Chapter 336 The House of Cards Falls
The moment Samantha stepped out of the hotel, she lowered her head and hurried toward the waiting SUV.
She couldn’t bear another second under the weight of everyone’s eyes.
Every glance felt accusatory.
A valet looking in her direction.
A guest leaving the gala.
A hotel employee holding the front door.
Even strangers walking past seemed to recognize her.
It felt as though the entire city had already heard what happened.
She yanked the rear door open and climbed inside.
The moment it shut behind her, she curled into herself.
Her hands wouldn’t stop shaking.
They were ice cold no matter how tightly she rubbed them together.
Her heart felt as though it were sinking deeper and deeper into an endless pit.
The tears she’d been fighting finally spilled over, streaking her ruined makeup.
She stared blankly through the tinted window during the drive home.
Her phone buzzed constantly.
Calls.
Messages.
News alerts.
She ignored every one of them.
*****
The Hill estate was brightly lit.
Luxury cars lined the circular driveway.
A string quartet played beneath a white reception tent erected across the back lawn.
Inside, champagne flowed freely while caterers carried silver trays of hors d’oeuvres through clusters of smiling guests.
The Hill family had organized a private celebration that evening.
Everyone believed Samantha’s meeting with Edward Knight meant only one thing—
The Knight family had accepted her.
Accepted the baby.
And before long, there would be a wedding.
Daisy stood near the grand staircase, laughing into her phone.
"Our Samantha’s finally getting married."
"You have to come."
"It’ll be the wedding of the year."
Samantha froze.
Every cheerful word pierced straight through her.
Without warning, she stormed across the foyer.
"Mom!"
She ripped the phone from Daisy’s hand.
Crash!
The expensive smartphone shattered across the marble floor.
The room instantly fell silent.
Daisy stared at her daughter in shock.
"Sam?"
"What happened?"
"Why are you home already?"
Samantha’s breathing was ragged.
Her lips trembled.
She couldn’t force herself to say the words.
How could she explain that everything—
Everything—
Had fallen apart?
Before anyone spoke again—
The front door slammed open.
Logan Hill strode inside.
His face was flushed with fury.
Every trace of the polished businessman had vanished.
"What the hell happened tonight?"
He shouted so loudly the musicians outside stopped playing.
"I just heard Edward Knight had security throw you out of the gala."
His voice echoed through the house.
He’d barely made it back from his office when another disaster struck.
Thirty minutes earlier, attorneys representing federal investigators had arrived with subpoenas.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI had opened a formal investigation into Hill Group.
Allegations included securities fraud...
Money laundering...
False financial reporting...
And several other federal offenses.
Bank accounts had already been frozen.
Corporate records seized.
Luxury properties placed under emergency review.
The legal process had begun before he even knew what was happening.
Until tonight, Logan had believed the company could survive.
A new investor.
A political connection.
A restructuring plan.
There had still been hope.
Now...
That hope was gone.
Daisy looked between father and daughter in confusion.
"What investigation?"
"What are you talking about?"
Logan rounded on Samantha.
"Forget marrying into the Knight family."
"That’s over."
"Edward Knight dug up your entire past."
"Every dirty secret."
"It’s all over the news."
"You’ve humiliated this family."
His longtime business associates had already begun calling.
Some pretended to express concern.
Others simply wanted to confirm the gossip.
Every conversation felt like another slap across his face.
Daisy’s knees nearly buckled.
She turned toward Samantha.
"Ryan..."
"Didn’t Ryan help you?"
"Didn’t he say anything?"
The question cut deeper than anything else had tonight.
Samantha’s eyes reddened again.
"He..."
Her voice barely rose above a whisper.
"He couldn’t."
"He had no choice."
She refused to believe otherwise.
Ryan hadn’t abandoned her.
He simply couldn’t openly oppose Edward.
That had to be the truth.
It had to.
Logan let out a bitter laugh.
"The company’s collapsing."
"The investigation didn’t happen by accident."
"The Knights are behind this."
"And so are the Taylors."
"They’re burying us."
Years in corporate America had taught him one thing.
Federal agencies didn’t move this fast without powerful people pushing behind the scenes.
The Knights.
The Taylor family.
Perhaps others.
Someone wanted Hill Group erased.
What he couldn’t understand...
Was how Samantha had managed to make enemies of families with that much influence.
His patience finally snapped.
"If this destroys my company..."
He pointed directly at Daisy.
"I’ll file for divorce."
"I’m not sacrificing everything because of the mess the two of you created."
He spoke without hesitation.
Twenty years of marriage meant nothing compared to the corporation he’d spent his life building.
Then he looked upstairs.
"And take that kid with you."
"I’m done cleaning up everyone else’s mistakes."
Without another word, Logan grabbed his coat and stormed back out.
He still had lawyers to meet.
Evidence to review.
Damage to contain.
The front door slammed shut behind him.
Daisy stood motionless.
Tears streamed silently down her face.
After two decades together...
Logan had discarded them without a second thought.
Samantha slowly clenched her fists.
"No."
She shook her head.
"Ryan wouldn’t abandon me."
"He just couldn’t defend me in front of Edward."
"I’m going to see him."
"I’ll make him explain everything."
As she headed toward the door, she stopped beside her mother.
"If Logan wants to save himself..."
"Fine."
"We’ll save ourselves."
"I still own shares in Sky High."
"We’ll sell them."
"The money belongs to us."
"We’re not using it to rescue him."
Daisy wiped away her tears.
She forced herself to nod.
"Go."
"Talk to Ryan."
"There has to be another way."
*****
At the hotel.
"Rose."
Ryan’s voice was calm.
"Sit beside me."
There wasn’t a trace of emotion in his expression.
Yet his eyes remained fixed on her.
Steady.
Patient.
Certain.
It was a side of Ryan few people had ever seen.
Edward didn’t think twice about it.
He looked toward Rowan.
"Sit with your grandmother."
Then, turning to Rose, he added matter-of-factly, "You’ll sit beside Ryan."
Rowan accepted the decision without protest.
He gave Rose a reassuring smile.
"It’s okay."
"Go ahead."
Rose knew every pair of eyes at the table was quietly watching.
The gala had barely recovered from Samantha’s scandal.
As Ryan Knight’s wife—or at least the woman everyone still believed to be his wife—she had become the center of another silent conversation.
Defying Edward publicly wasn’t an option.
People in families like the Knights survived by understanding which battles could never be fought in public.
Rose took a slow breath.
Then walked toward Ryan.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
When she reached him, Ryan stood without a word.
He pulled out the chair beside his own.
His gesture was effortless.
Natural.
As though it had always belonged to her.
Rose hesitated only for a heartbeat before sitting down.
She understood exactly what Edward was doing.
He already knew about the private divorce agreement between her and Ryan.
But tonight wasn’t the time to acknowledge it.
The Knight family had just convinced New York’s elite that Samantha had fabricated everything.
If Rose announced they were already divorced...
Questions would immediately follow.
More speculation.
More headlines.
Another scandal.
Edward Knight had spent the entire evening protecting the family’s name.
He wasn’t about to let anyone undo that work over dinner.