Chapter 213

Chapter 213


The next morning came with the kind of silence that screams.
No birdsong. No humming city. Just the echo of dread in my chest.

I stood in front of the kitchen window, gripping a cup of untouched coffee. The sunlight filtering through the glass did nothing to warm me. It only reminded me of the war unfolding beyond the safety of these walls.

Liam stepped in, dressed in black slacks and a crisp shirt. The stubble on his jaw, the exhaustion beneath his eyes—it all told me the same story. Neither of us had slept.

“Ryan’s still asleep,” he said softly, coming up behind me. “I checked twice.”

I nodded, my voice thick. “He doesn’t know what happened yesterday.”

“And he won’t. Not until he’s old enough to understand the ugliness of the world.”

“But how long can we protect him, Liam?” I turned to face him. “They used our child to send us a message.”

His jaw clenched. “They made a mistake.”

I studied him. “You’re planning something.”

“I’ve already started.”

I raised an eyebrow.

Liam set his phone on the counter, unlocking it and sliding it toward me. On the screen were emails—multiple threads—labeled with names I didn’t recognize.

“What is this?”

“Maeve’s offshore accounts,” he said. “Peris’s too. I hired an investigator in Switzerland the minute Peris pulled his little stunt with the fake lawyer. We traced wire transfers from shell companies to a dummy account in Cayman under the name ‘Rose Holdings.’ Guess who owns it?”

My pulse quickened. “Maeve.”

He nodded. “She’s been siphoning funds from Rockwell’s PR budget and funneling them through Peris’s media company to fund her blackmail schemes.”

I blinked. “You already have proof of that?”

“Not admissible in court yet,” he said, “but soon. The investigator is securing a signed affidavit. Once we get it, we take everything to Gabrielle and freeze every one of her assets.”

A breath I didn’t know I was holding slipped out. “What about Victor?”

Liam looked away. “He’s still a wild card. But something tells me he knows more than he’s admitting.”

Before I could reply, my phone buzzed on the counter.

Unknown number.
\[Message received at 6:02 AM\]
Heard you're trying to play hero, Christabel. Your son’s safety depends on your silence. Let Liam fall alone.

Attached was a photo. Blurry but undeniable.

Ryan. Sitting at the kitchen table. Eating cereal.

Taken from outside the window.

I stumbled back, nausea rising in my throat. “Liam—”

He grabbed the phone from my hand. His expression darkened with every second.

“They were outside the house,” I whispered. “While we were sleeping.”

Liam immediately sprang into action. “Pack a bag. One for Ryan too. We’re not staying here.”

I blinked. “Where—?”

“I own a penthouse across town. Under a different name. It’s not listed under Rockwell or anything traceable to us. We’ll disappear there until I can finish this.”

Fear surged. “They know where we live. What else do they know?”

Liam’s eyes were lethal. “Too much. But not enough to win.”

—

The penthouse was minimalist, sterile, and high above the city’s noise. Liam hadn’t used it in years, but it was secure. Armed guards were posted outside. Surveillance cameras blinked like silent sentinels.

Ryan was excited, thinking it was a mini vacation.

We didn’t correct him.

When he settled into his temporary room, Liam and I sat in the dimly lit study. A massive glass desk sat in the center, papers already spread out. Gabrielle joined us via video call, her expression a storm.

“We have enough to issue a formal freeze on Maeve’s assets,” she said. “But we need to hit them fast. No leaks. No hesitation.”

Liam nodded. “Do it. Tonight.”

“And Peris?”

“Let him sweat. We’ll take him down in phase two.”

I watched the gears turning behind Liam’s eyes. The strategist. The CEO. But beneath it all, I saw the father. The man who would raze the world if it meant Ryan stayed safe.

After the call ended, I reached across the desk.

He caught my hand before I could even touch him, gripping it tight.

“You okay?” I whispered.

“No,” he said honestly. “But I will be. Once they’re gone.”

“I keep thinking about that photo. About how close they were. How—”

“I won’t let anything happen to him,” he said fiercely. “Or to you.”

“But what if they push further? What if Maeve or Peris decides this isn’t just about control—but revenge?”

“They already did.”

He stood, pacing. “This isn’t just about business. Maeve is obsessed. You humiliated her. Took away her power. And Peris… he’s a coward who uses people to do his dirty work.”

I frowned. “Do you think they’re working together… romantically?”

Liam paused.

Then: “It wouldn’t surprise me. They both feed off control.”

I shivered.

“What if Ryan isn’t their only leverage?” I asked softly.

“What do you mean?”

I walked over to the desk, pulling out a file I’d brought from the café—one of the few things I grabbed before we left. I flipped to the page that had been bothering me.

“Maeve’s obsession started before we knew. Before the party. Before the engagement.”

Liam’s brow furrowed. “What are you saying?”

“I think she’s been planning this from the beginning. What if she wanted to be the one standing beside you at Rockwell? What if this was all… about replacing me?”

Liam’s face hardened. “Then she chose the wrong war.”

—

That night, I sat on the edge of the rooftop balcony, wrapped in a blanket as the stars blinked above the skyline.

Liam joined me, two mugs in hand. He sat beside me silently, the city stretching out below.

“I used to think power made people cruel,” I said quietly. “But maybe cruelty is what draws people to power.”

He handed me a mug. “Maybe. Or maybe it just exposes what was already there.”

I sipped. It wasn’t coffee. It was warm chamomile.

I smiled.

He noticed.

“Thought you could use something that wouldn’t add to your anxiety,” he murmured.

“Thoughtful of you, Mr. Rockwell.”

He didn’t smile. His eyes were trained on the horizon. “When this is over… when Maeve and Peris are gone… what do you want?”

I blinked. “What do I want?”

He turned to me.

“I want to marry you, Christabel. Officially. In front of the world. Not because of scandal. Not because of obligation. But because I love you.”

Tears sprang into my eyes.

“I want that too,” I whispered.

“Then say yes.”

I laughed softly through the emotion. “You didn’t even ask properly.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled something out.

Not a ring.

A locket.

He opened it. Inside was a tiny photo of Ryan. On the other side—us. Candid. Laughing.

“I don’t need diamonds,” he said. “Just you.”

I took it in trembling fingers. “Yes.”

He leaned in, kissing me deeply, as the wind carried away our fears—if only for a moment.

—

Downstairs, on a rooftop across the street, a figure stood watching the penthouse.

Maeve lowered her binoculars.

Her smile was slow. Calculated.

“He proposed,” she said softly.

Behind her, Peris’s voice was ice.

“We let them have their moment. Then we ruin it.”

Maeve turned.

“And this time, we burn everything.”