There is noise behind him. A door closing. Serena’s voice, distant and irritated.
Then Nathan continues.
“You have no idea what you’re holding. Those documents are privileged. You copied firm property. I can destroy you before breakfast.”
The voicemail ends.
Vivian saves it with visible satisfaction.
“Threats before dawn,” she says. “He’s moving faster than expected.”
I look toward the balcony, where the sky is beginning to pale.
“So are we.”
At 6:00 a.m., the first journalist calls.
Not because I contacted anyone.
Because someone at the gala leaked a video of me placing my ring on the table beside Nathan and Serena. The clip is short, blurry, and devastating. My emerald dress. Serena’s red one. Nathan’s hand still on her waist. The ring striking glass.
By 6:30, it is everywhere.
By 7:00, gossip accounts name all three of us.
By 7:20, financial reporters start asking about Silver Coast.
That is when Nathan finally understands.
I am not the scandal.
He is.
Vivian tells me to sleep, but sleep is impossible. I shower, change into a white blouse and black trousers Ethan bought from a 24-hour store that also sells sunscreen and beach sandals. I pull back my hair and look in the mirror.