Chapter 48 The Fallout
Harper's Pov,
The story broke 3 hours after I left Patricia Hammond's office.
ESPN was first:
BREAKING: DA Drops Case Against Harper Sinclair, Launches Corruption Investigation Into Billionaire Robert Cross
Then The Athletic: Crew Lawson's Girlfriend Exonerated as DA Admits Prosecutorial Misconduct
Then Twitter exploded.
I was sitting on Maya's couch watching my phone light up with notifications when Crew came out of the bedroom where he'd been on a call with Vancouver's management.
"It's everywhere," I said, showing him my screen. "Every sports outlet is running the story. It's the top trending topic on Twitter."
He sat down next to me and scrolled through the headlines. "Holy shit. They're destroying Robert Cross."
He was right.
Article after article detailed how a billionaire had used campaign donations to corrupt the DA's office. How Richard Moss had coordinated the entire conspiracy. And how I'd been targeted for defending myself against his daughter.
My phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number.
"Ms. Sinclair, this is David Chen from Brianna Cross's legal team. We'd like to discuss settlement terms for your countersuit. Are you available to meet this week?"
I showed Crew. "That was fast."
"They know they're going to lose. They want to settle before this gets worse." He pulled up Twitter on his phone. "Harper, look at this."
He showed me the trending topics.
#JusticeForHarper was number one.
Below it:
#RobertCrossCorruption, #RichardMossArrested, #TitansFailedCrewLawson
I clicked on #JusticeForHarper and started reading.
Tweet after tweet from people who'd followed the story. People apologizing for believing the initial narrative, praising me for fighting back and calling for accountability.
One tweet had 50,000 likes: Harper Sinclair spent months being called violent and manipulative while a billionaire literally bought a prosecution against her. And she STILL won. That's what fighting back looks like.
Another: Everyone who attacked Harper Sinclair owes her an apology. She was right about everything and we called her crazy.
And another: The real story isn't that Harper fought back. It's that she had to fight a corrupt DA, a conspiracy between powerful men, and public opinion all at the same time. And she won anyway.
"People believe you now," Crew said quietly.
"Now that the DA admitted I was right. Now that there's proof." I set my phone down. "Where were all these people three weeks ago when I was being called a psychopath?"
"Busy believing the narrative Richard created. But Harper, they're on your side now. That matters."
"Does it? Because I still lost my job. I still got evicted. I still spent three months thinking I was going to prison." I stood up and walked to the window. "The DA apologizing doesn't erase what they put me through."
Crew came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "No, it doesn't. But it does mean you get to rebuild without that hanging over you. And it means everyone who tried to destroy you is going to face consequences."
My phone rang. Monica.
"Did you see the news?" she asked when I answered.
"Everyone's seen the news. It's everywhere."
"Good. Because Brianna's attorneys just sent over their settlement offer. They're proposing four hundred thousand dollars to drop your countersuit and sign an NDA."
I nearly dropped my phone. "Four hundred thousand?"
"Which is insulting considering what they put you through. I'm countering with one point two million." Monica's voice was sharp. "Harper, we have all the leverage here. They know if this goes to trial, the jury's going to destroy them. Especially now that public opinion has shifted so dramatically in your favor."
"You think they'll pay one point two million?"
"I think they'll pay whatever it takes to make this go away quietly. Robert Cross is facing criminal charges. Richard Moss is already arrested. The last thing the Cross family wants is a civil trial where all of this gets rehashed in front of a jury." She paused. "But Harper, you need to decide if you want money or accountability. An NDA means you can't talk about what happened. Ever. Is that worth one point two million to you?"
I thought about that. About never being able to tell my story publicly. About signing away my right to speak about what they did to me in exchange for money.
"No NDA," I said. "I don't care if it means less money. I'm not signing away my ability to talk about this."
"You sure? An NDA is standard in these settlements—"
"I'm sure. They can pay me for damages but they don't get to buy my silence." I looked at Crew, who nodded his support. "Tell them one point two million, no NDA, or we go to trial and I tell every detail of what they did."
