Anya's apartment was a sanctuary. It smelled like takeout and expensive perfume samples, a smell that had always meant safety to Edith.
She was curled up on the sofa, a blanket pulled up to her chin, staring at nothing. Anya had found her outside Baldwin Tower, brought her back, and forced her to eat.
"It's going to be okay," Anya said, pacing the room. "His behavior today was outrageous. The press will have a field day. We'll use this in the hearing."
Edith didn't respond. She was numb. Begging hadn't worked. The law was too slow. She was out of options.
The next morning, Anya's phone started buzzing. Then Edith's burner phone. Then the TV in the living room, which Anya had left on for background noise.
"Breaking news this morning," the anchor said, his voice grave. "Baldwin Holdings is facing a major scandal. A subsidiary, Ayala Corp, is under investigation for using a charitable foundation to launder money and engage in insider trading."
Edith sat up, her eyes fixed on the screen. A photo of Kassandra Ayala flashed on the screen, followed by a blurry image of Edith being dragged out of Baldwin Tower yesterday.
"Sources indicate the leak came from within the family," the anchor continued. "Reports suggest that Giovanni Baldwin's estranged wife, Edith Woods, may have been involved in the scheme, using her access to profit from the trades."
"That's a lie!" Anya shouted at the TV. "He's framing you!"
Edith felt the blood drain from her face. It was a setup. Kassandra's family name was on the company, but Giovanni was shifting the blame to Edith. He was destroying her reputation to cover his tracks and punish her for her defiance.
An hour later, Anya received a call from Giovanni's legal team.
Anya put it on speaker. A smooth, male voice filled the room.
"Ms. Pham, we have a proposal for your client. If Mrs. Baldwin holds a press conference, taking responsibility for the regulatory oversight failure at Ayala Corp, Mr. Baldwin is willing to drop all charges. Furthermore, he will consider improving the medical care for her brother, Milo Snider."
Edith's hands curled into fists. "Consider?" she spat. "He wants me to take the fall for his dead girlfriend's family's crimes, and in return, he'll 'consider' not destroying my company?"
"It's a trap, Edith," Anya said, her voice tight. "If you admit guilt, you could go to jail. The SEC doesn't care about press conferences."
Edith thought of her team at Dreamscape, working tirelessly, their livelihoods on the line. She thought of the takeover notice for her supplier.
"I'll do it," she said.
Anya stared at her. "Edith, no."
"If I don't, he'll kill Dreamscape," Edith said, her voice hollow. "He'll buy up every supplier, poach every designer, until there's nothing left. I can't fight him from a jail cell, and I can't fight him if my company is dead."
The press conference was held that afternoon in the ballroom of the Baldwin Hotel. It was packed. Hundreds of reporters, cameras, blinding lights.
Edith walked out onto the stage alone. She wore a simple black dress, her hair pulled back, her face pale but composed. She looked like a woman going to her own execution.
She stepped up to the podium. The flashes were blinding, the noise deafening. She looked out at the sea of faces, all of them hungry for her destruction.
She pulled out the statement Giovanni's team had prepared. The words were lies, every single one of them.
"I take full responsibility for my oversight," she read, her voice flat and mechanical. "I deeply regret the damage caused to the shareholders and the company..."
Each word was a shard of glass in her throat. She was signing away her honor, her integrity, her future. She was becoming the villain they wanted her to be.
The questions came fast and furious. "Mrs. Baldwin, how much did you profit?" "Did your husband know?" "Are you wearing a wire?"
Edith ignored them all. She finished the statement, bowed her head slightly, and walked off the stage.
Backstage, the hallway was empty. But as she turned the corner, she saw them.
Giovanni was standing by a service door, his phone to his ear. A wide, genuine smile was on his face. A smile she had never seen directed at her.
"It's done, Kassandra," he said, his voice warm and triumphant. "The heat is off you. You're safe now."
Edith stopped. She stared at his back. He wasn't just destroying her to control her. He was destroying her as a gift to another woman.
Giovanni turned his head and saw her. The smile didn't falter; it simply shifted into a look of cold satisfaction.
Edith looked at him, the man she had loved, the man who had broken her body and her spirit. The last tiny ember of hope, the last shred of the girl she used to be, turned to ash in her chest.
She didn't say a word. She just turned and walked away, the sound of his triumphant voice echoing in her ears.
