He stepped back, adjusting his silk tie with a slow, deliberate movement.

“You have until midnight to instruct Lydia to withdraw the emergency filing,” he said.

“And if I don’t?”

“By sunrise, the Vale name will be synonymous with charity fraud,” Thomas said. “Your mother’s statues will be pulled down, and your daughter will grow up carrying the name of a thief.”

He walked toward the heavy oak door of the study, his leather shoes clicking against the parquet floor.

He did not look back as he opened the door and stepped out into the dim hallway.

A moment later, the front door of the house clicked shut, leaving me alone with the sound of the storm.

My chest felt tight, my breath coming in shallow, ragged gasps.

I walked over to the desk and sank into the leather chair, staring at the empty space where Thomas had just stood.

My phone vibrated again on the mahogany surface.

This time, the screen showed Lydia’s name.

I swiped the screen and pressed the phone to my ear. “Lydia.”