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Noah followed, not saying a word. He just watched and listened. Listened as Melanie’s voice cracked. Listened as she started naming names. And listened as the walls of Fairchild’s empire started to crumble.

Inside, Alex sat across from Melanie, his posture relaxed but his presence suffocating. Luke stood nearby, silent but watchful. They had cornered her, backed her into a place where she could no longer twist the truth into something convenient.

Melanie’s breathing was shaky, her fingers clutching at her sleeves as if she could hold herself together by sheer force of will.

“You want to make it out of this alive?” Alex asked, voice calm, deliberate. “Start talking.”

She swallowed hard. “I—I shot Dylan Grant.”

Luke didn’t flinch, but Noah caught the slight tension in his shoulders.

Alex’s expression remained unreadable. “You’re gonna have to be a little more specific than that.”

Melanie’s lip trembled. “I didn’t mean to kill his secretary,” she said quickly, her voice breaking. “She just—she was there at the worst possible moment.”

Alex leaned forward, his tone pressing. “Walk us through it, Mel. Why’d you pull the trigger?”

Melanie exhaled sharply, shaking her head. “I walked in on them,” she admitted, her voice thick with anger. “He was supposed to be working, supposed to be handling things for Fairchild, finding out who set the bomb, but instead, he was screwing his secretary right there in his office.”

Luke's jaw tightened, but he stayed silent.

Melanie let out a bitter laugh, but there was no humor in it. “I lost it. I wasn’t even thinking. I pulled the trigger, and then…” She swallowed, squeezing her eyes shut as if she could erase the memory. “She screamed. And then I shot her too.”

The room was silent except for the uneven sound of her breathing.

Alex’s voice was sharp when he finally spoke. “Fairchild ordered the hit on Dylan, didn’t he?”

Melanie nodded slowly. “Yeah.”

“Why?”

Melanie hesitated, chewing on her bottom lip before whispering, “Because Matt Brandt told him Dylan was trying to cut a deal.”

Noah straightened, his grip on the doorway tightening.

Alex’s expression didn’t change. “What kind of deal?”

Melanie exhaled slowly. “Dylan had Hilton’s accounting files. The real ones—the ones that proved where Fairchild’s money was going. He was trying to find a buyer, someone who could offer him protection in exchange for the files. Matt found out and panicked. He gave me a copy the day they arrested Noah. I dropped it in my boot when you and Ruth came into her office.” She looked up at Noah.

Noah’s brows creased. “Did you know Ruth saw it?”

“I wasn’t sure.” Melanie chewed her lip.

“Did you tell anyone?” Noah came closer.

“Matt,” she admitted. “I told him I put the thumb drive in my boot, and Ruth may have seen it.

Noah and Alex shared a look.

Luke finally spoke, his voice eerily calm. “So, he ratted out Grant to Fairchild to save his own skin.”

Melanie gave a slow nod. “Yeah. And Fairchild decided Dylan wasn’t worth the risk.”

“Honey, who told you I was working for Fairchild?” Luke asked. Noah had to give Luke props. He played the part well.

Melanie looked at her hands. “Dylan.” She shrugged.

Noah clenched his jaw. It made sense. Fairchild wasn’t the type to let loose ends walk away, especially not with something as valuable as Hilton’s files. Dylan Grant was a big loose end. Matt Brandt was likely on the list.