Daniel leaned forward.
“And that was the problem. We were trained to obey systems we assumed were honorable.”
He looked toward Sofia.
“Caroline questioned everything.”
I smiled.
“Your brother hated that.”
Alexander muttered, “Still does.”
I looked at him.
He corrected himself.
“Respects it deeply.”
Sofia laughed.
For the first time since her wedding night, her laughter sounded real.
The investigation expanded rapidly.
Richard Brooks’s confession was authenticated.
Financial records matched.
Marcus’s drive from Carmen matched independent banking evidence.
Meridian accounts were frozen.
Several former contractors were arrested for fr/@ud, bribery, trafficking of restricted technology, and conspiracy related to old m/u/rders.
Some cases could not be prosecuted because the evidence was too old.
Others could.
Carmen cooperated fully.
That did not erase what she had done to Sofia.
She faced charges connected to coercion, conspiracy, unlawful confinement, and the attempted theft of Sofia’s property.
