John finished bandaging the cut on Ethan's forehead. "I need to go now," he said, his voice low. "There's still a lot to handle for Elise's trial. I can't afford to split my focus too much right now. Whatever you decide, I'll respect it."

"William," Ethan said, his tone heavy with emotion. "Thank you."

William placed a firm hand on Ethan's shoulder. "We're family, aren't we?"

Ethan felt a surge of gratitude. William wasn't one for many words, but he noticed everything. He offered comfort in his own quiet way. Those who didn't know him well would never guess at the warmth hidden beneath his powerful exterior.

As William drove away from the hospital, he stared out the car window and let out a weary sigh. Memories surfaced of a younger Elizabeth trailing after him, constantly calling his name. That lively little girl had grown into a woman...

His phone vibrated, pulling him from his thoughts. He answered immediately. "Mr. Levine? We've identified multiple suspicious transfers from Helen Williams's personal account."

"Send me the details," William instructed.

"Right away, sir."

William's eyes narrowed. His top priority remained clearing Elise's name.

After reviewing the bank records, he called Elise. "I found something significant."

"What is it?" Elise asked. She had been working from home, meticulously reviewing every detail of her case, searching for anything the prosecution might have missed.

"I'm coming over to discuss it," William said.

"Okay."

Elise agreed without hesitation, then remembered something else. "Elizabeth's phone is switched off. What kind of event requires her to turn it off completely?"

The apartment felt strangely empty without Elizabeth's vibrant presence.

"I'll explain everything when I get there," William replied.

Elise sensed he was withholding information. Elizabeth hadn't answered her calls last night either. William had called later, saying Elizabeth was tied up with an industry event. Elise hadn't thought much of it—show business was unpredictable, and last-minute schedule changes were common. But Elizabeth completely powering down her phone today felt different. A knot of unease tightened in Elise's stomach.

William arrived at her apartment in under thirty minutes. He showed her the bank records he had obtained for Helen Williams. "She made several large transfers to this specific account," he explained, pointing at the transactions. "My team traced it back to an illegal gambling ring. It's highly probable Helen was gambling and accumulated massive debts. You know how ruthless those people can be. Debt collectors don't hesitate to break legs, or worse. That gives her a powerful motive to set up that fraudulent account and frame you—she needed the money to pay them off."

Elise nodded in agreement. "We have her motive, which is crucial. But the key question remains: where did the money in that account originally come from? Did you trace the source?"

"It was funneled in from various accounts, none of them directly linked to Sophia," William admitted. "But I'm investigating each account holder. There has to be a connection somewhere."

"Time isn't on our side," Elise reminded him. She had complete faith in William's abilities, but the trial clock was ticking loudly.

"I'm working as fast as I can," William promised.

Elise didn't press further and returned to structuring her defense strategy. "I remembered something today. Samantha mentioned that the bank's security cameras were malfunctioning on the day that fake account was created. While it doesn't definitively prove I wasn't there, I can actually prove I was somewhere else entirely that day." William's eyes lit up with clear admiration. Elise was brilliantly sharp. He had been so focused on building the case around Helen that he had overlooked this critical angle.

"I've been racking my brain, trying to recall every detail," Elise continued. "I was working at Stellar Group the entire day and went straight home afterward. I've asked Matthew to discreetly obtain the security footage from the office and my building. That should serve as solid evidence for the court."