I Had No Idea Why She Framed Me… Until the Truth Was Revealed and Left Her Speechlesss

The federal holding facility was cold, smelling of bleach and raw concrete. It was a stark contrast to the opulent ballrooms and penthouses Emily had been dragged through over the past forty-eight hours.

She sat on a metal folding chair across from a thick pane of bulletproof glass. Daniel stood right behind her, his hand resting firmly on her shoulder. His presence was the only thing keeping her tethered to reality.

The heavy steel door on the other side of the glass clanged open.

Arthur Sinclair was escorted into the visitation booth. He was no longer wearing his custom silk tuxedo. Instead, he wore a bright orange jumpsuit, his hands shackled to a chain around his waist. Yet, even in chains, his amber eyes held a terrifying, arrogant spark.

He sat down, picking up the telephone receiver.

Emily picked up her end. Her hand shook, but her voice was dead calm. "Leo is dying, Arthur."

Arthur’s expression didn't change. "That is unfortunate. I hear the mortality rate for organ cascade is terribly swift."

"Stop playing games," Daniel snarled, leaning closer to the glass. "You have his exact genetic markers. You are the only match for the partial valve and tissue transplant. We need you to authorize the procedure."

Arthur leaned back in his plastic chair, a slow, sickening smile spreading across his face. "And why, exactly, would I allow federal surgeons to carve me up to save the bastard child of the woman who ruined my life?"

"Because he is your blood," Emily said, her voice cracking. "Because you owe my mother."

"I owe no one," Arthur fired back, his eyes flashing with sudden venom. "You stripped me of my legacy, Emily! You allied with the Vances, froze my accounts, and left me in this cage to rot for the rest of my life. If the boy dies, it is your fault."

Emily felt the air leave her lungs. She pressed her free hand against the glass. "What do you want? Name your price. Daniel will pay you anything."

"I don't want Vance’s money," Arthur sneered. "I want what is mine. My empire."

Arthur leaned forward, his face mere inches from the glass.

"Here is my offer, daughter. You will draft a legally binding document transferring your entire sixty percent stake in Sinclair Shipping directly back to me. You will sign away every penny, every ship, every asset. Furthermore, Vance will use his political connections to secure me a full presidential pardon and immediate transport to a non-extradition country. Give me my freedom and my empire, and I will give the boy his heart."

"You're out of your mind," Daniel growled, his slate-gray eyes blazing with fury. "I can't get you a pardon for cartel conspiracy and attempted murder!"

"Then the boy dies by midnight," Arthur said coldly, moving to hang up the phone.

"Wait!" Emily screamed, slamming her hand against the glass.

Arthur paused, holding the receiver to his ear.

Tears streamed down Emily’s face. She looked at Daniel. The billionaire who had fought so hard to crown her a queen was shaking his head, his eyes begging her not to throw her life away again.

"Emily, no," Daniel whispered fiercely. "We will find another way. We will fly in specialists from Europe. We will buy him a mechanical heart. You cannot give this monster his power back. If he goes free, he will hunt us forever."

Emily looked away from Daniel, meeting her father's dead, calculating eyes.