Chapter Fifteen – The Fall
Damon's week had already been hell.
Leaks. Lawyers. Whispers in boardrooms.
But nothing prepared him for the moment he stepped into the Sinclair Foundation Gala—a charity event televised nationwide—and was greeted not by applause…
…but by silence.
And then, a voice.
> "Mr. Sinclair," a journalist called out, camera rolling, mic extended. "Can you confirm the allegations that you not only fled a deadly crash, but that your father used Foundation funds to silence witnesses and cover it up?"
Damon froze.
Time cracked in half.
"What did you just say?" he asked, voice razor-sharp.
The reporter held up her phone. "An anonymous whistleblower released financial records. Laundered payouts. Bribes traced to Sinclair Global Charities. All tied to the accident from ten years ago."
Behind him, camera flashes exploded.
Whispers turned into gasps.
Board members looked panicked. Investors backed away. The press surged forward.
And in the center of it all, Damon broke.
Because this wasn't just about his guilt anymore.
This was about his father. His family name. The legacy he'd killed himself to protect.
And now the world believed it was built on blood money.
---
Across the room, Elina watched it unfold.
She'd only meant to rattle him. Shake the truth loose.
She hadn't meant for this.
She'd never seen Damon like this—his shoulders curled in defeat, the haunted look in his eyes, the collapse happening in real time.
And for a second…
Her rage died.
All that remained was guilt.
Sharp. Sudden. Unbearable.
Because in that moment, he looked like the boy she used to love.
The one who danced barefoot with her under summer rain.
The one who had lost control—and never forgave himself for it.
And now he was crumbling—and she'd helped light the match.
---
Later That Night
The penthouse was silent.
Damon sat alone, staring out the window as the city burned with headlines.
He didn't turn when Elina entered.
"You okay?" she asked softly.
He didn't respond.
She stepped closer. "Damon…"
His voice was hollow. "Did you know?"
She paused. "Know what?"
"That this would come out," he said. "That they'd drag my father into it. That they'd destroy everything."
Her throat tightened. "No," she whispered. "I didn't know."
He finally turned to her.
And for the first time, he looked at her like a stranger.
"You're the only person I trust," he said. "And right now, I don't even trust myself."