The dim glow of a downtown speakeasy cast long shadows over Aria as she slid into the booth across from Alex Kensington. His smirk was razor-sharp, a manila folder resting between them like a lit fuse.
"You look tired, darling," Alex purred, pushing a martini toward her. "Ethan's chaos keeping you up at night?"
Aria ignored the drink. "What do you know about the fire?"
Alex's smile widened. He flipped open the folder, revealing grainy surveillance stills of Ethan meeting with a shadowy figure weeks before the fraud investigation. "Your knight in tarnished armor didn't just cover up Daddy's suicide. He's been laundering money through Luxe Cosmetics for years."
Her throat tightened. "These could be forged."
"Check the timestamps." He leaned closer, whiskey and malice on his breath. "That night I flirted with you at dinner? Ethan transferred $5 million to an offshore account. Coincidence?"
---
Across town, Sophie stared at the family portrait above her mother's mantel, its glass cracked from when she'd thrown it against the wall. The doorbell rang.
"I'm here for the wine and self-loathing," Claire announced, holding up two bottles of Malbec.
Sophie choked out a laugh that turned into a sob. "I buried our father twice. Once in ashes, once in lies."
Claire squeezed her hand. "Now bury the guilt. Ethan's choices aren't yours to carry."
---
Rain sheeted against Ethan's office windows as he stared at the resignation letter on his desk. The board's verdict glowed on his laptop: *Unanimous Vote for Removal.* His finger hovered over the send button on an email to Interpol - a confession wrapped in a suicide note.
The scent of jasmine stopped him.
Aria stood in the doorway, Alex's folder clutched to her chest like a shield. "Tell me it's not true."
When he remained silent, she hurled the photos at him. "Look at me! Did you steal? Launder? *Lie*?"
"To protect you!" Ethan slammed his fist on the desk, rare tears glinting. "Every dollar I moved kept Kensington's thugs from your doorstep! That night he cornered you? He'd already threatened to - "
Aria's gasp cut him off. The room spun.
Ethan was across the floor in three strides, hands cradling her face. "I'd burn the world to ash before letting him touch you."
Their kiss tasted of rage and redemption, teeth clashing as he backed her against the wall. His fingers dug into her hips, hers tearing at his belt - a desperate tango of anger and need.
"I hate you," she breathed as his mouth scorched her neck.
"I know," he growled, lifting her onto the desk.
---
Sophie's scream shattered the moment.
They froze mid-passion to find her in the doorway, phone raised. "Smile for the press," she hissed, snapping a photo.
"Sophie, don't - " Aria scrambled to cover herself.
"You had your chance to leave!" Sophie's tears mirrored the storm outside. "Now watch what real destruction looks like."
As her footsteps faded, Ethan pressed his forehead to Aria's. "Run. Take the jet - "
"No." She buttoned his shirt with trembling hands. "We face this. Together."
---
Cliffhanger: The leaked photo trends globally by dawn. Alex Kensington's yacht explodes in Monaco harbor with Sophie's name on the manifest. And in Aria's apartment, a bloodstained envelope arrives containing Ethan's wedding ring and a note: "Your turn."