Samantha and Andrew Saunders left the hotel together. Samantha was behind the wheel, while Andrew sat in the passenger seat.

As they drove, Samantha spoke up. "I had a friend look into Elise Scott's case. It doesn't look promising. They have eyewitnesses and physical evidence. The charges are clearly defined."

She paused, gripping the steering wheel tighter. "Bribery and tax evasion. With the massive amounts of money involved? That could mean a decade in prison."

"Let's get Elise out on bail for now," Andrew responded. "William will find a solution."

"Right," Samantha murmured.

Suddenly, Andrew's hand shot out, grabbing the steering wheel. A car swerved past them at that exact moment. Without his quick intervention, they would have collided with the vehicle beside them.

The other driver rolled down his window, shouting angrily. "Learn how to drive! Maybe you should just stay off the roads!"

Andrew glared back, his voice sharp. "You're the one who should watch where you're going! Check your blind spot before changing lanes!"

Samantha pressed her lips together, remaining silent. Her driving skills were clearly at fault here. She nervously twisted her fingers, then gestured for Andrew to remove his hand from hers.

He complied but didn't hold back his criticism. "You really shouldn't be driving if you're this bad at it."

"I'll just drive slower," she said quietly, knowing arguing with him was pointless.

"Why don't we have chauffeurs? Just ask your father to assign you one. He'd be thrilled to do it, since he treats you like his real daughter anyway," Andrew said sarcastically.

Samantha stayed silent once more.

Andrew snorted loudly. "Pull over!"

Samantha guided the car to the roadside and stopped, assuming Andrew would hail a taxi. Instead, he got out and walked around to the driver's side.

"Out," he commanded.

Samantha unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out. Andrew gestured toward the passenger seat. "Get in."

She complied without argument. He settled into the driver's seat and immediately complained. "What's wrong with this seat? I can barely fit in here..."

Samantha didn't understand why Andrew was always so irritable, or on the verge of becoming so. She wanted to point out the obvious - she stood at five foot three, while he was nearly six foot three. That was a full foot difference between them. Her seat settings would never accommodate his frame.

Still, Andrew managed to adjust the seat until he was comfortable. He then drove Samantha's car toward the detention center.

Samantha went through the standard bail procedures for Elise, but was met with resistance. The authorities informed her that the case against Elise was solid, and the trial date had been moved up. Bail was not an option.

They remained stubbornly uncooperative. Neither Samantha's legal threats nor Andrew's mentions of his family's influence made any difference.

Finally, Samantha stated bluntly, "I'm Elise Scott's lawyer. I have the right to meet with my client, regardless of bail status."

They reluctantly agreed to the meeting. Samantha turned to Andrew. "Wait outside for me. I'm going in to speak with Elise. Also, you should contact William Levine immediately. Based on my experience, this isn't a standard criminal case. Someone is pulling strings behind the scenes. Unless William gets involved personally, we might not be able to turn this around."

Andrew nodded and left the detention center to call William. William's phone was switched off.

Perhaps he had already boarded his flight? It had been two hours since their last conversation.

Yet Andrew felt something was wrong. Logically, William should have called before boarding. He would have at least asked about Elise's situation.

But there had been no communication from him at all...

Andrew immediately decided to call Ethan Parker.

"Ethan, I can't reach William right now. Is he on a flight?"

"I believe my father is keeping him detained abroad," Ethan replied.