Rosamond Henson was the most renowned defense attorney in Astoria, boasting a win rate of ninety-nine percent.

No one expected that intimate photos of her and a client would flood the internet overnight.

An anonymous source claiming to be a firm insider alleged that she had no real legal talent at all, that every case she'd ever landed came from sleeping with her clients.

She denied it immediately, insisting the photos were doctored and the accusations fabricated.

No one believed her.

Especially after reporters caught her husband, Bryce Delgado, on camera. The sorrow in his eyes and his careful refusal to comment convinced the public it was all true.

Within hours, the internet was drowning in vitriol aimed at Rosamond.

When she watched the interview clip, her expression remained as composed as ever. But in a corner where no one could see, her hands trembled.

Every one of those intimate photos had been edited from her private pictures. Pictures only Bryce had access to.

She drove straight to Delgado Group headquarters. She needed to hear from Bryce himself why those photos had been leaked.

And why he hadn't cleared her name in front of the cameras.

She had just reached the office door when a familiar voice stopped her cold:

"Mr. Delgado, are we really going to keep paying people to attack Attorney Henson online?"

"The hate is everywhere already. If she finds out we're behind this, won't she be furious?"

It was his assistant, Brian Finch.

Bryce's tone was clipped with impatience:

"She has no one to blame but herself. She hoards every resource and refuses to give younger lawyers a chance."

"Olympia's been at the firm for ages, and Rosamond hasn't handed her a single case. A little lesson was overdue."

"If Rosamond finds out Olympia was behind this, you know how she is. She never lets anything go. She'd destroy Olympia."

"Besides, Rosamond is obsessed with her work. The only way to get her to stay home where she belongs, by my side, is to take her career away from her. I can't give up either of them..."

"Start planting more stories about Rosamond. Keep her too busy putting out fires to trace any of this back to Olympia. If she does figure it out, tell her someone beneath me acted without my knowledge."

Brian nodded:

"You really do care deeply for Miss Galloway, going to such lengths against your own wife for her sake."

"Then again, if Attorney Henson hadn't forced her way in and pressured you into marrying her, you and Miss Galloway could have been together openly this whole time."

Bryce said nothing. His silence was confirmation enough.

Rosamond's hand, raised to knock, shook so violently she couldn't control it. The shock tore through her like a physical blow.

So it had been Olympia all along. And Bryce had approved every bit of it.

He must have given Olympia her private photos. Let her doctor them. Let her frame her.

All because Rosamond hadn't handed over the Pinnacle Corp case the way Olympia wanted.

What Brian said. Bryce's heart belonged to Olympia?

But he had told her, to her face, that Olympia was just the girl next door. Like a little sister.

He had been lying to her all along.

The color drained from Rosamond's face. In that instant, it was as if ice water had been poured over her from head to toe, soaking through to the bone. Her heart went cold with it.

——

She clenched her jaw, forcing the tears back by sheer will.

She had just turned to leave when the door swung open. Brian stared at her, wide-eyed:

"Attorney Henson, what are you doing here?"

Bryce heard the commotion and stepped forward, reaching for her hand:

"Rosa, how long have you been standing there?"

Guilt flickered across both their faces, terrified she had overheard.

Rosamond forced the faintest trace of a smile:

"Just got here."

Bryce exhaled, the tension leaving his shoulders almost imperceptibly. He shot Brian a look. Brian caught it, nodded, and slipped out of the room.

Rosamond pretended she hadn't noticed the exchange. She let Bryce lead her by the hand into his office.

She looked at him, swallowing the storm raging inside her, and said quietly:

"I saw your interview this morning."

A flash of panic crossed Bryce's eyes, but he recovered quickly:

"I'm sorry, Rosa. I know you want to ask why I didn't speak up for you."

"The interview this morning was supposed to promote a company product. The whole thing caught me off guard. I didn't know how to respond without making it worse."

Rosamond cut him off. Her voice wavered:

"So you chose to say nothing at all?"

"Because of your silence, the whole world thinks it's true now. You're the one who wanted those photos taken. Why won't you admit it?"

