"The splash was louder than the orchestra.

The fallout was absolute and merciless.

With the bribery plot exposed on live television, the legal system moved with terrifying speed. Julian Harcourt was formally indicted on federal fraud charges stemming from his illegal foreclosure of the Vance family assets twenty years prior. His remaining assets were seized by the federal government to pay restitution to Eleanor Vance.

Camille Harcourt was denied bail due to flight risk. Stripped of her luxury clothes, her jewelry, and her social standing, she traded her silver crystal gown for an orange prison jumpsuit while awaiting trial.

Inside the State Penitentiary visitor room, Camille sat behind a thick glass pane.

The door opened, and Isabelle Crane walked in. It was the first visit Camille had received in weeks.

Camille grabbed the phone eagerly, her eyes hollow and dark. "Isabelle! Thank God! Did you speak to your father's lawyers? Can they help me post bail? I can't stay in here, Isabelle! The food, the bed... it's killing me!"

Isabelle picked up the receiver, looking at her former friend with cold pity.

"I'm not here to help you, Camille," Isabelle said quietly. "I came to return your personal belongings that were left at my house."

"What?" Camille wept. "Isabelle, we've been friends since boarding school!"

"We were never friends," Isabelle replied sharply. "We were just two arrogant girls who thought our money made us better than everyone else. Seeing what you did to Ethan's mother... seeing you get dragged out in handcuffs... it woke me up. My father forced me to join a community service program to clear our family name. And honestly? It's the best thing that ever happened to me."

"You're betraying me!" Camille screamed, pounding on the glass. "All of you! You were laughing at the fountain too!"

"I was," Isabelle admitted softly, her voice filled with genuine regret. "And I have to live with that shame for the rest of my life. But you... you never felt ashamed. You only felt angry that you got caught."