Chapter 210

Chapter 210


I didn’t sleep that night.

Even with Liam’s arms around me, even with Ryan tucked safely in his bed down the hall, my thoughts wouldn’t stop spinning.

The threat Maeve made replayed in my head on an endless loop—the USB drive, the smug look on her face, the ultimatum.

Walk away… or lose everything.

By morning, I’d convinced myself to stay strong.

Until I saw Ryan.

He came into the kitchen in his Spiderman pajamas, dragging his favorite stuffed dinosaur by the tail, his eyes puffy with sleep.

“Mama,” he said, yawning as he climbed onto a stool, “can I have strawberry waffles?”

My heart cracked open at the sight of him. So innocent. So unaware of the war forming around him.

I nodded, brushing his curls back. “Of course, baby. Anything you want.”

Liam came in a minute later, suit jacket slung over one shoulder, phone already pressed to his ear. His voice was clipped, efficient—he was in damage-control mode. I could hear him barking orders about a press strategy, NDAs, tracking down Maeve’s digital trail.

When he finally ended the call, he leaned down and kissed Ryan’s head. “Hey, bud. Don’t forget we’re going to the museum after school.”

Ryan grinned. “The dinosaur one?”

“The dinosaur one.”

Liam looked at me next, softer now. “You okay?”

I nodded, even though I wasn’t.

I was scared.

But I had no choice but to pretend I wasn’t.

—

Hours later, after dropping Ryan off at school, I sat in the back of a town car, staring blankly out the window as we drove to a secure office where Liam’s PR team had set up a war room.

Every part of this now felt like a war.

And I was the soldier who didn’t want to fight.

The moment I entered the sleek glass building, I was met by Gabrielle, the lead strategist—a sharp-eyed woman in a navy pantsuit who looked like she chewed lies for breakfast.

“Christabel,” she said, extending a hand. “We need to talk.”

We walked into the briefing room, where Liam was already pacing with a copy of the morning papers in hand. The headlines had already started swirling, even though nothing had been officially leaked:

> MYSTERY WOMAN LINKED TO ROCKWELL HEIR?
IS LIAM ROCKWELL HIDING A LOVE CHILD?

I froze. “They already know?”

“Maeve’s team is poking the bear,” Gabrielle said, dropping a file folder onto the table. “No official leaks yet, but gossip blogs are catching wind. If the real video drops, we lose control of the narrative.”

“What do we do?” I whispered.

Gabrielle tapped her pen against the folder. “We get ahead of it.”

Liam stiffened. “What are you saying?”

Gabrielle looked between us. “A controlled leak.”

I blinked. “What?”

“You make a statement,” she said. “On your terms. You confirm Ryan is your child, yes—but you present it as a love story. Not a scandal.”

Liam crossed his arms. “That’s not happening. We’re not dragging Ryan into the media circus.”

“You already are,” she said bluntly. “The difference is whether you’re holding the mic or watching someone else tell your story for you.”

I looked at Liam. “What if… she’s right? What if we do this on our terms, we can shield Ryan better?”

Liam didn’t respond at first.

Then, finally: “Let’s say we do this. We keep Ryan’s image out of it. No photos. No identifying details. Just a statement.”

Gabrielle nodded. “Smart. Frame it as a private matter. Make it about your devotion to your family.”

Liam looked at me. “You sure about this?”

I wasn’t. But I also knew that hiding would only make things worse.

“Yes,” I said. “Let’s take the power back.”

—

By late afternoon, a draft statement was ready.

Liam read it over twice, made a few changes, then handed it to me.

My hands shook slightly as I read the final version:

> Liam Rockwell and Christabel Lockhart confirm their long-standing relationship and their shared responsibility as parents to a young child. They request privacy and respect as they focus on their family’s well-being. Any claims or rumors meant to damage this family’s peace will be addressed legally.

Short. Clean. No names. No drama.

Just truth.

Still, when it finally went live an hour later, my stomach twisted so hard I thought I might throw up.

We sat together in his penthouse office, watching the feeds update, watching the headlines change.

> ROCKWELL CONFIRMS RELATIONSHIP—AND CHILD?
LIAM ROCKWELL: “I STAND BY MY FAMILY.”

The internet exploded.

Some comments were supportive.

Others were vile.

But we had expected that.

What I hadn’t expected… was the phone call that came next.

Liam’s personal line buzzed. He frowned at the screen.

Then his face went pale.

“What is it?” I asked.

He slowly handed me the phone.

“It’s my father.”

—

“Dad?” Liam’s voice was measured, but I could hear the tension.

“I saw the news,” Victor Rockwell said, his voice low, commanding. “You and Christabel. The child. All of it.”

“We’re handling it.”

“No, you’re not.” His father’s voice sharpened. “This is not just about you anymore. You’ve put the family’s name, the company’s stability, everything we’ve built, at risk.”

Liam’s jaw clenched. “He’s my son.”

“You should’ve come to me. I could’ve fixed this quietly.”

“There’s no fixing this quietly. Peris and Maeve aren’t going away.”

There was a pause. Then: “You need to end it.”

My blood turned to ice.

Liam’s eyes flicked to me. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Let Christabel go. Release a new statement. Say you were misled. That the child isn’t yours.”

Liam stood abruptly, rage rolling off him. “You want me to abandon my son?”

“I want you to protect this family.”

“I am protecting my family.”

“Not if you keep clinging to that woman.”

The line went dead.

Liam lowered the phone slowly, like it had burned him.

I stood and wrapped my arms around him.

“I won’t let him win,” Liam whispered.

“You don’t have to.”

“We fight everyone, Christabel. Peris. Maeve. My father. The board. The press.”

I looked up at him, tears in my eyes. “Then
let’s go to war.”

Because for Ryan…

For us…

We had no choice.

We were all in.