After the guests were sent home, Sadie refused to let anyone take away the small gray suitcase she had brought from foster care. She sat on the edge of the bed with both hands around its handle, still wearing the sweater that had been soaked at the party.

Over the next seventy-two hours, Caleb worked relentlessly alongside Marcus and a team of independent forensic accountants.

While Evelyn and Richard Sterling spent millions flooding the media with false stories about Caleb's mental state, Caleb remained completely silent, giving no interviews and making no public statements. He allowed his enemies to build their false narrative, letting them grow arrogant in their belief that he was cornered and defeated.

With Marcus’s help, Caleb located Arthur Lin—Mara’s father.

Arthur was living in a quiet suburban cottage two hours outside the city, broken by grief and years of financial ruin. When Caleb walked through the door holding Sadie’s hand, the old man burst into tears, dropping to his knees to embrace the granddaughter he hadn't seen since Mara passed away.

Sitting in Arthur’s small living room, Caleb laid out the financial audit reports proving how Richard Sterling had illegally seized Arthur's patents through offshore shell companies controlled by Evelyn Vance.

"I thought I lost everything when Mara died," Arthur said, his voice trembling as he held Sadie close. "She tried so hard to protect me, Caleb. She stayed in that small house in Seattle, painting until her heart couldn't take it anymore, just so your mother wouldn't come after me again."

"They took Mara from us, Arthur," Caleb said, his eyes burning with absolute determination. "And they tried to throw Sadie into the shadows. But this Friday, at the board meeting, we are taking everything back."