Chapter 40 NEW ALLEGATIONS
POV: Selena
The room was already loud when the screen changed.
I was standing, not sitting, because sitting felt like surrender. I wanted one thing in that moment. I wanted the footage to be wrong. I wanted the anchor to clear his throat and say there had been a mistake. Instead, the graphic behind him sharpened, and the words slid into place like a verdict.
I felt Adrian’s shoulder brush mine. He did not look at me. He was looking straight ahead, jaw set, like if he stared hard enough the truth might bend.
“Breaking developments,” the anchor said. “Senator Thornton has released what he claims is documented evidence of treason involving the De Luca family and a foreign government.”
The pressure in my chest did not explode. It narrowed.
I leaned closer to the screen, eyes scanning fast. Dates. Logos. Seals that looked real enough to fool anyone who did not know how these things were built.
“This is fabricated,” Marcus said behind us. He sounded calm, which scared me more than panic. “Sophisticated, but fabricated.”
“Can you prove it?” Adrian asked.
Marcus did not answer right away.
The anchor kept talking. “According to Thornton’s campaign, the documents show covert financial coordination between the De Luca Foundation and foreign interests seeking influence over U.S. policy.”
I felt heat crawl up my neck.
“This is insane,” I said. “They are not even subtle.”
“That is the point,” Marcus replied. “If it is bold enough, people assume it must be true.”
Phones started vibrating. One after another. A chorus of alerts and calls and messages that no one answered. The public had already decided there was smoke. Fire would follow.
On the screen, Thornton appeared again. Calm. Grave. Convincing.
“I did not want to do this,” he said. “But when powerful families put national security at risk, silence becomes complicity.”
Adrian let out a sound that was halfway between a breath and a laugh.
“He’s accusing my family of treason,” he said. “On live television.”
I watched Thornton’s mouth move and felt something click inside me. Not fear. Focus.
“They will believe him,” I said. “At least at first.”
Adrian finally looked at me. “We will fight it.”
“I know,” I said. “But this is not about winning an argument. This is about time.”
Marcus nodded. “Public opinion is already shifting. Social media sentiment is turning fast. This will get ugly before it gets better.”
On screen, reporters shouted questions. Thornton raised his hand for quiet.
“I understand the gravity of these claims,” he said. “That is why I am calling for a full federal investigation.”
My stomach dropped.
“He wants the FBI on his terms,” I said.
“Yes,” Marcus replied. “And he wants to force the De Lucas into a defensive posture.”
The room felt smaller. Not physically. Strategically.
A new alert flashed across the screen. A headline. Then another.
I saw Adrian’s name. Then the foundation’s. Then mine.
“Intern connected to alleged foreign scheme,” one read.
Adrian reached for my hand. I did not pull away.
“This is my fault,” I said quietly.
He shook his head. “No.”
“They would not be able to frame this story around a villain if I were not here,” I said. “If I had walked away earlier.”
“And if you had,” he replied, “they would have found someone else. Or made one.”
Marcus cleared his throat. “We need to move. Now. Before this solidifies.”
“Move how?” I asked.
“Counteranalysis,” he said. “Independent verification. We release a technical breakdown showing why the documents cannot be real.”
“And who will believe that?” I asked.
Marcus met my gaze. “People who want the truth.”
That was not enough.
Before I could say it, a sharp sound cut through the room. A phone clattered to the floor.
I turned.
Senator De Luca was standing near the doorway, one hand braced against the wall. His face had gone gray. Not pale. Gray, like the color had drained out of him.
“Dad,” Adrian said.
The senator tried to speak. No sound came out. His knees buckled.
Everything moved at once.
Adrian caught him before he hit the floor. Bella shouted for help. Marcus was already calling emergency services. I stood frozen for half a second too long, then dropped to my knees beside them.
“Sir,” I said, not knowing what else to call him. “Can you hear me?”
His eyes flickered. Sweat beaded at his temples. One hand clutched his chest.
“Ambulance is on the way,” Marcus said. “Two minutes out.”
Adrian knelt, his arm wrapped around his father’s shoulders. “Dad. Stay with me.”
The senator’s gaze shifted. It landed on me.
I did not look away.
He stared like he was trying to place me in a story that had changed shape. His lips parted. Words came out broken.
“I was wrong,” he said.
Adrian’s breath hitched.
“About the girl,” the senator continued, each word an effort. “She is… stronger than all of us.”
My throat tightened.
Sirens wailed in the distance.
“Protect the family,” he said to Adrian. “Do whatever it takes.”
The paramedics burst in seconds later, efficient and fast. They lifted him onto a stretcher, voices clipped and calm. Electrodes. Oxygen. A rush of movement that left the room hollow behind them.
Adrian stood slowly as they wheeled his father out.
“I’m going with him,” Bella said.
“Go,” Adrian replied.
The door closed.
Silence followed, thick and stunned.
I rose to my feet, hands trembling now that there was space for it.
Adrian turned to me. His eyes were wet. Not broken. Focused.
“This ends,” he said. “One way or another.”
I nodded. “It will.”
Marcus stepped forward. “We need to regroup. Thornton escalated. We escalate smarter.”
I looked back at the dark screen. At the frozen image of Thornton mid speech.
“He thinks this will scare us into mistakes,” I said.
“Yes,” Marcus replied.
“He thinks I will disappear,” I continued. “Or stay quiet.”
Adrian watched me closely.
“I won’t,” I said.
A pause. Then Adrian nodded once.
“Good,” he said. “Because neither will I.”
Outside, the sirens faded. Inside, something else took their place. Resolve. Not loud. Not dramatic. Steady.
Thornton had drawn blood.
Now he had our attention.