Seraphina's Pov
The news reached me long ago.
Marina had been led out of the building in handcuffs, a scene that surely delighted the office gossip. But the victory was short-lived.
Eleanor arrived less than an hour later, her presence a phone call made, money moved, and doors that had been locked to the public swung open for the Carter name.
By evening, Marina walked free.
I didn't press charges. It wasn't an act of mercy; I simply wasn't interested in small, petty wins. Not while the board was watching my every move like a heart on a scale. Every action I took now had to carry the weight of a leader, not an offended sister.
Still, I made a silent promise: next time wouldn't be so easy for her.
The city hadn't stopped buzzing since the engagement announcement. If anything, the volume had turned up. Every headline offered a different, unrecognizable version of my life.
Some called it a strategy, others whispered that it was desperation.
How could she move on so fast?
