Chapter 215

Chapter 215


Victor’s message replayed in my head over and over.

“You shouldn’t have done that. I’m not finished.”

Liam stood frozen, eyes locked on the screen, jaw tight enough to crack.

“I should’ve seen this coming,” he muttered. “I gave him too much room. Trusted him for too long.”

I moved toward him. “He’s your brother, Liam. That’s not a flaw. That’s... human.”

“No. It’s a mistake,” he bit out, his voice low with fury. “And one I won’t make again.”

Liam stormed into the office, already dialing Gabrielle. I watched from the doorway, arms folded tightly around myself, a creeping chill washing over me despite the late afternoon sun.

“Pull everything we have on Victor,” he ordered. “I want his finances monitored, his communications traced. If he so much as breathes near another media outlet—”

He paused, jaw flexing.

“Actually, call Marcus. We’re going to his house.”

My eyes widened. “Liam—”

“I’m done playing nice.”

—

Marcus, Liam’s head of security, met us downstairs. In his SUV, the air was thick with tension. Liam hadn’t spoken a word since we left the penthouse. I sat beside him, heart hammering as we pulled into Victor’s gated estate.

The gates didn’t open.

Liam’s jaw twitched. He tapped on his phone, called Victor. No answer.

Then, Marcus spoke quietly from the driver’s seat. “We have a code. I can override it.”

He did.

And as the gates groaned open and the car rolled up the drive, I saw Victor standing at the front steps—waiting. Arms crossed. Calm. Too calm.

“Look who finally decided to show up,” he said as Liam stepped out first. “You made quite the speech. Very noble. Very stupid.”

Liam’s fists clenched at his sides. “You tried to destroy Christabel.”

“I didn’t try,” Victor said coolly. “I succeeded.”

“You leaked fake evidence. You tampered with documents. You violated corporate security—”

“Oh, now you care about corporate security?” Victor snapped, stepping forward. “When I was running things, you barely paid attention. You waltzed back in, took everything, and expected me to smile.”

“You lost the right to run Rockwell when you started gambling with our future.”

Victor’s expression darkened. “You’re the golden boy. Always have been. Even when you vanished for months, I protected the company’s name. You think the board didn’t want your head? I saved you. I saved this family’s legacy.”

“By selling lies?” Liam growled.

“No,” Victor said. “By keeping the truth buried.”

A silence fell.

“What truth?” I asked softly.

Victor looked at me then, really looked. There was a glint of something unreadable in his eyes. “You don’t belong here, Christabel. You think you do, because Liam gave you a ring and a penthouse and access to our son. But you don’t know the half of what’s going on.”

“You’re wrong,” I said firmly. “I know more than you think.”

“Then tell me,” he challenged. “Do you know who’s funding Maeve?”

I blinked. “What?”

“She’s not acting alone. She doesn’t have that kind of money. That kind of access. Do you think Peris is smart enough to pull strings in international media? No. Someone bigger is behind this.”

Liam stepped forward. “Then tell us who.”

Victor smirked. “Why would I do that? You’ve already made your position clear.”

“This isn’t a game.”

“No,” Victor said. “It’s business. And you declared war. So don’t cry when I play rough.”

He turned and walked back inside, the door slamming shut behind him.

—

Back in the car, Liam was seething. His silence was louder than shouting.

Marcus asked quietly, “Should I put someone on Victor full-time?”

Liam nodded once. “And freeze his access. Every account, every company login. He doesn’t step near the Rockwell name again.”

As the city rolled by outside the windows, I reached for Liam’s hand. He didn’t pull away.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

His eyes met mine—tired, angry, but softening. “You don’t need to apologize. He made this choice.”

“But he’s your family.”

“So are you,” Liam said. “And I won’t let anyone come between us.”

—

Back at the penthouse, Ryan was coloring at the kitchen island. He looked up as we came in and immediately ran over.

“Mommy, Daddy—look!” He held up a crayon drawing of the three of us. Stick figures with big smiles, holding hands in front of a house.

I nearly broke.

“That’s beautiful,” I said, crouching to kiss his forehead.

He beamed.

And I promised myself—I would protect that smile.

No matter what it took.

—

Later that night, while Ryan slept and Liam paced in the office on a call with his lawyers, I got a message from an unknown number.

"Meet me. 11PM. Griffith Park overlook. Come alone."

Attached was a photo.

Maeve.

In a dark room.

Holding a flash drive.

My stomach dropped.

I stared at the message for a long moment, weighing the risk. Every bone in my body screamed trap, but something in Maeve’s eyes—desperate, almost hollow—made me hesitate.

This could be the key to ending everything.

Or the final nail in my coffin.

Still, I had to try.

I slipped on a coat, scribbled a quick note to Liam—Trust me. I’ll be back.—and took the service elevator down before I could lose my nerve.

—

Griffith Park was quiet.

Too quiet.

The overlook sat high above the sleeping city, silver light bathing the streets below.

I parked, heart hammering, and stepped out into the wind.

Maeve emerged from the shadows slowly, dressed in black, her hair pulled into a severe bun. She looked older tonight. Harder.

“Took you long enough,” she said.

“You texted ten minutes ago.”

Maeve gave a short laugh. “You always were obedient. It’s what made you easy to destroy.”

I folded my arms. “What do you want?”

She held up the flash drive. “This has everything. The real contracts between Peris and Victor. The offshore accounts. The digital trail that ties Victor to the media leaks.”

My breath caught. “Why would you give that to me?”

She hesitated.

“Because I’m not in control anymore,” she whispered. “They promised me revenge. Then power. But now? I’m a pawn.”

“Who are ‘they’?”

Maeve swallowed hard. “There’s someone else—bigger than all of us. A silent partner. He bankrolled Peris. He gave Victor resources. And he’s the one who wants Rockwell dismantled.”

“Why?”

“Because of your son,” she said softly. “Because Ryan is the heir. And because if Liam dies... everything passes to Ryan.”

My blood ran cold.

“You’re saying this isn’t just about scandal.”

“No,” Maeve said. “This is about legacy. Control. And bloodlines.”

She tossed the flash drive to me.

“Do with it what you want. But be careful. We’re all just pieces on someone else’s board.”

She turned and vanished into the dark, leaving me alone on the edge of the city, clutching a flash drive that could destroy everything.

Or save us.