She had barely slept.
Everything felt like it was moving too fast and not fast enough. Dael's testimony had sparked a chain reaction, and though they had no control over how it would unfold, Siena could feel the tension settling in the walls of the penthouse like a breath waiting to be released.
Eli's soft footsteps padded across the hallway.
"Mama?"
She turned, managing a small smile. "Hey, baby. You're up early."
Eli rubbed his eyes and walked over, crawling into her lap. "I had a dream."
"Yeah? What was it about?"
He laid his head against her chest. "You and me and Daddy. We were at the beach. You laughed a lot."
Siena swallowed hard, wrapping her arms around him.
"Sounds like a good dream."
"It was. But then a big wave came, and I couldn't see anyone."
Her heart tensed.
"What happened next?"
Eli looked up at her. "Daddy found me."
Siena kissed his forehead. "He always will."
---
Downstairs, Alexander sat at the dining table, coffee untouched, eyes scanning a thick file Reeve had delivered late the night before. Every page detailed a piece of Whitestone's unraveling—transactions, internal emails, confidential reports that never should have seen daylight.
Reeve entered quietly, holding his phone.
"I spoke to the lead prosecutor again this morning. They're ready to move on the arrests within 48 hours. Maybe sooner."
Alexander closed the folder. "And Dael?"
"She's doing okay. Scared, but strong. Mira Daniels met with the team yesterday too. Her statement matches a lot of what Dael said."
"And the board?"
Reeve's expression darkened. "Divided. A few are trying to claim ignorance, but two members—Jensen and Vale—are already lawyered up."
Alexander leaned back, exhaling. "They think this will blow over."
"They're wrong."
---
Later that day, Dael sat in the penthouse's sunroom, a notebook on her lap and headphones over her ears. She wasn't listening to music—just silence. It was one of the only ways she could stop her thoughts from spiraling.
Siena appeared at the door, carrying two mugs.
"Tea?" she offered.
Dael took off her headphones, nodding with a tired smile. "Thanks."
They sat in silence for a while, sipping slowly.
"Did you ever think we'd end up here?" Siena finally asked.
"Like this?" Dael let out a breath. "No. Never."
"Do you regret it?"
Dael looked at her, eyes steady. "No. I regret not speaking sooner. But not this. Not the fight."
Siena nodded. "Good. Because I think... I think this might be the moment everything starts to shift."
Dael looked out the window. "Let's hope it shifts in the right direction."
---
Meanwhile, across town in a glass office tower, Jensen paced his corner office, his face pale, his tie crooked. Frederick Vale stood near the windows, arms crossed.
"They're coming for us," Jensen snapped. "You said this would never happen."
Vale's jaw tightened. "They don't have enough. It's just testimony from a disgruntled employee."
"She was your assistant for six years. You don't think that carries weight?"
"I buried everything that could implicate us."
Jensen gave a bitter laugh. "Not well enough."
There was a pause, and then Vale said, "We need to discredit her. Dael. If we make her look unstable, erratic—"
"That's dangerous. It could backfire."
"We don't have many options left."
Jensen looked out the window, sweat on his brow. "You better be right about this."
---
By evening, Siena sat across from Alexander in the living room, a light rain tapping against the windows. A quiet, tense calm had settled over the room.
"We need to talk," Siena said gently.
Alexander turned to her, setting down his tablet. "Okay."
"I need to know where you stand in all this."
"I'm standing with you. With Dael."
"I know. But when all this ends... what happens to us?"
Alexander paused. "What do you want to happen?"
She hesitated, her voice soft. "I want us to keep building what we've started. But I can't be in something where I'm always wondering if you'll run when it gets hard."
"I'm not running anymore."
"I need more than words, Alex."
He got up and walked over, sitting beside her.
"I made a lot of mistakes. I pushed you away, ignored and what was right in front of me. But every day since you came back, I've tried to make it right. Maybe not perfectly, but honestly."
Siena looked at him, vulnerable.
"You're the strongest person I know," he said. "And I'm not letting go of this... of us. Not again."
She leaned into him, her head resting on his shoulder.
"Then don't."
---
That night, Dael woke from sleep, her breath caught in her throat.
There had been a dream—or maybe a memory. She couldn't tell the difference anymore.
In it, she was back at the gala two years ago, wearing the blue dress Jensen had picked out for her. She remembered the way her heels clicked against the marble, how her smile had hurt from being forced. She remembered Vale's hand at her back, too low, too familiar.
But in the dream, she had turned around. She had screamed. She had told everyone what he did.
She had made them listen.
Dael sat up, the sheets twisted around her.
It wasn't real.
But maybe it didn't have to be a dream anymore.
She picked up her phone.
---
The following morning, news broke.
Three executives from Whitestone had been arrested. Frederick Vale among them.
The footage was everywhere—Vale in cuffs, reporters shouting questions, his lawyer trying to push back the media storm.
At the penthouse, everyone stood around the TV in stunned silence.
"They did it," Reeve said, nearly in disbelief.
Dael didn't speak. Her hands were clenched, her eyes locked on the screen.
Siena reached out and took her hand. "You did this."
Dael shook her head. "We did this."
Alexander's phone buzzed, and he stepped into the hallway to take it.
When he returned, his face was unreadable.
"What is it?" Siena asked.
He glanced at Dael. "You're going to want to sit down for this."