Bryce's voice dropped:

"Rosa, I'm the CEO of this company. If people found out I have that kind of... preference, what would they think of me?"

"Stop making a scene. I know you're innocent. Isn't that enough? Why do you care what strangers think?"

Rosamond almost laughed:

"What they'd think of you? Do you have any idea what they're saying about me right now?"

She held on to her last shred of hope, locked her eyes on his, and spoke each word with deliberate weight:

"Bryce. I'm asking you. Please. Hold a press conference and clear my name."

"If this isn't dealt with now, my career is over."

Bryce glanced at her, something conflicted stirring behind his gaze.

After a few seconds of silence, he took her hand. His voice turned soft, almost tender:

"Rosa, why don't you just... resign?"

Rosamond stared at him in disbelief as he continued:

"My business is big enough now. You don't need to work. Use this as your exit. Come home. Be my partner behind the scenes."

"Mom's been asking when we're going to have kids. You could focus on that."

"As for the firm and all the clients you've built up, you can hand everything over to Olympia. She's smart and capable. She'll do a great job."

Rosamond's heart shattered into countless pieces, each one sharp enough to steal her breath.

This was the man she had defied her parents to marry.

His childhood sweetheart had smeared her name and destroyed her reputation, and his answer was to give that woman everything Rosamond had built.

Her mother had been right. Bryce Delgado was not a man worth trusting with a lifetime.

She thought of the immigration documents her mother had sent her the night before. And finally, the decision settled into place.

She would leave the country with her parents.

As for Bryce Delgado, she was done.

Rosamond lifted her gaze to Bryce, searching his face as though she could see straight through to whatever was left of his conscience. Her eyes were bleak with despair, but her voice held steady, grief and resolve wound tight together.

"Absolutely not. I will never give up my career."

"If you won't help me clear my name, then I'll find the evidence myself."

Even if she had to leave, she would leave with her reputation intact.

She turned without waiting for his reaction and walked toward the door.

She didn't make it two steps past the threshold before she saw Olympia Galloway.

Olympia stood in the hallway holding a box of pastries, her gaze sliding over Rosamond with undisguised satisfaction, her tone bright with the kind of cheer designed to cut.

"Oh, Attorney Henson, you're still here? I came to see Bryce. I wanted to thank him personally for renewing the retainer with our firm this year."

The words drove into Rosamond's chest like a cluster of needles, each one small enough to ignore on its own, unbearable together. She turned to Bryce.

"You already signed a new contract with the firm? Why didn't I know about this?"

Olympia pressed a hand to her lips in exaggerated surprise.

"You really didn't know? It just happened. Delgado Group's secretary signed the renewal with the firm a few minutes ago."

"But it doesn't matter whether you knew or not. Bryce specifically requested that I replace you as their lead counsel. Delgado Group's affairs have nothing to do with you anymore."

Rosamond's heartbeat faltered. She stared at Bryce, unable to process what she was hearing.

"Is what she's saying true?"

Bryce pulled Olympia behind him, shielding her as though Rosamond were the threat.

"Rosa, Olympia isn't like you. She needs this retainer to establish herself at the firm."

"You have plenty of cases. You won't miss this one. Besides..."

His gaze flicked over her face, his tone flat, almost clinical.

"Your PR situation still isn't resolved. If the company keeps you on as counsel, it reflects poorly on us."

Rosamond studied his face and realized, for the first time, that the boy she remembered no longer existed behind those eyes.

Perhaps this had always been who he was. Perhaps the Bryce Delgado she thought she knew had never been real.

She still remembered the day they first met. She had been proud and solitary by nature, and her classmates had made her pay for it.

They spread rumors with gleeful abandon: her money came from a sugar daddy, her designer bags were gifts from a patron, even the awards she'd won in competitions were bought with her body.

She became the entire school's favorite target.

Back then, Rosamond believed the truth would speak for itself. She refused to dignify the lies with a response.

But the rumors only grew. Those people started showing up at her classroom door to hurl insults to her face.

