Vivienne Sterling did not act impulsively.
That was what made her dangerous.
By morning, the ripples had spread just enough to be noticed, but not enough to be traced.
Bella learned this the hard way.
An email arrived before noon, forwarded from a colleague she trusted.
Just a heads-up, someone’s asking questions about your involvement with the Foundation. Framed as “due diligence.” It feels… pointed.
Bella stared at the screen, jaw tightening.
Due diligence.
The phrase was clean. Respectable. Impossible to accuse outright.
She forwarded the message to Julian with a single line:
This is already happening.
Minutes passed.
Then her phone rang.
Julian’s voice was low, tense. “I know.”
“You knew?” Bella asked.
“I was informed this morning,” he said. “Vivienne has been speaking w
