Three weeks passed.
Quiet ones. The kind that do not announce themselves as important while they are happening but that you look back on later and understand were the weeks when everything settled into its final shape.
The press story faded. Not dramatically. Just the way noise fades when you stop feeding it. Damien's lawyer handled the remaining outlets efficiently. The business deal moved forward. The investors were given the full picture of what the Ward family had attempted and that picture reflected far worse on the Ward family than on Damien.
Selene's father faced consequences she could not protect him from.
Selene disappeared from the circles she had moved through so confidently. Not from the city. Just from the places where Damien existed. She made that choice herself.
My fath
