April was the last to arrive at the emergency meeting- and she had a lot to say.
"…And Ms. Nova is next-" April gasped, dropping into a chair. "That woman is a terror!"
Malcolm, who had been silent the entire time, slid the letter across the table toward her.
"What's this?"
Elijah answered before Malcolm could. "A lawsuit against the establishment."
"Yes, I got that part- I can read, genius" April snapped, scanning the page. She looked up, incredulous. "But this is bullshit. Which court even allowed this crap?"
Malcolm rubbed his temples. "The lawsuit itself isn't my main problem. It's the system. Inspectors. Audits. People coming in and out of the building- unannounced. Day in, day out."
Elijah opened his mouth to reassure him, then closed it. There was nothing reassuring to say.
They paid taxes, sure- but the place itself was held together by loopholes and goodwill.
An apartment on top of a school.
Teachers without PhDs.
Students without formal academic qualifications.
If the system really looked closely, they were finished.
April exhaled slowly, then said, "I think we need to call Elijah's ex."
Elijah blinked. Malcolm frowned.
"Which one?" Malcolm asked carefully.
"Damon. Obviously."
Elijah recoiled. "First of all- who is that? And second of all- why should we?"
"Damon the gaslighter?" April said, confused that this wasn't obvious. When neither reacted, she added, "The gay lawyer. Married to the town mayor?"
Recognition hit Elijah like a slap. "Oh my God. That Damon?" He looked sick. "Do we really have to call that trash?"
Malcolm stiffened. "April, no. Anyone but him."
"I don't think we have a choice," April said, firm now. "We need to negotiate before this escalates."
Elijah scoffed. "How do you even know it will escalate?"
"That's the point- we don't. But what if they take us to court?" Pointed out April.
"We can control the narrative," Elijah argued. "They don't have a strong case anyway."
"And by the time prosecutors get involved?" April shot back. "They'll find something else. Something real."
Elijah shrugged. "Which would be irrelevant to the case."
"But, it can hurt us" Added Malcolm softly.
"Plus, nothing is irrelevant when you're being audited," April snapped. "We don't even have a proper legal framework. Our students aren't insured. The teachers aren't licensed. And you think we'll survive a courtroom session?"
Malcolm sighed deeply. "I hear you, April. But negotiations won't fix this."
April frowned. "Why? Is The Elephant Media being unreasonable?"
"They want Amy back," Malcolm said quietly.
Elijah froze. Then he processed it.
"So all of this… is because of Amy?"
Malcolm nodded. "Unfortunately yes- and we might lose everything we've built- just to keep her."
April's voice sharpened looking at her brother. "And you're suggesting we throw her under the bus?"
Elijah shook his head immediately. "No. Hell no. She's not a kid. She didn't leave them on a whim or anything. Whatever she ran from- she meant it."
"So what are you saying?" Malcolm asked.
Elijah leaned back, thoughtful. "The Elephant Media doesn't know what we're hiding. But we might know what they're hiding."
April's breath hitched. "You want to use Amy."
"It's not using her if she's on board," Elijah replied evenly.
April stood. "No. Absolutely not." She turned to Malcolm, "This is not right Malcolm!"
Malcolm thought for a long moment, then cleared his throat.
"Whether she participates or not is her decision," he said. "But she needs to know what's happening. And if we lose- she needs to know what that means for her."
The room fell silent.
Because for the first time, protecting Amy meant risking everything else.