The ring box still sat unopened on the marble counter in Zara's apartment—small, silent, damning. It stared at her like a loaded gun.
For hours, she hadn't moved from the couch. She didn't cry. Didn't rage. She just sat, trying to breathe through the aftershocks of Lucien's proposition.
Marry him.
It wasn't a proposal. Not really. It was a business alliance, laced in power and desperation and heat they couldn't deny anymore. But beneath all of it was something neither of them had dared speak aloud:
They needed each other.
And that terrified her.
She finally stood and crossed the room, grabbing her coat. Sitting in silence wouldn't win her revenge. It wouldn't protect her father's name. And it wouldn't answer the one question burning through her skull:
Who was feeding Blackwell and Damien all this information?
The elevator doors closed behind her. She wasn't going to the ValeCorp offices or some backroom meeting. No—she was going to the last place anyone expected: a private residence uptown. Opulent. Hidden.
Owned by Celeste Myles.
The woman had always been cold steel wrapped in elegance, HR manager turned executive watchdog. She was the one who'd approved Zara's hiring. The one who had raised an eyebrow in that first interview. And the one Zara never quite trusted.
Celeste opened the door in a silk robe, glass of wine in hand, not surprised in the least. "Ms. Winters. Or should I say Mrs. Vale-to-be?"
Zara didn't smile. "You're smarter than to believe headlines."
Celeste's eyes gleamed. "I don't believe headlines. I feed them."
There it was.
Zara stepped inside slowly. "So it was you."
"I gave them crumbs," Celeste said, motioning for her to sit. "It was Damien who turned it into a banquet."
Zara didn't sit. "Why?"
Celeste arched a brow. "Because power doesn't lie in loyalty anymore, darling. It lies in leverage. And Lucien? He stopped listening to me the second you walked into his life."
"So this is about control."
"It's always about control."
Zara crossed her arms. "Do you know what I want from Lucien?"
"Of course." Celeste's voice sharpened. "You want justice. For your father. For what ValeCorp did when they bought your family's empire like a yard sale."
Zara's throat tightened.
Celeste sipped her wine. "I warned him. I told Lucien that letting you in was like handing a wolf the keys to the gate. But he didn't listen. Because unlike the rest of us, Lucien Vale doesn't fear the storm—he falls in love with it."
Zara stepped closer, her voice quiet. "You think I'm here to destroy him."
Celeste looked amused. "Aren't you?"
"No," Zara whispered. "I was. But now…"
She trailed off. The truth clawed at her throat, bitter and raw.
Now she wasn't so sure.
She had started this war for revenge. For her father. For everything that had been stolen from her. But then Lucien had walked into her fire—and stood there. Unmoving. Unafraid. Offering her more—not just power, but his name. His trust. Maybe even his twisted version of love.
Celeste sighed, setting down the glass. "If you're not going to finish the job, someone else will."
Zara's eyes narrowed. "Damien."
"He wants Lucien out. He wants ValeCorp. And you… you're just collateral damage."
Zara's phone buzzed. One message. From Lila.
Need to meet. Urgent. Don't trust anyone.
Zara left without another word.
They met in a corner booth at a hidden speakeasy in Tribeca, where the music was too loud and the lights too low for anyone to eavesdrop.
Lila looked pale. "I've been digging through the server logs like you asked. There's something you need to see."
She handed over a flash drive.
"What's on it?" Zara asked.
"A recording. Two weeks ago. A conversation between Damien and Celeste. She gave him everything—meeting times, emails, even that elevator footage."
Zara's stomach twisted. "So she was working with him."
"Yes, but here's the kicker." Lila leaned in. "They mentioned you. By name. Damien said you were the easiest way to take Lucien down. That all they had to do was turn you into a liability."
Zara's breath caught.
This wasn't just about revenge anymore. It was about survival.
Lila kept going. "And there's more. Damien plans to go public tomorrow. A press conference. He'll accuse Lucien of insider trading. He'll present doctored financials. It's a full-blown coup."
Zara closed her eyes, her thoughts spiraling. If Damien succeeded, Lucien would lose everything. ValeCorp would fall into his hands. And Zara… she'd be remembered as the scandal that sank a titan.
Or worse: a woman who tried to play at power and got crushed.
"Then we stop him," Zara said, her voice low but steady.
Lila hesitated. "You're sure? Because if we leak the real footage, expose Celeste, go head-to-head with Damien… it's war. Real war."
Zara straightened. "I've been at war since the day I lost my father."
She stood. The choice had been made. Not in Lucien's office. Not when he handed her the ring. But now.
Because this wasn't just about protecting Lucien. Or herself. This was about reclaiming what was stolen. On her terms.
She pulled out her phone and typed a message.
To Lucien:Tomorrow. Noon. Meet me at the press conference. Don't ask questions. Trust me.
His response came seconds later.
Lucien:Always.
Back at her apartment, Zara opened the ring box.
Inside: a platinum band. Clean. Understated. No theatrics. Just real.
She slipped it on her finger.
Not because she'd made her decision.
But because tomorrow, she was going to burn the lies to the ground.
And whatever rose from the ashes—her father's name, her future, her feelings for Lucien—would be forged in truth.
Not manipulation.
Not revenge.
But power she'd earned with blood, grit, and fire.