The aftermath was a Pyrrhic victory, its ashes bitter on the tongue.
Charlotte was suspended from all operational duties at The Royce, pending a full forensic audit by an independent firm. Legally, it was a devastating blow. Publicly, it was a hydra. For every headline that read “Thorne Suspended in Hale Sabotage Scandal,” another sprouted beside it: “Mistress Takes Down Rival in Boardroom Bloodbath” or “Scorned Lover’s Revenge: The Woman Behind the Hale Thorne War.”
The narrative had split, and the spotlight it cast didn’t illuminate; it scorched. Isabella moved through the hushed, sideways glances at the Hale Grand like a woman walking through irradiated ground. She was either a brave whistleblower or a vengeful mistress. There was no third option, no space for the complex truth: a pro
