Chapter 7
By morning, the story had exploded online.
Christian’s arrest.
The planned attack.
The secret ceremony.
Dr. Feld.
Then rumors that Sabrina had illegally taken control of Apex Media.
My face appeared on every entertainment channel.
I refused interviews.
For once, I wanted truth before publicity.
Rebecca Cole, my new attorney, arrived with documents from Victor’s estate.
“He left you fifty-one percent of Apex Media.”
I stared at her.
“Why?”
Julia answered.
“Because he wanted to repair what Sabrina had corrupted.”
Victor had no biological children.
He believed I would eventually combine Apex with my father’s publishing company and expose the hidden royalty fraud.
“But I didn’t even know him.”
“He knew you through Jonathan.”
Another secret relationship my father had never explained.
I felt angry at everyone.
Even the people who claimed they had protected me.
“Why didn’t anyone trust me with my own life?”
Julia lowered her eyes.
No answer could fix that.
Then Rebecca showed me another document.
Sabrina had forged a later will.
It transferred Apex entirely to her.
Witnessed by Dr. Feld.
Of course.
“Can we prove it’s fake?”
“Yes.”
Victor recorded the signing of his real will.
The original was also registered with an independent law firm.
Sabrina was losing control.
That made her dangerous.
Christian requested another meeting.
I almost refused.
But he claimed to know Sabrina’s emergency plan.
We spoke through jail glass.
His face was bruised from Gabriel’s punch.
I felt no sympathy.
“Sabrina has an island property.”
“Where?”
“Near the Bahamas.”
“Why should I believe you?”
“Because she told me if everything collapsed, we would disappear there.”
“We?”
“She promised to take me.”
I laughed.
“She used you.”
“I know.”
“Just like you used me.”
His eyes dropped.
“Yes.”
That surprised me.
No excuse.
No performance.
“What is Sabrina planning?”
“She has backup files.”
“What files?”
“Scandals on celebrities, executives, politicians.”
Blackmail.
Of course.
“She’ll threaten to release them.”
Rebecca asked through the intercom, “Where are they stored?”
Christian gave us a password.
Then he looked at me.
“Emma.”
“What?”
“I didn’t know Sabrina was your sister.”
“That changes nothing.”
“I know.”
“Did you know she caused my first miscarriage?”
“No.”
“And then you caused the second.”
His eyes filled with tears.
“Yes.”
I stared at him.
“That was my baby.”
“I know.”
“No.”
My voice shook.
“You know the sentence. You don’t know what you took.”
He started crying.
I felt nothing.
“I held you after that miscarriage.”
“Yes.”
“You watched me blame myself.”
“Yes.”
“You told me we could try again.”
Christian covered his face.
“I was horrible.”
“Yes.”
For once, I let the word sit there.
No softening.
No forgiveness.
Then he whispered:
“Sabrina has another copy of your medical records.”
“Why?”
“She planned to make you look unstable after the wedding.”
“We know that.”
“No.”
He looked up.
“She planned to put you under a conservatorship.”
Rebecca straightened.
Christian continued.
“She had a judge ready.”
My stomach tightened.
“Who?”
“Judge Alan Mercer.”
Rebecca went pale.
“That’s impossible.”
“Why?”
“Alan Mercer handled Victor Lang’s estate.”
Silence.
If Mercer helped Sabrina forge the will, the corruption reached the court itself.
Rebecca immediately contacted federal prosecutors.
Then Hannah rushed into the room.
“We have a bigger problem.”
“What?”
“Sabrina just released a video.”
Online, Sabrina appeared calm and elegant.
She claimed I had fabricated the attack.
That Gabriel was my lover.
That I had suffered repeated psychiatric breakdowns.
And that Christian had been coerced into confessing.
Then she held up medical records.
Fake ones.
Millions were already watching.
Christian stared at the screen.
“She’s doing it.”
“Doing what?”
“Destroying your credibility.”
I looked at the camera.
For the first time, I smiled.
“Good.”
Rebecca frowned.
“Good?”
I stood.
“Sabrina thinks this is still a publicity fight.”
I looked toward Hannah.
“Release the hallway footage.”
Then toward Rebecca.
“And Victor’s real will.”
Christian slowly understood.
May you like
Sabrina had just made one enormous mistake.
She had lied publicly about evidence we could prove.
