Samuel's face darkened instantly. His voice dropped to a low murmur. "This is bad. Very bad."

The evidence arrayed against Elise was overwhelming. Every piece meticulously crafted. It screamed of powerful manipulation. Someone with immense influence was pulling the strings.

Without William's connections now, a miracle was her only hope. The chances of Elise avoiding prison seemed impossibly slim.

"I'll reach out to William immediately," Ethan stated, his tone decisive. "He'll want Samantha on this case regardless. Brief her on everything. Once he's back, we hit the ground running. We'll find a way through this."

"Understood," Andrew replied.

Inside the detention center, Elise was taken aback to see Samantha. Comprehension dawned quickly. William had arranged for his top legal advisor to represent her. Elise knew little about Samantha, only that she was Andrew's wife and worked at Saunderia. She'd later learned Samantha was their lead counsel.

"Ms. Scott."

Samantha's greeting was formal, yet held a note of respect.

"William Levine has retained me to handle your case."

"I see," Elise responded, her tone flat, devoid of enthusiasm.

She knew exactly who was behind this. Accepting William's help felt like a bitter pill to swallow.

Moreover, she doubted his ability to truly extricate her from this mess.

Samantha sensed Elise's resistance. "First, I need your confirmation on a critical point. Your honesty will shape our defense strategy. Have you ever engaged in bribery or tax evasion?"

"Never," Elise answered firmly. Even with hope dwindling, she wouldn't surrender without a fight.

Samantha believed her. The case reeked of a setup. And then there was Elizabeth's fierce loyalty to Elise. Someone Elizabeth defended so staunchly couldn't be of poor character.

"However, the prosecution claims to have solid evidence of your crimes." Samantha slid a thick folder across the table.

Elise had seen the documents before, but Samantha proceeded to detail them.

"Exhibit one: bank records. While no direct transfers originated from your accounts, there were six consecutive wires from accounts belonging to relatives of Helen Williams. She is an accountant at Stellar Group. The funds sent to her relatives were traced back to an account under your name, totaling over one million dollars. The final destination was an account belonging to Henry Carter, Deputy Commissioner of the Tax Bureau."

Samantha placed another document before Elise. "This is Stellar Group's revenue report for the last fiscal year. It shows over seven million dollars in unreported taxable income. Every sheet bears your personal signature and official stamp."

"Finally," Samantha continued, "an anonymous source provided multiple photographs of you socializing with Henry Carter. These images will significantly strengthen the case against you." She summarized coolly, "On the surface, they appear to have an airtight case."

"I never wired any money to Henry Carter," Elise stated, her voice unwavering.

"My interactions with Henry Carter were entirely above board. They occurred before I took helm at Stellar Group. Building connections is a standard, if unspoken, business practice."

Samantha naturally took Elise at her word. "Have you received any notifications about unusual activity or changes in your bank statements?"

"None."

Elise's eyes narrowed. She pondered the sheer extent of that woman's reach. The resources required for such an elaborate frame-up were staggering.

"Also," Elise added, a new certainty in her tone, "I did not open that bank account."

"In other words, it's a dummy account created solely to incriminate you." Samantha nodded, processing this. "However, opening an account requires your physical presence at the bank. If we can secure evidence proving you did not open that account, we have a foundation for our defense."

Elise, however, felt no surge of optimism. A grim smile touched her lips. "Do you really think she'd make a mistake that elementary?"