d28.Rose heard the scream before she saw the woman fall.

The smear campaign hit the internet like a tidal wave.

Within four hours of Victoria's press conference, Rose’s social media accounts were flooded with thousands of hateful comments, death threats, and grotesque accusations. Tabloids published grainy photographs of her from her college yearbook, spinning a fictional narrative that she was an obsessive social climber who had stalked Nathaniel Callaway for months.

"Turn it off," Nathaniel commanded, striding into the expansive library of Callaway Manor.

The estate was a fortress—sprawling across forty acres of manicured woods in Westchester, surrounded by ten-foot stone walls and monitored by dozens of security personnel. Rose was sitting on a plush leather sofa, clutching a mug of tea that had long since gone cold, staring at her phone screen with hollow eyes.

"They found out where my mother receives her dialysis," Rose whispered, her voice shaking violently. "A reporter showed up at her clinic in Brooklyn, shoving a camera in her face while she was hooked up to a machine. Nathaniel... my mother has a heart condition. She can't take this."

Nathaniel reached out, gently took the phone from her trembling hands, and set it facedown on the mahogany table.

"My private security team moved your mother two hours ago," Nathaniel said calmly. "She’s currently in a private room at NYU Langone under an alias, with round-the-clock medical staff and armed guards at the door. Her treatments will continue without interruption. The press won't find her."

Rose looked up, stunned. "You... you did that already?"

"I told you I would protect you. I don't break my word." Nathaniel sat on the opposite end of the couch, watching her closely. "Victoria and her father are desperate. They know that once Eleanor testifies before the grand jury next week, the attempted murder charges will stick. They are trying to destroy your credibility before you ever take the witness stand."

"It's working," Rose said bitterly, looking down at her bandaged hands. "Look at the news. Everyone thinks I'm a monster who tried to push an old lady off a roof for hush money."

"The public opinion doesn't matter. The grand jury matters," Nathaniel said. "And the evidence matters."

Suddenly, the library doors swung open. Julian Vance walked in, carrying a thick leather briefcase. As Nathaniel’s corporate attorney and longtime friend, Julian had complete access to the Callaway estate. But tonight, his handsome face was unusually tense.

"Nathaniel, we need to talk in private," Julian said, his eyes flicking nervously toward Rose.

"Rose stays," Nathaniel said firmly. "Whatever you have to say about the case, she has a right to hear."

Julian hesitated, loosening his silk tie. "Arthur Sterling’s attorneys just sent over an informal settlement offer. It’s... aggressive."

"I don't settle with people who try to murder my mother," Nathaniel snapped. "Throw it in the trash."

"Listen to me first!" Julian urged, stepping closer. "They have two catering staff members who signed sworn affidavits stating they overheard Rose Miller bragging in the kitchen that she was going to 'make a scene' during the wedding to get Nathaniel's attention. Arthur paid them off, obviously, but on paper, it looks devastating. If this goes to trial, Rose will be torn apart on cross-examination. They'll paint her as a criminal accomplice."

Rose gasped. "That's a lie! I didn't even know whose wedding it was until I showed up for my shift!"

"It doesn't matter what's true, Rose, it matters what a jury believes," Julian said, his voice laced with patronizing sympathy. "Arthur is offering to drop all civil slander lawsuits and give Rose a two-million-dollar cash settlement if she signs a non-disclosure agreement and leaves the country immediately. Nathaniel, you get a clean divorce, no alimony, and the Sterlings absorb their own debts. It ends the scandal."

Nathaniel rose from the couch, his towering frame casting a long shadow across the room. The air grew dangerously cold.

"Are you asking me to let my mother's attempted murderer walk free?" Nathaniel asked, his voice deadly quiet. "Are you suggesting we pay off my mother's savior to silence her?"

"I’m trying to protect Callaway Global!" Julian argued, his voice rising in panic. "Our stock dropped twelve percent this morning! The board of directors is holding an emergency meeting on Friday. If this bloodbath continues in the press, they will vote to remove you as CEO!"

"Let them try," Nathaniel growled. "Get out, Julian. Tell the Sterlings they can take their settlement and burn it. Victoria is going to prison, and I will personally dismantle every company Arthur Sterling owns."

Julian looked at Nathaniel with a mixture of fear and quiet resentment. "You're making a massive mistake, Nathaniel. You're risking an empire for a maid."

"Get out," Nathaniel repeated.

Julian snapped his briefcase shut, turned on his heel, and marched out of the library, the heavy oak doors slamming shut behind him.

Rose sat frozen, her heart sinking. She looked at Nathaniel, who was standing by the large bay windows, staring out into the dark, rainy night.

"He's right, isn't he?" Rose said quietly. "Your board of directors... you could lose your company because of me."

Nathaniel turned around. In the soft amber glow of the library lamps, his expression was fierce, raw, and completely unguarded.

"Callaway Global was built by my father and mother with honest sweat and steel," he said, walking over to stand directly in front of her. "If I have to burn it to the ground to keep my mother safe and give you the justice you deserve, then I will strike the match myself."

Rose looked into his eyes, a strange, electric warmth blossoming in her chest despite the terror surrounding them. For the first time in her life, someone was standing between her and the cruelties of the world.

Suddenly, the house plunged into pitch-black darkness.

Every light in the mansion clicked off. The rhythmic hum of the estate's generators abruptly died.