I gripped the phone so tightly my knuckles turned white. Still wearing my hospital gown, I paced the small room despite the cramps twisting through my abdomen every few steps. Pain lanced through me whenever I moved, but I barely registered it.
“What do you mean it’s a done deal?” I demanded, my voice trembling with anger. “David didn’t embezzle anything. The evidence is fake.”
On the other end of the line, our family attorney, Mr. Henderson, sighed heavily.
“The files were recovered from David’s encrypted personal drive, Audrey,” he said wearily. “Five million dollars was transferred to an account in the Cayman Islands. The metadata matches his credentials. The district attorney isn’t interested in hearing claims of a setup. They’re fast-tracking the case. He’s looking at fifteen years, minimum.”
My breath caught.
“Fifteen years?”
The room swayed around me.
Henderson lowered his voice. “Someone powerful wants your brother buried. I’ve called every contact I have, but no one will help. The orders are coming from the top. I can’t stop this.”
The call ended, but I remained frozen, the phone still pressed to my ear.
I didn’t need anyone to tell me who those “powerful people” were.
Nathaniel’s grandfather practically owned the city’s legal system. And Nathaniel—Nathaniel was the one pulling the strings.
He had cornered me perfectly.
If I continued pursuing charges against Victoria for poisoning me and killing my child, David would spend the next fifteen years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.
Before I could think, my hand moved.
I ripped the IV from my arm.
Blood welled from the puncture site and dripped onto the floor, but I barely felt the sting.
By the time I reached the house, night had fallen.
The mansion was unnervingly quiet.
I found Nathaniel in his study.
He sat behind his mahogany desk, a glass of amber liquor in one hand, an open file in front of him. He didn’t look surprised to see me. In fact, he barely reacted.
“You should still be in the hospital,” he said calmly. “Discharging yourself against medical advice was reckless.”
“Let him go.”
My voice came out rough, but steady.
Nathaniel took a slow sip of his drink.
“I assume you mean your brother,” he said. “Terrible situation. Embezzlement leaves quite a stain on a reputation.”
“Drop the act.”
I slammed both palms onto his desk.
“You planted the evidence. You had someone hack his drive and frame him. You’re using him as leverage.”
Only then did Nathaniel look up.
There was no warmth in his eyes.
Only cold calculation.
“And you,” he said quietly, “are threatening the woman I love.”
The words hit like a slap.
“You’re trying to ruin her with this ridiculous lawsuit and drag my family through the mud.”
“She murdered our son.”
My voice cracked.
Nathaniel’s expression hardened.
“And you’re trying to destroy my future.”
He stood, towering over me.
“Since you want to handle this legally, let’s discuss terms.”
He slid a folder across the desk.
I looked down.
“What is this?”
“A settlement.”
He folded his arms.
“Inside is a withdrawal of charges and a binding non-disclosure agreement. You will drop the lawsuit against Victoria, publicly state that this was all a misunderstanding caused by grief, and agree never to pursue legal action against her regarding the miscarriage.”
I stared at the papers.
They wanted me to erase everything.
To protect my child’s killer.
To surrender justice.
My throat tightened.
“And if I refuse?”
Nathaniel sat back down, maddeningly calm.
“Then David goes to prison.”
He shrugged.
“He’s soft, Audrey. Maximum security will break him. He won’t last long.”
His gaze sharpened.
“Do you really want his blood on your hands too?”
Nausea surged through me.
I hated him.
The hatred felt violent enough to consume me.
My eyes flicked to the silver letter opener on his desk. For one wild second, I imagined driving it straight into his chest.
But I couldn’t.
I couldn’t risk David.
He was the only family I had left.
“Fine.”
The word barely sounded human.
Three hours later, I sat in David’s living room with a cup of black coffee cooling between my hands.
David sat across from me, guilt written all over his face.
“I’m sorry,” he said hoarsely. “I know what happened. The charges vanished ten minutes after you left the hospital.”
His jaw tightened.
“He traded your justice for my freedom, didn’t he?”
I stared into my coffee.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It does matter.”
David slammed his cup down.
“He framed me to protect that bitch. We can’t let him get away with this. We can refile. We can fight back—”
“We can’t.”
I cut him off.
“I signed an NDA. If I speak about the poisoning or sue Victoria again, the evidence against you comes back. He has us trapped.”
David sank into the sofa.
“So that’s it?” he asked bitterly. “He wins? After everything he’s done to you?”
“No.”
I set my coffee down and finally looked at him.
Something inside me had changed.
The tears were gone.
So was the grief.
What remained was something colder.
Stronger.
Resolve.
David studied me carefully.
“What are you going to do?”
“First, I want the divorce papers prepared immediately.”
His brows rose.
“I’m leaving that marriage. I don’t want alimony, property, or a single cent from him. I want a clean break.”
David nodded.
“I can have them ready tomorrow morning.”
He hesitated.
“But Audrey… how are you going to fight him? The Jones family is untouchable.”
A faint smile touched my lips, though there was no warmth in it.
“I’m going to ruin him.”
The words came out soft and deliberate.
“I’ll dismantle him piece by piece. I’ll take his company, destroy his reputation, and make him watch everything he loves burn.”
David stared at me in silence.
When he finally went to shower, I waited until the bathroom door closed before reaching for my phone.
My fingers trembled as I scrolled through my contacts.
Down.
Further down.
Until I reached a number I hadn’t called in six years.
A number I once swore never to use.
Jackson.
I called him Uncle Jackson, though he wasn’t really my uncle. He was a distant relative—the family’s black sheep. He operated in shadows, arranged deals that never existed on paper, and had a reputation for making impossible things happen.
My father had forbidden me from contacting him.
The phone rang twice.
Then he answered.
“Well, well.”
His voice was gravelly with amusement.
“Little Audrey. This is unexpected. Run out of charity galas to attend?”
“I need something from you.”
I skipped pleasantries.
A low chuckle came through the line.
“You know I don’t do favors, sweetheart. I do business.”
“I know.”
I took a slow breath.
“Do you remember the offer you made before I married Nathaniel?”
Silence.
Then—
“The marriage proposal?”
“Yes.”
I steadied myself.
“You said you had someone in mind. Someone whose empire could merge with our logistics business globally.”
Jackson laughed.
“I remember. You rejected it. Said you were marrying for love.”
His tone turned mocking.
“So tell me—how did love work out?”
“It didn’t.”
My voice went cold.
“And I’m ready to accept.”
The amusement disappeared.
“If you do this, there’s no turning back.”
“Good.”
I didn’t hesitate.
“That’s exactly what I want.”
A pause.
Then he spoke.
“I can have the jet ready in five days.”
I closed my eyes.
“Fine.”
Jackson’s voice lowered, satisfaction threading through every word.
“Then start preparing yourself.”
He paused.
“You’re about to marry your ex-husband’s most dangerous rival.”
