Chapter 11
Alex played the recording three more times before Izzy finally stopped him.
"You need to stop," she said, closing the laptop. "You've heard enough."
"She wants the estate. Lila's estate." His voice was flat. "That's what this was always about."
"And now we can prove it."
"Lila left everything to me. Vivienne contested the will and lost. She's been planning this for two years." He stood abruptly. "I need to call the lawyers."
"It's three in the morning."
"I don't care."
Izzy grabbed his arm. "Alex. Wait. We need to think this through."
"Think what through? We have evidence. We present it at the hearing and end this."
"If we show our hand now, they'll know someone leaked the files. They'll cover their tracks, claim the evidence was fabricated, tie us up in court for months." She pulled him back down. "We need to be strategic."
He wanted to argue. She could see it in his eyes. But instead, he exhaled slowly. "What do you suggest?"
"We sit on it. Let them think they're winning. Then at the hearing, we hit them with everything at once. No time to prepare a defense."
"That's two and a half weeks away. A lot can happen."
"Which is why we keep playing our parts. Keep them confident." Izzy paused. "And we figure out who sent us this."
Alex pulled the laptop back open and checked the metadata on the files. "Whoever it was knows how to cover their tracks. The account was created yesterday and deleted an hour after sending the link."
"Someone inside their circle. Someone who wants them exposed."
"Or someone setting us up."
Izzy hadn't considered that. "You think this could be fake?"
"I think we verify everything before we use it." He started typing. "I'll have our tech team authenticate the files. Check timestamps, voice analysis, and digital fingerprints. If this is real, we'll know. If it's a trap, we'll know that too."
*************
The verification took three days.
In that time, Izzy and Alex maintained their public facade. They were photographed having coffee, walking in the park, and attending a charity auction together. Each appearance is carefully calibrated to look natural.
At night, they reviewed the evidence. Cross-referenced emails with phone records. Matched timestamps on the security footage with staff testimony. Built a timeline of Nathan and Vivienne's coordination.
"It's real," the tech analyst confirmed on day three. "Voice patterns match. Metadata's clean. No signs of manipulation or deepfake technology."
Alex leaned back in his chair. "So someone inside their operation turned on them."
"Question is who," Izzy said. "And why now?"
The answer came that evening.
A knock on the door. Alex opened it to find Martin Cross, the board's lawyer, standing in the hallway.
"I'm not here officially," Cross said without preamble. "May I come in?"
Alex let him inside. Izzy stood in the background, watching.
Cross set his briefcase down. "I sent you those files."
The room went silent.
"Why?" Alex asked.
"Because I made a mistake. Twenty years practicing law, and I let myself become part of something corrupt." Cross sat down heavily. "Nathan approached me six months ago. Said you were unstable, that the foundation needed new leadership. He painted a convincing picture. I believed him."
"What changed?" Izzy asked.
"I found out about the contract clause. The one in Mrs. Blackwood's agreement." He looked at Izzy. "I drafted that contract. The original version. When I saw what Nathan had added without authorization, I started digging."
"And found the connection to Vivienne," Alex finished.
Cross nodded. "She's been feeding him information. About the board, the shareholders, and your vulnerabilities. In exchange, he promised her a settlement. A payout from the estate once you were removed."
"That's extortion."
"It's worse than that. They forged documents. Falsified financial reports to make it look like you've been embezzling foundation funds." Cross pulled papers from his briefcase. "These were going to be presented at the hearing as evidence."
Izzy took the documents. They looked official. Damning. "This would destroy him."
"It would destroy the entire foundation. Which is why I can't let it happen." Cross met Alex's eyes. "I'm prepared to testify. To submit the real files as evidence. But I need protection. Nathan has connections. If he finds out I've turned—"
"You'll have protection," Alex said. "And immunity. I'll make sure of it."
Cross exhaled. "Thank you."
"Why are you really doing this?" Izzy asked. "It can't just be guilt."
The lawyer was quiet for a moment. "I knew Lila. She came to me once and asked about divorce options. This was a year before she died." He looked at Alex. "She didn't go through with it because she loved you. Despite everything, she loved you. And what Vivienne's doing, using her sister's memory to justify this... It's wrong."
Alex's expression cracked. Just for a second. "Lila came to you about a divorce?"
"She was unhappy. Felt trapped. But she never blamed you. She blamed life. The expectations. The foundation." Cross stood. "I shouldn't have told you that. But you deserved to know."
After Cross left, Alex disappeared into his study without a word.
Izzy gave him ten minutes, then followed.
