Isabella signed the financial approval with her usual precision, the fountain pen gliding smoothly across the bottom line. The document—a routine quarterly allocation for their Asia-Pacific expansion—seemed unremarkable among the dozens requiring her attention before the Davies meeting.
"That's the last one for now," her assistant said, gathering the papers. "Legal needs these by eight."
"Thank you, Rachel." Isabella checked her watch—5:47 AM. She'd never left the office. "Have the car ready at eight-thirty. And send in Marcus when he arrives."
Alone again, Isabella closed her eyes briefly. The exhaustion was bone-deep, but her mind remained razor-sharp, dissecting the events of the previous night. Liam's arrest. Diana's promise. The security footage with its convenient blind spot. Jeremy's urgency to inform the board. It all formed a pattern that grew more disturbing with each passing hour.
Her private line rang.
"Diana," she answered.
