Chapter 2: The Empire Falls Before Sunrise
Chapter 2: The Empire Falls Before Sunrise
Chaos arrived all at once.
Guests rushed for the exits.
Television reporters shoved microphones toward Grayson.
Cameras captured every second.
No one wanted to stand beside the Langford family anymore.
Their influence evaporated faster than spilled champagne.
Grayson pointed at Dominic.
"You fabricated this."
Dominic almost smiled.
"I didn't."
He reached into his coat.
A single envelope.
He handed it to one of the federal investigators who had quietly entered behind him.
Inside...
Bank records.
Offshore accounts.
Bribery payments.
Medical reports altered by purchased doctors.
Judges receiving monthly transfers.
Every document signed.
Every transaction dated.
Every lie connected.
Celeste's knees buckled.
She collapsed onto one of the ballroom chairs.
Paige stared at the giant screen.
For the first time in her carefully protected life...
No one rushed to defend her.
The police commissioner slipped toward a side exit.
Federal agents intercepted him.
"So are we pretending," one agent asked calmly,
"that you don't know these account numbers?"
Handcuffs clicked.
Another official.
Then another.
The charity gala became the largest corruption raid in state history.
Upstairs...
Harper sat alone inside the ruined library.
She heard footsteps approaching.
Steady.
Unhurried.
The door opened.
Dominic entered.
He looked around the destroyed room.
Broken bookshelves.
Splintered desk.
Blood on the Persian rug.
Then he looked at Harper.
For a long moment...
Neither of them spoke.
Finally...
He knelt beside her.
"You stayed alive."
Harper laughed through exhausted tears.
"I wasn't sure I would."
"You did."
He removed his own coat.
Wrapped it carefully around her shoulders.
Not because she was weak.
Because no one should face the end of a nightmare alone.
As paramedics arrived, Harper looked toward the shattered window.
Outside...
The first hint of dawn touched the sky.
She realized something.
May you like
She wasn't escaping.
She was finally going home.