She found him standing by the window, staring out at nothing.
"Talk to me," she said.
"She wanted out. I knew she was unhappy, but I didn't think..." He trailed off. "I thought we had time to fix it."
"You didn't cause the accident, Alex."
"Didn't I? If she was so miserable she was considering divorce..."
"That's not the same as wanting to die." Izzy moved closer. "People consider divorce every day. It doesn't mean they stop loving each other. It means they're struggling."
"I should have seen it."
"Maybe. But beating yourself up won't change what happened."
He finally turned to look at her. "How are you so calm about all this?"
"I'm not calm. I'm terrified. But I'm also angry." She crossed her arms. "Vivienne's using her dead sister as a weapon. Nathan is destroying people's lives for a promotion. They don't get to win."
"What if they do?"
"They won't. Not if we fight back."
Alex studied her. "When did you get so fearless?"
"Around the time I signed a fake engagement contract.' " She smiled slightly. "Turns out desperation makes you brave."
The next two weeks passed in a blur.
They prepared for the hearing. Coordinated with Cross. Briefed their legal team. Gathered every piece of evidence into an airtight case.
Nathan and Vivienne continued their campaign. Leaked stories to the press about Alex's "instability." Planted doubts about the engagement. Pressured board members to vote for new leadership.
But they didn't know they'd already lost.
Three days before the hearing, Vivienne requested a meeting with Izzy.
"Alone," she specified.
Alex didn't like it. "It's a trap."
"Probably," Izzy agreed. "But I want to hear what she has to say."
"Then I'm coming with you."
"She won't talk if you're there."
"I don't care."
Izzy touched his face. "Trust me. I can handle her."
He caught her hand. "That's not what I'm worried about."
"Then what?"
"I'm worried she'll convince you I'm not worth fighting for."
Izzy's chest tightened. "That's not going to happen."
"You don't know what she'll say. What she'll offer."
"I don't need to know. Because I've already made my choice." She squeezed his hand. "I'm staying. No matter what she says."
They met at a restaurant downtown. Neutral territory. Vivienne was already seated when Izzy arrived, wine glass in hand.
"Thank you for coming," Vivienne said.
Izzy sat down. "What do you want?"
"To make you an offer."
"I'm not interested."
"You haven't heard it yet." Vivienne sipped her wine. "Walk away. Before the hearing. End the engagement, cite irreconcilable differences, and I'll make sure you're compensated. Generously."
"How generous?"
"Two million dollars. Cash. Plus a glowing recommendation for any job you want."
Izzy's pulse quickened despite herself. Two million would solve everything. Her mother's medical bills, her debts, her entire future.
"And if I say no?"
"Then you go down with him. Because Alex is going to lose, Izzy. The board's already decided. This hearing is just a formality."
"You sound confident."
"I am. Because I know things you don't. About Alex. About his past. About what he's really capable of."
"Like what?"
Vivienne leaned forward. "He's dangerous. Not physically. Emotionally. He destroys the people who love him. My sister died trying to escape him. Don't make the same mistake."
"Lila died in a car accident."
"After an argument. After months of his refusing to let her go." Vivienne's eyes were cold. "He'll do the same to you. He'll trap you, consume you, and when you finally try to leave, it'll be too late."
Izzy stood up. "You're wrong about him."
"Am I? Then why did he hire you? Why didn't he just move on, find someone real?"
"Because he's grieving. Because he's trying to survive."
"He's using you," Vivienne said flatly. "And when he's done, you'll be discarded. Just like everyone else."
Izzy picked up her purse. "I feel sorry for you."
"Excuse me?"
"You loved your sister. I get that. But you're so focused on blaming Alex that you can't see what you've become." She looked Vivienne in the eye. "Lila wouldn't want this. She wouldn't want you destroying lives in her name."
Vivienne's composure cracked. "Don't you dare...."
"I'm not taking your money. And I'm not walking away." Izzy turned to leave, then paused. "See you at the hearing."
She walked out before Vivienne could respond.
Outside, Alex was waiting in the car.
"How did it go?" he asked.
Izzy got in and closed the door. "She offered me two million to leave you."
His expression went carefully blank. "And?"
"And I told her no."
"Izzy....."
"I know what you're going to say. That I should have taken it. That it would've solved all my problems."
"I was going to say thank you."
She looked at him. Really looked at him. At the man behind the armor. Behind the grief and the walls and the fear.
"You're welcome," she said softly.
And for the first time since this started, she realized she wasn't just playing a part anymore.