Cole’s POV

The morning light had already shifted to gold when I stepped out of the car in front of Whitmore Industries. The building loomed above me, tall and impersonal, its mirrored surface catching the sun like a blade. I checked my watch, and I was late. The emergency board meeting had started fifteen minutes ago. Elena was inside, surrounded by the very people she’d spent years protecting, and they were about to destroy her reputation over crimes she hadn’t committed.

I took a deep ...