"I came home to find my husband punishing my 8-year-old daughter for tearing his mistress’s $10,000 dress. “Pay for it or get out!” he screamed. I took my sobbing child to her room, where she whispered, “Mommy, she did it” I didn’t argue. I simply held my daughter, picked up my phone, and called my five brothers. My husband had no idea what was coming.

Marcus stared at me, his eyes wide with horror, his lips trembling. He looked at my worn clothes, then at the five men standing in his foyer—men whose combined net worth and influence could buy his entire firm ten times over.

"S-Sarah?" Marcus stammered, taking a trembling step toward me. "Your... your family is alive? You told me you were an orphan!"

"I never said I was an orphan, Marcus," I said calmly, stepping down to the bottom stair. "I said I didn't talk to my family. There’s a difference."

"You lied to me!" Chloe shrieked from the hallway, pointing a finger at me. "You let us think you were a nobody! Marcus, she set us up!"

Jax turned his head toward Chloe, his dark eyes narrowing into slits. "Shut your mouth before I have your bank accounts frozen for corporate fraud, lady."

Chloe swallowed her tongue, pulling her robe tightly around her neck and stepping back into the shadow of the corridor.

Upstairs, the door opened, and Leo walked out onto the balcony, holding Maya in his arms. She was wrapped in a soft wool blanket, her little arms looped around her uncle's neck. Ethan followed right behind them, holding Marcus's leather belt in a clear plastic evidence bag.

Maya looked down at the foyer, her big eyes lighting up when she saw Julian and Jax. "Uncle Jax? Uncle Julian?"

"Hey, princess," Jax said, his intimidating scowl vanishing instantly into a bright, warm smile. "We came to pick you up."

Leo carried Maya down the stairs, passing Marcus as if he were trash left on the curb. Ethan walked up to Gabriel, handing him the sealed evidence bag containing the belt.

Gabriel took the bag, held it up to the light, and looked directly into Marcus's eyes.

"Unlawful corporal punishment of a minor," Gabriel said smoothly, taking out a gold pen and making a notation in his binder. "Assault with a deadly weapon. Child endangerment. That's three felony counts right here, Marcus."

"She destroyed a ten-thousand-dollar dress!" Marcus yelled defensively, pointing at Maya. "I have a right to discipline a child in my own house!"

"She didn't touch the dress," Ethan said, his voice cold and precise like a surgeon's scalpel. He pulled a small portable drive from his pocket. "I just tapped into your home's internal Wi-Fi camera network. Your hallway camera caught Miss Chloe entering the master closet at 7:15 PM with a pair of fabric shears, cutting the dress herself, and dropping it on the floor before calling you upstairs."

Marcus turned his head slowly to look at Chloe. "What?"

Chloe’s face turned bright red. "Marcus, he's lying! They hacked the system! They altered the video!"

"We don't alter video, sweetheart," Ethan said dryly. "We just collect evidence. And right now, we have enough evidence to put both of you away for filing false police reports, child abuse, and conspiracy."

Marcus dropped into a velvet armchair in the foyer, his head in his hands, sweat pouring down his forehead. "Sarah... please. We can talk about this. We’re married. We can work this out—"

"There is no working this out, Marcus," Julian said, stepping forward until he towered over Marcus's chair. "You threatened to throw my sister and niece onto the street by morning. You gave them a deadline."

Julian pulled out his gold pocket watch, checked the time, and snapped it shut.

"It is now 12:15 AM," Julian said. "You have until 6:00 AM to pack your personal belongings and get out of this house."

Marcus snapped his head up. "What?! This is MY house! The deed is in my name!"

Gabriel smiled—a sharp, predator's smile. He pulled a staple-bound document from his leather briefcase and dropped it onto Marcus's lap.

"Read page four, Marcus," Gabriel said softly. "You used your company as collateral to secure the mortgage on this estate six years ago. Three hours ago, Vance Global Acquisitions purchased the debt note from your lender. You don't own this house anymore, Marcus."