"Three times that I can prove," Brynn confirms. "Always successful women. Always manufactured scandals. Always plausibledeniability."
Easton leans over my shoulder, his massive frame casting a shadow across the pages. "Jesus. It's a playbook."
I spread the documents across the table like tarot cards revealing a terrible future. The pattern emerges with crystalline clarity—not just sabotage, but systematic elimination. A corporate serial killer who specialized in making careers disappear. Brynn's research confirms Anna's story. Confirms that she's done this before.
"She didn't get lucky with Garrett's outburst," I say, my voice steady and cold. "She orchestrated it. Manipulated him into giving her exactly what she needed to destroy me."
"The question is," Brynn says, pulling out her laptop, "what do we do with this information?"
I study the evidence, my strategic mind already three moves ahead. The data is damning, the pattern undeniable. Any reasonable person looking at this documentation would see the truth immediately. Any ethical organization would act swiftly to correct such a massive injustice.
"We go through proper channels first," I decide, my voice carrying the confidence of someone who's solved the puzzle. "We present this to Frank Miller in a formal meeting. Give the organization a chance to do the right thing. I’m suspended right now pending the HR investigation, but this should give them everything they need to wrap it up and reinstate me."
Brynn frowns. "Sloane, are you sure? This could leak. We could lose control of the narrative—"
"No." I lean back, certainty flowing through me like steel in my veins. "Frank's a company man. He cares about liability, about protecting the organization from lawsuits. When he sees this evidence, when he understands the scope of Vivian's sabotage campaign, he'll have no choice but to act."
I start pacing, energy crackling through me as the plan takes shape. "We schedule a formal meeting. We present the evidence systematically—financial irregularities, pattern of behavior, documentation of gender-based discrimination. We make it clear that this isn't just about reinstating me. This is about protecting the organization from a massive lawsuit."
"And if he refuses to meet with you?" Easton asks.
"Then we go nuclear," I say simply. "But we give him the chance to be the hero first. To clean house internally before it becomes a public relations nightmare."
Brynn nods slowly, her journalist instincts engaging with the strategy. "It's elegant. Professional. Shows good faith on our part."
"Exactly." I stop pacing and turn to face them both, feeling more like myself than I have in hours. "We're not some disgruntled employees making wild accusations. We're concerned parties presenting irrefutable evidence of corporate misconduct."
The three of us spend the next hour refining the approach, building talking points, anticipating counterarguments. The energy in the room shifts from desperation to determination as we transform grief into tactics.
"When?" Brynn asks as we finalize the strategy.
"Tomorrow morning," I decide. "First thing. Before Vivian has time to spin whatever story she's planning."
Easton checks his phone. "I can get us a meeting. Frank respects me, trusts my judgment. If I tell him it's urgent, he'll make time."
"Do it."
As Easton steps into the hallway to make the call, Brynn studies my face with the intensity of someone reading between lines.
"You're different," she observes. "Harder."
"Good," I reply without hesitation. "Soft got me destroyed. Hard gets me justice."
She nods approvingly. "Just... be careful not to lose yourself in the process."
But I'm not worried about losing myself. For the first time in hours, I know exactly who I am: the woman who doesn't accept defeat. Who turns crisis into opportunity. Who fights back with intelligence, evidence, and absolute ruthless precision.
Easton returns, phone call complete. "Nine a.m. tomorrow. Frank's office."
"Perfect." I close the folder of evidence, my hands steady with purpose. "Vivian Lamore thinks she broke me. She thinks she can destroy careers and move on to her next target."
I look at my allies—my brother who chose loyalty over team politics, my best friend who spent weeks building an unshakeable case—and feel the final pieces of my plan click into place.
"She has no idea what's coming." I smile, and it's cold enough to freeze flames. "Frank Miller is a practical man. He cares about protecting his organization from liability. When he sees this evidence, when he understands what she's been doing..."
I pause, savoring the moment of absolute certainty.
"He won't know what hit him."
