By morning, Elise was a woman reborn.
Gone were the shadows of fear clinging to her steps.Now, every move she made was deliberate, cutting, sharp.
Silas watched her from the doorway of the office they'd set up, arms folded across his chest, a glint of pride in his eyes. Elise sat behind the massive desk, scrolling through documents on a tablet. She looked every inch the queen she was becoming.
"Everything's ready," Silas said. "Are you sure about this?"
Elise didn't hesitate. "I'm not hiding anymore. It's time they feel what it's like to be hunted."
Silas smirked. "Remind me not to piss you off."
She gave him a sly smile and pressed send.
Across the city, a storm erupted.
An anonymous tip landed on the desks of two major news outlets, complete with damning evidence — financial fraud, human trafficking connections, blackmail schemes — all pointing directly at the people who had once claimed to own her life.
It wasn't just a whisper campaign.It was a war cry.
Within hours, headlines were screaming.— Billionaire Dynasty Exposed in Shocking Scandal!— Whistleblower Reveals Decades of Corruption!— Arrests Imminent After Explosive New Evidence Emerges!
Phones buzzed and rang. Lawyers scrambled. Social media lit up like a Christmas tree on fire.
Silas walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You did good."
Elise leaned back in the chair, letting the adrenaline wash over her. For the first time in so long, she wasn't running from her past — she was charging straight through it.
"They're going to retaliate," Silas warned, though there was a note of admiration threaded through his voice.
"Let them," Elise said coldly. "They taught me how to survive hell.Now, they can burn in it."
He laughed, low and rough, and leaned down to kiss her temple. "God, you're beautiful when you're ruthless."
Their enemies had underestimated her. Treated her like a pawn.
But Elise knew better now.She wasn't the pawn.
She was the player.And the game had just begun.