The first headline broke before dawn.

ALYSSA CARTER LINKED TO ILLEGAL MARKET MANIPULATION, the banner screamed across financial news sites, the words sharp enough to draw blood. By the time the sun rose, the story had multiplied—mutated—spreading across screens and timelines like a disease designed to look legitimate.

Alyssa stood barefoot in her apartment, tablet glowing in her hand, scrolling through page after page of accusations.

Shell companies. Offshore accounts. Insider trading.

Her name threaded through it all like a signature she had never written.

She didn’t move. Didn’t blink.

Only her jaw tightened.

“So this is your answer,” she murmured.

Behind her, Ethan was already on the phone, voice...