Chapter 212

Chapter 212


The Rockwell boardroom had always felt cold, but that morning, it was arctic.

The air was thick with tension. Leather chairs lined the glossy obsidian table like silent judges. Liam stood beside me in a tailored charcoal suit, exuding power, while I wore a simple navy dress and low heels—professional, but grounded.

This wasn’t about intimidation.

It was about conviction.

I had no title here. No authority.

But I had something more dangerous.

The truth.

The moment we stepped in, whispers started. A few board members gave me tight smiles; others avoided eye contact entirely. At the head of the table, Victor Rockwell sat like a general before a battle, fingers steepled beneath his chin, eyes sharp as razors.

Beside him sat Peris Davenport, smooth and composed in a silver suit. Maeve was nowhere in sight—but that didn’t mean she wasn’t pulling strings from the shadows.

Victor’s voice cut through the murmurs. “Liam. You’ve arrived.”

Liam didn’t blink. “You called this meeting, didn’t you?”

Victor gestured toward the empty seats. “You and your… guest can sit. Though I wasn’t informed of her presence.”

“I’m not just a guest,” I said calmly. “I’m here on behalf of Liam Rockwell—and your grandson.”

Gasps. Audible.

Victor’s eyes narrowed. “Is that a threat?”

“No,” I said, steady. “It’s a fact. And one you’ve tried very hard to keep buried.”

A beat passed.

Then Victor leaned forward. “You’ve caused quite the stir, Christabel. Anonymous leaks. Investor concerns. Your history with Peris Davenport—”

“My history with Peris,” I interrupted, “is one of harassment, manipulation, and blackmail. And I have the documents to prove it.”

Peris visibly stiffened.

I pulled the USB drive from my bag and placed it on the table.

“Contained in this are surveillance recordings, emails, and bank statements linking Peris to fraudulent legal threats, coercion, and misuse of Rockwell resources to silence employees—including Evelyn Lockhart and other women.”

Victor’s jaw tightened. “You’re bluffing.”

“I’m not,” Liam said flatly. “And if this board has even a shred of integrity left, you’ll listen to what we have to say.”

One of the younger board members—Ms. Cates—leaned forward. “If these accusations are true, Mr. Davenport should be suspended pending an independent investigation.”

Peris scoffed. “This is a smear campaign—”

“Then let the evidence speak,” I said.

Liam plugged the drive into the built-in projector. The video began to play—Maeve handing Peris the leather folder, the hushed conversation, the outline of documents too dangerous to ignore.

Silence blanketed the room.

Peris stood abruptly. “This proves nothing!”

“Sit down,” Victor snapped. “Now.”

It was the first time I saw Peris pale.

Liam paused the video and turned to the room. “This isn’t about scandal. It’s about loyalty. About whether you want a CEO who hides skeletons… or one who fights for transparency, for family.”

He looked at me.

Then back at the board.

“I’ve made mistakes,” he continued. “But I’ve never run from them. And I won’t start now.”

Ms. Cates nodded slowly. “I move that a formal inquiry be opened into Mr. Davenport’s conduct.”

“I second it,” another member added.

Victor’s face was stone.

“This isn’t over,” he said coldly.

“No,” I replied. “It’s just beginning.”

—

We left the boardroom in a daze. A small win—but one that felt monumental.

Liam was quiet as we stepped into the elevator. His hand found mine.

“Do you think they’ll really remove Peris?”

“If not today, soon. That recording was just the tip of the iceberg.”

He exhaled slowly. “You were incredible in there.”

I gave a small smile. “I just told the truth.”

“Sometimes the truth is the most powerful weapon of all.”

The elevator dinged. We walked out into the sunlight.

But as we reached the car, Liam’s phone buzzed again.

He froze.

“What is it?” I asked.

He showed me the screen.

UNKNOWN NUMBER
Check your inbox. Time’s up.

He tapped into his email—and a video began playing.

It was grainy.

Shaky.

But unmistakable.

Ryan. At school. A man in a cap standing just behind him at the fence. Talking. Slipping something into Ryan’s backpack.

The video cut out.

My blood ran cold. “That’s… that’s Ryan’s school.”

Liam’s jaw clenched. “They’ve gone after our son.”

We didn’t wait. We sped to the school, our driver breaking every speed limit. By the time we arrived, the principal was already waiting, pale and shaken.

“There’s been no incident,” she assured us. “Ryan’s in class. But we found… this.”

She handed over the item they’d removed from Ryan’s bag.

A small, unmarked flash drive.

Liam stared at it like it was a bomb.

Because it was.

“Who gave it to him?” I asked.

The principal shook her head. “The boy said it was a school parent. One he didn’t recognize.”

“Pull the security footage,” Liam ordered.

“I already have.”

An hour later, in a private viewing room, we watched the footage.

The man was wearing a hat pulled low, but I recognized the build.

Peris’s security detail.

They’d used Ryan as a mule.

I was shaking with rage.

Liam stood, breathing hard. “This isn’t just a smear campaign anymore. It’s war.”

I turned to him, voice raw. “They touched our son.”

“They won’t get another chance,” he growled. “I’m done playing defense.”

I nodded. “So am I.”

—

That night, I sat at the edge of Ryan’s bed, watching him sleep. His stuffed dinosaur was tucked under his arm, his mouth slightly open in that peaceful, innocent way only children have.

I brushed a hand through his curls.

He had no idea.

No idea how many wolves waited outside our door.

But I would make damn sure they never got in.

Liam entered quietly, crouching beside me. He took my hand.

“I spoke to Gabrielle,” he whispered. “She’s lining up a full legal team. We’re filing restraining orders. Freezing Peris’s accounts. Maeve won’t see this coming.”

“Good,” I whispered. “Because I’m done being scared.”

He looked at me, eyes heavy with emotion. “I love you.”

“I know.”

“And I’m sorry for every second I let this get this far.”

“We fix it now,” I murmured. “Together.”

He nodded, pressing a kiss to my temple.

Outside the window, the city hummed with danger.

But inside this room, I finally felt something stronger than fear.

Resolve.

And love.