The headlines were brutal.

"CALDWELL EMPIRE CRUMBLES AS INVESTORS FLEE FAMILY SCANDAL"

"ALEXANDER CALDWELL: BUSINESS TITAN OR FAMILY FAILURE?"

"INSIDE THE TWISTED CALDWELL HOUSEHOLD: HOW A BILLIONAIRE LOST CONTROL"

I scrolled through the news feeds on my laptop, each article worse than the last. What had started as a story about Ryder and me had morphed into a full-scale character assassination of Alexander and, by extension, the entire Caldwell business empire.

"Meridian Holdings announced ...