He gently touched her hand.
Khloe opened her eyes.
"You're back."
"Yes."
"Did you find anything?"
Marcus nodded.
"More than we expected."
She looked at him.
"Is Isabella going to prison?"
"I don't know."
"But?"
Marcus hesitated.
"But I think she was working with someone."
Khloe became quiet.
"Who?"
"We don't know yet."
She stared at the ceiling.
Then whispered:
"Marcus."
"What?"
"What if she wasn't trying to destroy our marriage?"
He looked at her.
"What if she was trying to destroy our family?"
Neither spoke.
Outside the room, Daniel stood in the hallway.
He had just received another message.
This one contained a photograph.
It showed Isabella meeting a man in a parking garage.
Daniel recognized the man immediately.
He had been a trusted employee of the Thorne family for nearly fifteen years.
Daniel whispered:
"Oh, this goes much deeper than I thought."
The man in the photograph was Victor Hale.
He had served as a senior adviser to the Thorne family for fifteen years.
He had attended birthdays.
Weddings.
Board meetings.
Private vacations.
He knew where the family's money was kept.
He knew which companies Marcus owned.
He knew which employees could be trusted.
And he knew Khloe.
Perhaps most importantly, he knew exactly how much influence he had.
When Daniel confronted him, Victor didn't deny the meeting.
"I met Isabella."
"Why?"
"She asked for advice."
"About what?"
Victor smiled.
"Her career."
Daniel placed the photograph on the table.
"Don't insult me."
Victor's smile disappeared.
"You think I'm responsible for the attack?"
"I think you know why it happened."
Victor leaned back.
"You've always been suspicious."
"And you've always been careful."
Silence.
Daniel slid a folder across the table.
"Bank transfers."
Victor looked down.
"Emails."
He opened the folder.
"Phone records."
Victor's face changed.
Daniel leaned forward.
"You helped Isabella access confidential company information."
Victor remained silent.
"You gave her details about Khloe."
Still silent.
"You helped her monitor Marcus."
Victor finally looked up.
"You have no idea what you're dealing with."
Daniel smiled.
"Then explain it."
Victor shook his head.
"It's too late."
"For what?"
"The Thorne family has already lost."
Daniel froze.
"What does that mean?"
Victor stood.
"The company isn't yours anymore."
Daniel stared at him.
Victor walked toward the door.
But security stopped him.
Later that night, Marcus learned the truth.
There was a hidden financial agreement that could transfer control of several major Thorne assets if certain conditions were met.
Those conditions involved Marcus's personal legal status.
Specifically, his marriage.
If Marcus became involved in a public scandal that damaged his credibility, certain board members could force an emergency restructuring.
Khloe suddenly understood.
"The attack was supposed to create a scandal."
Marcus nodded.
"Then the accusation would make me look unstable."
"And if you defended me?"
"Some board members could claim I was compromised."
Daniel added:
"If you divorced Khloe publicly, Isabella could position herself as the woman who 'rescued' you."
Khloe stared at him.
"So Isabella wasn't only trying to get Marcus."
"Correct."
"She was trying to gain access to the company."
Daniel nodded.
"And Victor was helping her."
Marcus sat silently.
The betrayal hurt more than he expected.
Victor had been trusted by his father.
By his family.
By him.
Marcus looked at Daniel.
"Why?"
"We're still finding out."
The answer came the next morning.
Victor had accumulated enormous gambling debts.
He owed money to people who had threatened his family.
Isabella had approached him with an offer.
Help her gain control.
Help her destroy Khloe's reputation.
Help her create a crisis inside the Thorne organization.
In exchange, Victor would be protected financially.
But there was something Victor hadn't known.
Isabella had never intended to protect him.
She had planned to eliminate every person who knew about the scheme.
Victor.
The executive.
And eventually, perhaps, Marcus.
The revelation came from an encrypted message recovered from Isabella's computer.
"Once the divorce happens, Victor becomes unnecessary."
Daniel read the message twice.
Then he looked at Marcus.
"She's been using everyone."
Marcus shook his head.
"And she thought she could get away with it."
Daniel replied:
"Because until now, she always had someone else to blame."
Then came the moment that changed everything.
The prosecutor agreed to review the hospital footage.
When the recording played, Isabella's defense collapsed almost instantly.
There was no ambiguity.
No confusion.
No self-defense.
No misunderstanding.
The footage showed exactly what happened.
But the prosecutor wanted more.
"Can you prove she planned it?"
Daniel nodded.
"We can."
He presented the messages.
The financial transfers.
The surveillance records.
The attempted deletion of the hospital footage.
And finally, the photograph of Isabella meeting Victor.
The prosecutor closed the file.
"Bring me everything."
Daniel smiled.
"We will."
Meanwhile, Khloe sat beside the hospital window.