Beneath the city lights

ines hadn

gossip blogs, and even a segment on Good Morning New York. Her face - polished and smiling from

done, and the media sharks wanted blood. The foundation's board was livid, the sponsors were jump

invisible ben

slowly dest

phone sitting face-down on the table beside her. She hadn't checked it all day. The last

since she stepped

she told Grayson

ince she'd last

e wind. Everything felt raw -

stepped out with

ff," she said softly. "

ly. "You always kn

silence fo

"He's been as

igur

defended you like a damn gladiator. Even threatened to pu

g. "That's not going to und

it's so

not en

her, eyes searchi

. I just know I can't breathe with

You're still Elena Sinclair. Still brilliant. Still the woman who walked into

hiding right now,

, standing, "it's t

Grayson was anyth

ne clutched in one hand. Natalie sat across from him

. Harvardon Bank and Miles Media. Both

them," he

e board. They want to vote on scaling the gala back

"They want to kill the s

removing you - and Ele

the window, f

let them

s because of its donors. They don't care about y

scandal. She's the best thing that's happened to this Foundat

flinch. "Then

tri

har

her. "She won't ev

show

ked for

ruth. Don't confuse s

't speak for

voice cracked. "I'm sca

n don't just say i

that night, flipping thro

ow her face in Manhattan without being labeled a homewrecker or a fraud, maybe it was time to go s

chimed with

ENT - You've

Anon

hesi

ned

ou gone long b

Foundation leaked t

metadata from

an internal proxy onl

a bl

ta

could

n cool, calculating, yes - but loyal. Coldly loya

to Grayson meant elimin

barely

and closing it, rereading every line, searching for a clue

it. But her gut, sharp as

made up her mind.

, he answered o

sounded like he h

alk," she sai

le

e there in tw

red. Elena let him in without speaking. She wore jeans, no makeup, and a white T-shirt

r in the small living room, te

said, handing him a printed

Slowly

ed as he reache

talie did thi

w fast the story spread. The timing. The board's sudden shift agai

trayal beginning to sink in. "Sh

led to control who you let in," Elena re

o process a different reality than

were a distractio

eath caugh

eeded to choose between sta

escaped her lip

hat she c

damn name," she said, standing. "And I

I never asked

idn't stop

s hit li

unded. "I fo

t fight lo

le

ong

to see the Foundation go

ut I won't let it

begun again, soft and rhythmic, as if the s

you wan

t the truth. I want you to confront her. I want you to d

ething raw in his exp

you didn't just fall in l

Foundation headquarters. Natalie was waiting for him, poised as

ncy meeting?" she ask

printed emai

e didn'

is?" she as

tel

? Please. I expect

iles, Natalie. Yo

ng you into someone distracted, emotional, reckless

human. That's

to take every

e me eve

cracking through. "You built this Foundation. Y

not a

w and fierce. "You made a choice

"You've changed. I was t

on't want

between them lik

fired,"

atically, but enough. Seven

t this," she

gret not seei

rmal statement. Grayson wrote it himself

ernal misconduct. That individual has been removed. The Foundation does not tolerate sabotage, harassment, or t

dlines with

over a week, Elena's name

ding with v

ayson showed up at

decided to finally move into something bigger, something that didn't feel

there - with takeout in one hand, a

quickly. "Don't pani

. "I wasn't

absolutely

they sat on the floo

ed her

acelet, delicate and simpl

ilie

blin

reminded you who you are," he said.

m, throat tight. "Y

ante

light of the apartment flicker

u," he sai

here," sh

us. The way we were

go back

kno

an figure out w

r her hand. "

to

f cartons, talking about everything and nothing. And for the first time i

ight still

e smell of sesame noodles, they were just t

at was

, blood rushin

ng the wrong e