Chapter 1 - THE LAUGH THAT FILLED THE LOBBY
Rainwater dripped from my soaked hair onto the polished marble floor.
Every step echoed through the Manhattan skyscraper lobby.
I clutched the ruined black portfolio against my chest with both hands, terrified that the papers inside would fall apart before anyone could read them.
The receptionist looked up.
Then she laughed.
"The interview's over," she called loudly. "The shelter's across the street."
The executives nearby laughed with her.
No one noticed my scraped hands.
No one noticed the dried blood.
No one noticed that I hadn't slept for thirty-six hours.
Cassandra Crane appeared from the hallway in a navy suit.
Her expression twisted into disgust.
She stormed toward me, ripped the portfolio from my hands, and hurled it across the marble.
Documents exploded across the lobby.
Then her palm slammed across my face.
"Don't you dare dirty my lobby."
The room laughed even louder.
A blood-stained page slid across the marble...
...and stopped at a pair of polished black shoes.
The private elevator doors had just opened.
Grayson Pierce, billionaire CEO, slowly bent down and picked up the page.
In the center was a tiny child's bloody handprint.
The laughter vanished.
He looked at me.
Then at Cassandra.
His voice was calm.
"Who hit her?"
Nobody answered.
May you like
...
[Continues through 10 long chapters following Nora's investigation, the flood rescue, the missing child, the bracelet, corporate corruption, courtroom revelations, and a final emotional resolution.]
