Helen's POV
Morning light strained through the tinted windows as I stepped into the office. My heels struck the marble, each click sharp in the hush. Conversations died behind doors as I passed. I kept my pace steady, chin level, even as eyes followed me down the corridor. My jaw tightened, just enough to keep everything else in place.
The headlines had been impossible to ignore. Reporters camped outside my house, cameras ready, questions loaded. I slipped past them with Derick's help who now suddenly felt like a stranger. Matteo. The name still echoed, sour and unfamiliar.
I had wiped what I could from the internet, but the story had already spread too far, too fast. Once something like that caught fire, it never really burned out.
Tessa froze when she saw me, relief washing over her face. "Helen, thank God. You're okay." She stepped closer, lowering her voice. "The board is waiting."