"I love it when clients have spines." Monica sounded delighted. "I'll send the counteroffer today. Expect them to come back with something in the $800,000 range. We'll settle around $900,000, no NDA, and you walk away with enough money to start over in Vancouver."
After she hung up, I just stood there trying to process.
$900,000
Three months ago, I had $12,000 in savings and no prospects.
Now I was potentially walking away with almost a million dollars in settlement money.
"You okay?" Crew asked.
"I don't know. This doesn't feel real." I sat back down on the couch. "Four hours ago, I was broke and being sued. Now I'm negotiating a settlement where they pay me and I'm trending on Twitter and everyone's on my side. It's like I woke up in an alternate reality."
"It's not an alternate reality. It's just justice finally catching up." He pulled up something on his phone. "Harper, look at this."
He showed me an article from a major news outlet: Richard Moss Arrested, Faces Multiple Conspiracy Charges
I read through it. Richard had been arrested at his home this morning. He was being charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice, abuse of process, and multiple counts of witness tampering related to payments he made to Emma and others.
His mugshot was at the bottom of the article. He looked exactly how I felt three weeks ago—scared and small and like the world was crushing him.
"He's actually going to prison," I said.
"Probably. The evidence against him is overwhelming." Crew scrolled further. "And look at this."
Another article: Robert Cross Under Investigation, Resigns from Multiple Board Positions
Robert Cross had resigned from the boards of three major companies this morning. His attorney had issued a statement saying he was "cooperating fully with investigators" and had "no knowledge of any wrongdoing."
"He's lying," I said. "He knew exactly what he was doing."
"Of course he's lying. But the DA has evidence now. Patricia Hammond isn't going to let him walk just because he's rich." Crew set his phone down. "Harper, they're all going down. Richard, Robert Cross, everyone who tried to destroy you. They're all facing consequences."
"What about Brianna?"
"What about her?"
"Is she facing any consequences? Or does she get to walk away clean because her daddy paid for everything?"
Crew pulled up Brianna's Instagram. Her last post was from two days ago—a photo of her baby bump with a caption about "staying positive through challenges."
The comments were brutal.
Your dad tried to send an innocent woman to prison
How does it feel knowing your family is corrupt?
You owe Harper Sinclair an apology
Spoiled billionaire princess who can't handle being told no
"She's getting destroyed in her comments," Crew said. "Her follower count is dropping. Her sponsorships are probably gone. She's not facing criminal charges but her reputation is ruined."
"Good." I felt zero sympathy. "She slapped me and then let her father try to put me in prison for defending myself. I hope every endorsement deal she ever had drops her."
My phone buzzed with a text from a number I didn't recognize at first. Then I realized—it was Joel.
"Harper, I saw the news. I'm so sorry for everything you went through. I had no idea Richard was doing any of this. If I'd known, I would have stopped him. Please believe me."
I stared at the message for a long moment.
Then I deleted it without responding.
"Joel?" Crew asked, reading my expression.
"Joel. Apologizing. Claiming he didn't know what Richard was doing."
"Do you believe him?"
"I don't care if he knew or not. He's the one who hired Richard. He's the one who told Richard to make me go away. He doesn't get to act innocent just because he didn't personally write the emails." I blocked Joel's number. "I'm done with him. The wedding's in three weeks. After that, I never have to think about Joel Hartley again."
"You're still going?"
"Oh, I'm definitely still going. I didn't fight this hard just to miss the chance to show up looking amazing while his life implodes." I smiled. "Besides, we have a deal with Vancouver. They're flying us up next week to look at apartments and meet the team. We can shop for wedding outfits while we're there."
Crew laughed. "You're really committed to this revenge thing."
"I'm committed to closing this chapter properly. Joel wanted me gone and quiet and ashamed. I'm going to show up to his wedding successful and happy and completely over him. That's the best revenge."