I look at the flat screen TV mounted on the wall and watch the newscaster with a numb feeling creeping over my body.

"Allegations mount as Stackford Capital's CEO, Derek Stackford, is under intense scrutiny for sexual misconduct. Sources, who prefer to remain anonymous at this early stage of the investigation, say that Mr. Stackford is engaging in sexual relations with his stepdaughter, billionaire heiress Eliza Seymour, for reasons that have yet to be uncovered."

I shake my head at the TV. Of course they're playing up the father-daughter angle. So fucking predictable … especially with Wanda behind this.

The newscaster continues, "Since these allegations have surfaced, other anonymous women are coming forward, claiming that Mr. Stackford has in the past approached them inappropriately by either placing his hands up their skirts, or groping them. And that's not all. If that weren't enough, sources are also uncovering another scandal—one involving Mr. Carter Blake. It appears Mr. Stackford and Mr. Blake have been involved in a shocking affair with each other. All of this leaves investors rattled with the moral implications that these claims bring forward."

I grab the remote and click the TV off. I can't watch anymore of this, but the truth is, I can't escape it. My face is on the front page of every news website, and even on the front page of every business newspaper.

Headlines like, "Can Mr. Stackford Fend Off Sexual Misconduct Allegations?" and "Is It The End For Stackford Capital?" keep grabbing my attention … even when I'm trying my fucking hardest to ignore them. It all makes my fucking head spin. I open my desk drawer and pull out a bottle of Aspirin, swallowing two pills with a shot of whiskey.

I'll give Wanda credit for one thing; she sure knows how to start a media shit storm. Her PR connections must be deeper than the Mariana Trench.

But if she thinks I'm going to back down from this, she has another thing coming. I just have to figure out what to do because some of my biggest clients are leaving the firm for what they think is greener pastures. I've been taking calls since sunrise, and it's beginning to feel like I plug one leak, just to have another one spring up. Emails are coming in faster than I can humanly answer them, and even my secretary has her hands full.

I visualize a Hydra from Greek mythology—a beast with nine heads that's nearly impossible to kill because the minute you chop one head off, two grow in its place. You get the fucking picture. My life is in utter chaos right now.

My phone rings, and I pick it up.

"Stackford speaking," I say, fully expecting to hear another disgruntled client on the other end of the line, but it's my secretary, Julie.

"Bad news," she says. I can't help but notice the defeat in her voice. "Two more clients have pulled out. I'm sorry, Mr. Stackford. There was nothing I could do."

"It's not your fault," I say. "Thank you for letting me know; I'll take care of it."

I hang up the phone and sink back into my chair.

I massage the pounding pulse in my temples with the tips of my fingers and then I hear a slight knock on my office door.

I'm sure it's my secretary, delivering another batch of sobering news.

"Julie, give me a minute to breathe. I know it feels like we're on a sinking ship, but I promise you that we're—"

But my voice is cut short when I see that's it's not Julie at all walking through the door. It's Mandy.

I watch as she walks in, a purse the size of a travel bag slung over one shoulder and she closes the door behind her.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" I ask. If she's here at Wanda's bidding, I have zero patience for her threats, or games. I'm already up to my eyeballs in media scrutiny, clients jumping ship, and gossip juicier than a sirloin steak.

"Wait," she replies, raising one finger in the air. "Hear me out."

"You have ten seconds … starting now," I reply, looking down at my watch.

"I have a proposal from Wanda," she replies.

"Of course you do," I say, rolling my eyes. "Has there ever been a time when you've been in my office without Wanda hiring you to be here? Can you think of a single time? No? I didn't think so. I think you should leave now."

"I have a way out of this mess," she says, ignoring my questions.

Instead of responding, I look her up and down, and wait for her to continue.

"There is a solution," Mandy continues. "If you want to save your business, you should do as I say and take my lead."

"Look where that's led me," I say, lifting my arms into the air in an exaggerated gesture. The improbability of what she's saying is so comical that I'd laugh if I weren't so fucking pissed off. Just seeing her here, standing in front of me, brings my blood pressure to dangerous levels.

"Here, take this," she says, handing me a piece of paper.

I grab it, reluctantly, and read it over. And honestly, I'm shocked with what I see.

"I can't do that to Eliza and Carter," I say, looking back at Mandy.

"Can you afford not to?" she asks me. "Let's be honest, Derek. If an investigation happens, you're going to be the first one to take the fall … with all of your other … shenanigans."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," she laughs. "You don't exactly have the cleanest of reputations. You're no saint, that's for sure. You're a bad boy through and through, and the whole world knows it. Don't kid yourself."

The words bad boy echo in my brain.

I've made a lot of mistakes in my personal life.

And maybe she's right.

Maybe this is something I can't overcome alone.