I began searching for family law attorneys who specialized in high-profile custody disputes.

The retainer fees alone were more than I made in six months.

My phone rang again.

This time it was a local Chicago number.

“Emma Winters,” I said, answering.

“Emma, it’s Sarah,” a familiar voice said.

Sarah was my oldest friend from graduate school, now a data analyst for a firm in Chicago.

“I saw the news,” Sarah said quietly. “It’s all over the financial blogs. The Harrington heir has three secret sons.”

“Helena is suing for custody,” I said, the words tasting like ash in my mouth.

There was a long pause on the other end.

“Oh, Emma,” Sarah whispered. “She’s going to play dirty.”

“I know,” I said. “She’s already using my travel against me. She’s making me look like an unfit mother.”

“We need to find something to stop her,” Sarah said. “Something that proves she’s acting in bad faith.”

I stared at the screen of my laptop.

My eyes fell on an old folder in my cloud drive.

It was labeled *Harrington Industries – Environmental Audit 2020.*