Alexander's POV

The first headline popped up at 6:45 AM, and I was already awake, staring at my laptop, waiting for it.

"Thompson Enterprises CEO's Criminal Past Revealed"

I clicked through and saw her mugshot, nineteen-year-old Lily with wide terrified eyes and no makeup, looking like a kid who'd just had her world destroyed.

My stomach twisted but I kept reading.

The article laid out everything exactly as I'd provided it: the arrest for art forgery and fraud, the police investigation, and ...