Not a single classmate spoke up for her. Even her teachers believed the accusations and wanted to suspend her pending an investigation.

It was Bryce who stepped forward.

He didn't just vouch for her. He went out of his way to obtain a recording of the very people who had set her up.

In that moment, Bryce Delgado had been nothing short of a god in her eyes.

And now he was standing with the people smearing her name, helping them do it.

Worse, he knew she'd been framed, and he was using the frame-up as his excuse to hand everything she'd built to the woman who had orchestrated it.

Rosamond's breathing turned ragged. She felt as though the ground had been pulled from beneath her, her body swaying, barely upright. She dug her nails into her palms hard enough to leave marks, forcing herself not to show a shred of weakness in front of Olympia.

She was about to argue her case when her phone rang. It was the managing partner.

"Rosamond, what the hell did you do?!"

"Pinnacle Corp's confidential files have been leaked. All of them. Do you have any idea what this is going to do to the case?"

"Pinnacle says you were the only person who had access to that data. Their people are here at the office right now demanding answers. Get back here. Now."

The color drained from Rosamond's face. She didn't spare Bryce or Olympia another glance before rushing out.

Olympia watched her retreating figure, a mocking smile curling at the corner of her lips.

"Bryce, you promised you'd help me. Right?"

Bryce looked at the expectation shining on Olympia's face and nodded without thinking.

Rosamond barely made it through the firm's doors before Harold Lawrence, Pinnacle Corp's executive, was in her face, jabbing a finger at her.

"You still haven't explained those photos, and now our files have been leaked? Attorney Henson, are you trying to destroy Pinnacle Corp?!"

"We trusted you with that classified data because we believed in you. Is this how you repay our trust?!"

"Is this your idea of professional ethics? Did you cut a deal with opposing counsel to take us down?!"

"I'm telling you right now, if this isn't resolved, I will make sure you never work in this industry again!"

Rosamond swallowed everything churning inside her and kept her voice level.

"Mr. Lawrence, I give you my word. I will get to the bottom of this."

"But please believe me. I did not leak those files. Give me time, and I will find out who did..."

Before she could finish, a voice cut through the room.

"No need to investigate. I know exactly who leaked them."

Rosamond turned and found Olympia standing right behind her, a laptop cradled in her arms.

"Attorney Henson, I've always looked up to you as a role model in the profession. I never imagined you were this kind of person. Colluding with opposing counsel for personal gain, deliberately leaking Pinnacle's files."

"You don't deserve to call yourself a lawyer."

Rosamond locked eyes with her, her brow drawn tight.

"Olympia, if you're going to make accusations, you'd better have proof."

"I have never colluded with opposing counsel, and I have never leaked Pinnacle's files."

Olympia let out a cold scoff.

"Of course you'd deny it. But lucky for us, I have a witness."

The words had barely left her mouth when the door swung open and Bryce walked in, crossing the room to stand before everyone.

"I can testify. Pinnacle's files were leaked by Rosamond."

The moment those words left his mouth, the last shred of warmth in Rosamond's heart vanished without a trace.

She never imagined Bryce would go this far for Olympia.

A sharp sting flooded her eyes. Her throat locked tight, and she forced herself to stay standing.

Bryce glanced at Rosamond, a flicker of guilt crossing his face.

"I apologize for my wife's conduct. I'll personally bear all losses suffered by Pinnacle Corp. Please... forgive her."

Before he even finished, Harold Lawrence hurled the stack of documents straight at Rosamond.

"Personally bear it? With what?"

"Forget the lawsuit involving two hundred million dollars in claims. Pinnacle's stock price tanked today alone. How exactly do you plan to cover that?"

"Henson, and you had the nerve to call yourself some undefeated attorney. What a joke! You'll be hearing from my lawyers."

Tears pooled at the rims of her eyes. Her throat was raw and parched. She clenched her jaw so hard her teeth ached, every breath a trembling sliver of pain. Rosamond's voice shook as she spoke.

"Mr. Lawrence, I'm begging you, trust me just this once. I swear on my career, I had nothing to do with this."

