The first crack didn’t come from the outside. It came from within.
The morning began like any other — controlled, structured, deliberate. But there was something that didn't seem right.
The feeling came before she saw it, Aria knew it. Before the calls. Before the headlines. When Lucien's cell phone buzzed with a name he had been hoping to see, but not yet this soon.
Victor had made his move. It started with a filing. Then another. Then three more. By the time the legal team gathered in Lucien's conference room, the situation had shifted from aggressive to dangerous.
“This isn't just civil pressure anymore,” one attorney said, sliding a table across the table. “He wants to see a criminal review.” Silence. Heavy. Sharp.
Aria didn’t sit. She stood at the far end of the table, her
