Alcohol’s harsh aroma quickly filled the space, stinging his mouth and nose.

“Ahem. Ahem. Ahem…” Coughing fitfully, he found himself unable to catch his breath.

Did it hurt?

Without a doubt, the pain was real.

Was that suffering enough to satisfy justice?

Certainly not.

When measured against everything Hadley had endured, his pain hardly compared.

Life had a way of returning what you put out, and fate always came full circle.

At last, consequences had caught up to him.

Meanwhile, Hadley finally managed to get a restful night’s sleep. Now that her mother’s and grandfather’s graves had been successfully relocated, and her health had improved after her treatments, a sense of relief settled over her.

As dawn broke and she prepared for the day, her phone buzzed with a call from Elvin.

“Mr. Webster.”

“Hello, Hadley.” Elvin’s voice carried news about the upcoming promotion for their new TV series. “We’re gearing up to begin. Is there anything on your end we should know about?”

“No issues on my end,” Hadley replied with a lingering smile. “I’ll go along with whatever you need.”

“Perfect. I’ll get everything set up.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

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By midday, Elvin had already sent her the full itinerary for the project. The outline showed that the main promotional push would kick off two days from now. Hadley immediately made arrangements to ensure everything at home ran smoothly while she was away. Melba would babysit Joy as always, while two other helpers handled meals and household chores, leaving her with no reason to worry.

Rather than starting in Srixby, the first event on the schedule was set for Ciderbrook, where their major sponsor’s headquarters were located. Since the sponsor wanted a strong spotlight on their products, the decision made perfect sense.

After updating Chelsey and Tamara, Hadley gathered her things and prepared to leave the following evening. Traveling to Ciderbrook meant heading far south to the coast, so the group boarded a flight to save time. Bringing her own team along, Hadley managed the ticket bookings herself and arranged to meet the rest of the film crew at the hotel upon arrival.

Boarding the plane, Tamara and Chelsey sat together, leaving Hadley by herself a few rows away. Their four bodyguards positioned themselves in the last row. Tamara leaned over and said, “Hadley, you should swap seats with Chelsey.” She didn’t want Hadley out of her line of sight.

“Hadley?” A gentle call of her name made her pause before she could answer Tamara.

When she turned, a small smile touched her lips. “Hello, Zane.”

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