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Locked inside the cramped supply room, Leah pressed her ear against the cool wood of the door. Her breath hitched in her throat. Outside, the low, steady murmur of her husband Nathan’s voice mixed with Doreen’s sharp, commanding tones. / Chapter 6 / 10

Chapter 6 - The Midnight BroadcastThe local news station, WCLN-TV, was just wrapping up its midnight broadcast when the studio doors were forcefully pushed open. Security guard Marcus stepped forward to intercept the intruder, but stopped dead in his tracks when he recognized the woman standing before him.

It was Simone, flanked by Leah, who wore a heavy coat with the hood pulled low over her face. Behind them stood an investigative journalist known nationwide for blowing open institutional corruption.

“Simone? What are you doing here? You can’t just walk onto the broadcasting floor—” Marcus stammered.

“I think you’ll want to watch this first, Marcus,” Simone said, dropping a heavy folder onto the receptionist's desk and sliding the flash drive toward the master terminal. “Tell the executive producer that the exclusive story of the year—involving multi-million-dollar baby trafficking, falsified psychiatric commitments at Briar Glen Hospital, and the Sterling family fortune—is ready to air in five minutes. Live.”

Inside the broadcast control room, chaos erupted instantly. The executive producer, recognizing the explosive nature of the documents and the unredacted financial wire trails linking Doreen Sterling to illegal adoption rings, made a split-second decision.

Red lights flashed across the studio cameras. The news anchor, caught off guard, was handed a breaking script live on air.

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“We interrupt our scheduled programming with breaking investigative news,” the anchor said, her voice tense with adrenaline. “Documents obtained tonight reveal a massive corruption scandal centering around Briar Glen Maternity Pavilion and prominent philanthropist Doreen Sterling. Sources allege that a systematic scheme involving falsified psychiatric holds has been used to forcibly remove newborns from vulnerable mothers... and we have exclusive statements from one of the mothers targeted tonight.”

Leah stepped out from the shadows behind the cameras, pulling down her hood. She looked directly into the lens, her voice steady, clear, and echoing across thousands of television screens throughout Ohio—including inside the grand study of the Sterling mansion.

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