Chapter 4

Kennard shoved her back.

The movement was abrupt, almost violent. He scrambled to his feet, his chest heaving as if he had just surfaced from drowning. He didn't look at her face. He kept his eyes fixed on the wall above her head, his fist clenched tight around the stolen hair in his pocket.

"Get some sleep," he ordered, his voice harsh and grating.

He turned and walked out of the room, the heavy door clicking shut and locking behind him.

Katherine remained on the floor for a long moment. She wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. The sorrow in her chest hardened, crystallizing into a cold, sharp fury. Crying wouldn't break the code that held her son hostage. She needed to dismantle the narrative.

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the tall windows.

The deadbolt on the door clicked open. The electronic lock flashed green, signaling her restriction had been lifted.

Katherine pushed herself up from the floor where she had eventually fallen asleep. A sharp, hot ache flared through her right knee the moment she put weight on it. She sucked in a breath, steadying herself against the wall. The joint had stiffened overnight, the swelling still tender beneath the skin. She forced herself to stand upright, smoothing the wrinkles from her clothes with deliberate, controlled movements.

She walked out into the hallway, her gait measured-a subtle favoring of her left leg that only the most observant eye would catch. She moved silently over the thick carpets, heading toward the second floor. She knew exactly where Kennard would be.

The heavy mahogany double doors to the main study were cracked open.

Katherine paused outside, pressing her back against the wall. Through the narrow gap, she could see Kennard sitting behind the massive desk. His hands were steepled under his chin, his face pale and drawn.

Dusty stood in front of the desk. He slammed a thick manila folder and an iPad down onto the polished wood.

"This is the perimeter footage from the warehouse, ten minutes before the explosion," Dusty said, his voice tight with suppressed rage.

He tapped the iPad screen. The video zoomed in on a silver Porsche Panamera parked near the rear loading dock. A man in a dark hoodie was pulling heavy red jerrycans out of the trunk.

"The car is registered to a shell company we just traced back to Brittnie's personal assistant," Dusty stated, stabbing a finger at the folder. "And the financial traces were buried deep, heavily obfuscated, but I found the wire transfers. The purchase of the chemical accelerants was routed through three offshore accounts, all ultimately funded by the black Amex card you gave her. She set the fire, Kennard. She tried to fake her death, and she didn't care if you burned with the building."

Katherine gripped the doorframe. The evidence was absolute. It was a kill shot. Any rational CEO would have the woman arrested before lunch.

Inside the study, the silence stretched.

Kennard stared at the iPad. His eyes began to lose focus. A strange, unnatural glaze washed over his pupils. The muscles in his jaw slackened. The script was overriding his cognitive functions, forcing a system reboot to protect the female lead.

His phone buzzed on the desk. Brittnie's customized ringtone filled the room.

Kennard picked it up.

"Kenny?" Brittnie's voice leaked from the speaker, trembling and thick with fake tears. "I'm so scared. Some men grabbed me last night. I just managed to get away. Please tell me you're safe."

The transformation was instantaneous and sickening.

Kennard's glazed eyes softened into absolute, pathetic devotion. He hunched over the desk, his voice dropping to a desperate, soothing murmur.

"I'm here, baby. I'm safe," Kennard whispered. "I'm so sorry. I should have been there to protect you. I'll double your security today."

Dusty looked like he was going to vomit. His hands balled into fists at his sides.

Kennard hung up the phone. He looked up at Dusty, his eyes completely devoid of the sharp intelligence that usually defined him.

"Destroy these files," Kennard commanded, pushing the iPad away. "Someone is trying to frame her. Don't ever bring this garbage into my office again."

"Are you insane?" Dusty exploded, slamming his hands on the desk. "She tried to kill you!"

Kennard shot out of his chair. "One more word about her, Dusty, and you are fired. Get out."

Outside the door, Katherine felt the air in her lungs turn to ice. The narrative's power was terrifying. It literally rewrote his reality in real-time. Logic was useless here.

Katherine stepped back, raised her foot, and kicked the mahogany doors open.

They slammed against the walls with a sound like a gunshot.

Both men jumped. Dusty spun around, his hand dropping to his waist. Kennard frowned, his face twisting with irritation at the intrusion into his sanctuary.

Katherine didn't hesitate. She walked straight to the desk, each step deliberate-the pain in her knee buried beneath the weight of her authority. She planted both hands flat on the mahogany surface and leaned over, invading Kennard's physical space. Her eyes were black with authority.

"We are going to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center," Katherine ordered. Her voice left no room for debate.

Kennard blinked. The script tried to force him to yell at her, to throw her out, but the deep, biological instinct to obey his mother paralyzed his vocal cords. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

Katherine snatched the keys to the Maybach off the desk. She threw them hard, hitting Kennard squarely in the chest.

"Since you want to play deaf and blind," she said, her voice dropping to a lethal whisper, "we are going to let science wake you up."