someone in the background, providing resources and protection.


    And that someone might be part of the Meyer family. Maybe even someone close to him.


    Once that thought took hold, it spread through him, cold and fast. It sent shivers down his spine.


    He had to get to the truth. Not just for his mother, but for Reese too.


    He couldn''t let Reese stumble into danger, not knowing what she was up against. He couldn''t let history repeat itself.


    He stared at the sea of text and numbers on the screen, his eyes growing sharper by the second. His fingers moved quickly over the keyboard, chasing down every possible clue.


    Night settled over the Meyer estate, a heavy nket of silence. Only Hank''s light burned on, a single spot of brightness in the dark, chasing answers that wouldn''te easy.


    Miles away, in a high-rise apartment in a foreign city, the air was thick with fear and hopelessness.


    Sofia sat curled up on a leather sofa, her face so pale it looked almost translucent, her lips dry and cracked. She hugged her knees tight to her chest, her whole body shaking.


    Her phone glowed on the table in front of her disying a text from an unknown number. Just one short sentence but it felt like a punch to the gut "Grace has been arrested. She confessed to everything even hiring a hitman. She probably won''t escape prison."


    Sofia felt like she''d fallen into a frozenke. Every drop of blood in her body went cold.


    How did ite to this?


    When Grace sent her abroad, she swore there were powerful people behind her. No matter what happened, she''d have a way out How could she have been arrested


    so fast, and why would she confess


    to it all?


    Sofia remembered the man who''d gone after Alex called Seth. He moved like a


    pro, definitely not part of the Meyer family.


    That meant Grace had backup outside the family.


    So where were those people now? Why hadn''t anyone tried to save Grace?


    Panic crashed over her, stealing her breath.


    She knew the truth. The luxury


    apartment, the designer clothes, the chauffeured cars-her entire life offort wasn''t just because she was Bailey''s daughter. Most of it was thanks to Grace''s careful nning and help.