CHAPTER 3 — THE FALL OF THE HARRINGTONS
Three days later, Amelia opened her eyes in a private hospital room.
Rachel Brooks was waiting beside the bed.
"So it's started," Amelia whispered.
Rachel nodded.
"Everything."
She handed over a tablet.
The headlines filled the screen.
FEDERAL INVESTIGATION TARGETS HARRINGTON HOLDINGS.
MASSIVE FINANCIAL FRAUD PROBE EXPANDS.
MULTIPLE EXECUTIVES UNDER REVIEW.
Amelia scrolled silently.
Then she reached a video clip.
The kitchen.
Victoria's voice.
Preston's demands.
Every word preserved by the hidden recording system.
The footage had already been secured by investigators.
Neither Victoria nor Preston could claim innocence.
The evidence was overwhelming.
Meanwhile, the Volkov syndicate learned that the promised payment would never arrive.
Their anger turned toward Preston.
Investors fled.
Banks closed credit lines.
Board members resigned.
Within forty-eight hours, the empire Victoria had spent decades controlling began collapsing from the inside.
The woman who once commanded every room suddenly found herself sitting alone in a federal interview office.
And Preston?
He discovered something even worse than losing money.
May you like
He had lost protection.
Everyone who once stood beside him was now trying to save themselves.
