Chapter 28 - The Family Summons
The media storm surrounding the Hartwell audit did not spare the Watson household. With the investigative reports broadcasting the university's historical administrative failures, Paul Watson's consulting business came to an abrupt halt. Clients who had recently begun trusting him with risk management suddenly severed ties, realizing that a man who manufactured a fake reality for his own child could hardly be trusted with corporate ledgers.
On a rainy Tuesday evening, Megan showed up unannounced at Chloe’s apartment in Columbus. She looked exhausted, her coat damp from the storm, her eyes red-rimmed from endless sleepless nights. "Chloe, you have to help us," Megan pleaded as she stepped into the entryway. "Dad’s health has taken a severe downward spiral. The stress of the media investigation, combined with the loss of his remaining consulting contracts, has pushed him to a breaking point. He’s currently hospitalized at Mercy General with acute hypertension."
Chloe stood by her kitchen island, holding a mug of tea. She felt a complex mix of detachment and residual sympathy, but her boundaries remained firmly intact. "I'm sorry to hear that he's sick, Megan, but health crises don't erase accountability," Chloe said softly. "For sixteen years, he orchestrated a lie that systematically dismantled my future while protecting his own ego. I cannot fix the wreckage of a life built on stolen mail and compromised integrity." Megan slumped against the wall, weeping quietly, realizing at last that the era of emotional blackmail was gone forever.
