Carmen slapped my daughter until she bled. My ex made one call that erased their entire empire before sunrise.

Carmen went pale.

“What files?” she whispered. “There are no hidden files.”

Alexander tapped his phone screen once.

“Records showing you’ve been siphoning funds from Langford Group for seven years,” he said. “Millions of dollars. Money you hid in shell companies before we even split up.”

I felt my breath catch.

Langford Group. The biggest rival firm in the city. The one everyone said was untouchable.

I had no idea she was tied to them this deeply.

Javier stepped forward, his face twisted in panic.

“That’s a lie!” he shouted. “You forged those documents!”

“Check the timestamps,” Alexander said calmly. “Check the digital signatures. They lead straight to your mother’s private office computer.”

Carmen swayed on her feet. She grabbed the edge of the table to stay upright.

“I didn’t know,” Javier said, turning to her. “Tell me you didn’t do this.”

She wouldn’t look at him.

The silence stretched out, thick and heavy.

Sofia squeezed my hand tighter. I pulled her closer, shielding her from the ugliness unfolding in front of us.

“Langford is about to announce a hostile takeover of your entire network,” Alexander said. “And you were going to hand them everything on a silver platter.”

Carmen finally looked up. Her eyes were burning with rage.

“You ruined everything,” she spat at me. “If you had just stayed gone, none of this would have happened.”

“I stayed away to protect my daughter,” I said. “You were the one who came after us.”

Alexander’s phone buzzed again.

He read the message, then looked at me.

“The board of Langford just called an emergency meeting,” he said. “They know about the leaks. And they know who was paying Carmen.”

“Who?” I asked.

“Someone inside our own circle,” he said. “Someone we both trusted.”

Before I could ask more, Carmen lunged for the door.

She almost made it.

But two tall men in dark suits stepped out of the hallway. They didn’t move to hurt her. They just stood there, blocking her path.

“Let me pass!” she screamed. “I have rights!”

“Your right to leave this property was revoked five minutes ago,” Alexander said. “You’re being held for questioning about corporate espionage and fraud.”

Javier looked between us, his face a mess of confusion and fear.

He pulled out his own phone and started typing furiously.

“I’m calling my lawyer,” he said. “You can’t do this.”

“Your license is suspended,” I reminded him. “No one from your firm can represent you.”

He froze.

Then he looked up at me, eyes wide.

“What did you do?” he whispered.

Alexander stepped closer to him.

“I didn’t do anything yet,” he said. “But you have a choice. Tell us everything you know about Langford. Or go down with your mother.”

Javier’s hand trembled over the screen.

He opened his mouth to speak.

Then his phone rang.