The office was quiet, so quiet that when Isabella Austin made her call, she could hear Kevin Lane's voice echoing in the background.

"Grandfather has a point,” she said softly. "Emily's assistant wasn't actually hurt, so if Ryan Cox offers a proper apology, that should be enough. Ryan's a deeply established businessman—if we keep pushing this, Emily could end up in the crossfire. Rather than making an enemy of him, maybe she's better off building goodwill and letting him owe her a favor.”

As Isabella spoke, she glanced nervously at Andrew Lane, searching for a trace of his reaction.

Her heart hammered in her chest, her palms slick with sweat, but she kept her composure, her expression gentle and unflappable.

Andrew didn't respond for a long while. The silence stretched, and Isabella's anxiety grew with it.

Finally, Andrew raised his hand and rested his broad, warm palm on her back.

Relief flooded through her. Unable to hold back, she tucked herself into the circle of his arms.

His deep voice rumbled by her ear. "Alright."

A smile played on Isabella's lips as she tightened her arms around Andrew's waist. Everything was unfolding almost exactly as Emily Blair had predicted.

That morning, over breakfast, Emily opened her news app and immediately spotted fresh headlines about Ryan Cox. The reports were from verified media outlets and had been posted the previous night. After hours of trending, the video had already racked up more than half a million likes and eighty thousand comments.

The report zeroed in on Ryan Cox's embezzlement, listing every suspicious transaction down to the last cent.

Social media had a way of turning these stories into wildfire, and since Ryan's gaming company was practically a household name, the video exploded in popularity the moment it dropped.

Over the past decade, rumors and scandals about Ryan Cox had surfaced regularly. This time, with the added momentum, the outrage seemed poised to spiral out of control.

With a little extra boost from Elizabeth Wilson, the video had landed on the trending topics list—top ten and still climbing.

Emily scrolled through the comments. Most people were tagging officials, demanding a proper investigation. A few called for calm and rational discussion, but the tide was clear—public pressure was mounting, and the authorities would soon have to respond.

After reading for a few minutes, Emily set her phone aside and went back to her breakfast, eating slowly, lost in thought.

Social media outrage needed time to reach a boiling point; there was no use rushing. The real turning point would come when the regulatory bureau decided the situation was too loud to ignore.

It was Saturday, and Emily had already checked her schedule-nothing on the calendar, a rare day off.

She headed out to the same café she'd visited before.

She waited for quite a while before the manager, Rose Ward, showed up for her shift.

Emily glanced around. Besides Rose, only two baristas were busy behind the counter.

When the crowd thinned, Emily made her way to the piano, just as she had last time, and played one of Isabella Austin's compositions.

This time, it was "The Forest," a piece Isabella had released only last month.

The melody was light and carefree, filling the café with a sense of ease and contentment.

If she hadn't known Isabella was the composer, Emily would have loved the piece unreservedly.

As the last note faded, the café erupted in applause, and a woman's voice called out.

"Well, you must be a real Isabella Austin fan-both times you've played her music."

Emily turned toward the voice. It was Rose Ward.

Standing up from the piano bench, Emily smiled. “Aren't you? I just happened to

spot a sheet music book over there—almost every piece in it is by Isabella Austin. That was your doing, wasn't it, Rose?"