I crouched down to meet her eyes. “Go sit with your brother for a minute, baby. I’ll be right there, okay?”

She nodded and shuffled off, dragging her stuffed bunny behind her.

I unmuted the call. “Fine. I’m coming.”

I ended the call and immediately dialed Tessa next door. She answered on the first ring.

“I need a favor,” I said.

“I’m already tying my sneakers, Paige,” she replied. “Just go.”

I didn’t bother changing my clothes. I grabbed my purse and keys, kissed each kid on the head, and hurried out the door.

The drive blurred past me. My hands clamped the steering wheel too tightly. My jaw hurt from clenching it. Rage sat in the passenger seat beside me.

**

When I walked through the office lobby, everything felt too perfect—polished floors, quiet voices, a place that pretended problems didn’t exist.

Mark stood waiting near the front desk.

“They pulled the reimbursement reports,” he told me. “Hotel bookings, wellness claims, expensive gifts.”

I swallowed. “All tied to Alyssa?”

“They traced everything back to her vendor profile,” Mark said grimly.

“Texts too?”

“Oh yeah,” he replied. “Expense reports, vendor records, his company phone history. HR has it all.”

He nodded toward the glass conference room.

Inside, Cole was pacing, gesturing with his hands like he was pitching something. HR sat across from him without expression. Darren, the CEO, looked worn out. A VP I’d only seen at holiday parties sat quietly watching like a judge.

Then the door swung open.

Alyssa stormed inside, ponytail swinging, phone in her hand, already raising her voice. She didn’t even knock.

“What is she doing?” I whispered.

“Making it worse,” Mark muttered. “She’s furious they’re dragging her name into this.”

HR lifted a hand to quiet her, but Alyssa talked straight over it.

Someone slid a manila folder across the table toward Cole.

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