Emily’s POV

The black tinted sedan crawled through the heavy Midtown Manhattan traffic, the engine humming softly against the pavement. Outside my window, massive digital billboards towered over the concrete streets.

Every single screen flashed with the exact same headline in giant red letters: WALKER GLOBAL CEO IN GROOMING SCANDAL.

I stared at my own name scrolling across a news ticker near Times Square. My chest squeezed so tight I could barely draw in a breath.

"Stop looking at the screens, Emily," Daniel said quietly from beside me.

I pulled my gaze away, looking down at my hands in my lap. They were shaking. "Your life at Bellmont is over,"...