"Give me two days. I will find the truth."

Harold cut her off, his patience spent.

"Rosamond Henson, you really have no shame."

"Your own husband already admitted it, and you're still trying to weasel your way out? Instead of groveling here, you'd better start thinking about how you're going to handle the investigation."

He shoved her aside and stormed out.

Managing Partner Winslow fixed Rosamond with a vicious glare.

"Rosamond, do you have any idea how much trouble you've brought down on this firm?"

"Well? How do you propose we fix this?"

Rosamond turned and looked around. Every single colleague was pointing, whispering, their voices carrying just enough to reach her.

"So Rosamond's been sleeping with clients to land her cases. Guess that explains a lot."

"She always looked so prim and proper. Turns out she's been playing all kinds of games behind closed doors. Poor Mr. Delgado, marrying someone like that."

"I always said there was no way someone that young could be that good. Dirty tricks, obviously. Disgusting. Can't believe I've been working alongside her."

Rosamond stood trapped between Winslow and Olympia, forced to absorb every whisper and sneer.

Olympia's lips curled upward, her eyes bright with undisguised mockery.

Rosamond looked at Winslow. She had always been composed, but now her voice was nothing but tremors.

"Garrett, we've worked together for years. You don't trust me either?"

Winslow looked at her, then at Olympia, and spoke in a low, measured tone.

"Rosamond, the evidence is right in front of us. I'd be a fool not to believe it."

"This isn't just about Pinnacle needing answers. The firm needs answers too."

Olympia smiled faintly.

"If you ask me, Garrett, the simplest solution is to let Attorney Henson leave the firm."

"It's the only way to keep her from dragging the rest of us down."

The words hit Rosamond like a physical blow. She couldn't believe Olympia intended to destroy her completely. She opened her mouth to speak, but Bryce cut in first.

"That works. I'll compensate Pinnacle and the firm for their losses on her behalf. But I have one condition."

"After she's gone, Olympia takes her position."

Winslow considered this for a moment, then nodded.

"Fine. Rosamond, for the sake of our years together, I'll let you resign on your own terms."

Bitterness surged through her chest.

Just like that, in a handful of sentences, they had decided her fate.

Not the husband she had devoted herself to. Not the colleague she had trusted with her life. Not a single one of them had spared a thought for how she felt.

All they wanted was to push her out the door fast enough to make room for Olympia.

Something seized Rosamond's heart and squeezed. The bitterness spread through her veins like poison. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

Her face was white. She bit down hard on the tip of her tongue, the sharp pain forcing her mind back into focus.

"On what grounds are you convicting me without hearing my side?"

"You all know perfectly well who's really behind this. Don't even think about pinning it on me."

"Pinnacle wants to investigate? Fine. I'll cooperate fully. But until that investigation is complete, I am not leaving this firm."

She reached for her phone.

Olympia hadn't expected that. A flash of panic crossed her eyes, and she looked at Bryce with a silent plea.

In the next second, Bryce snatched the phone from Rosamond's hand and smashed it against the floor.

"Rosamond, enough! Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough already?"

"Stop making a scene. Come home with me quietly, or things are going to get worse for everyone."

He was threatening her.

Winslow stared at Rosamond, his voice flat and detached.

"Rosamond, whether you stay at this firm is no longer your decision. If you won't resign, I'll have no choice but to terminate you."

"And when that happens, your reputation in this industry will be finished."

A chill settled deep inside her.

She looked at Winslow, the man who had once fought beside her, who had been both mentor and friend. He wore a different face now.

When she first joined, this firm had been a failing practice on the verge of shutting its doors. She had worked around the clock, hunting down cases, building connections, pulling it back from the brink and growing it into what it was today.

Back then, Winslow had taken her hand and told her the firm was as much hers as his. That they would watch it thrive together.

But somewhere along the way, he had changed. And now he was siding with outsiders to force her out.

For the first time in her life, Rosamond felt completely lost.

Without her realizing when it happened, Olympia had turned every person around her. Rosamond was truly, utterly alone.