Part 13 –
Lila stood in Ethan's penthouse, the city shimmering behind her like a lie.
Everything she had believed everything she had felt was being torn apart by people she hadn't even met. Faceless whispers. Strategic leaks. Power games.
And at the center of it all… was her.
"You have to let me help," she said, turning toward Ethan.
He looked up from the file he'd been poring over, eyes dark and restless.
"You helping me is exactly what they want," he replied, rubbing a hand across his jaw. "They want you involved so they can paint you as the weakness in my armor."
She stepped closer, voice steady despite the storm. "Then maybe it's time they see me as something else. As a threat."
Ethan blinked. "You'd go public?"
"I'd go nuclear if it meant clearing my name."
He hesitated, visibly torn.
"Lila… you don't know the men behind this. They've tried to bleed this company dry for years. I've spent half my career keeping them at bay. They won't stop until someone breaks."
"Then maybe they should be scared of me," she whispered.
The corner of his mouth twitched. "You're fearless."
"I'm furious."
He watched her for a moment longer, then handed her a folder.
She opened it.
Inside were grainy screenshots photos of the rooftop hug, zoomed-in shots of her face mid-laugh, mid-touch, mid-moment.
Violated. Private.
"I hired a PI," Ethan said. "We traced the leak. The photos were taken by someone inside the company. Someone close."
Lila's stomach turned. "A mole."
"More than that," Ethan said grimly. "A board member wants me out. He's betting everything on this scandal. And if I go down, you go down with me."
Later That Night – Lila's Apartment
She sat at her kitchen counter, staring at the photo in her hand.
Her smiling, vulnerable, completely unaware.
She didn't regret the moment with Ethan.
She regretted giving people the power to twist it.
Her phone buzzed.
Maya, her intern.
"Are you okay? Everyone's talking."
Then another message.
This time from a blocked number.
"They warned you. Should've listened. Walk away while you still have a name."
Her blood ran cold.
This was no longer business.
It was war.
The Next Day – Wolfe Enterprises Lobby
Lila stepped off the elevator, dressed in a sleek black suit with steel in her eyes. No hesitation. No apology.
People parted as she walked past.
They'd heard the rumors.
Now they were seeing the woman behind them.
She walked straight into Ethan's office without knocking.
He looked up, startled by her storm-like entrance.
"I'm not backing down," she said, tossing the folder onto his desk. "You said someone inside the company is doing this? Let's find out who."
Ethan stood slowly, gaze locked on hers. "Are you sure?"
"Because if I leave now, they win. And I didn't come this far to be erased by someone hiding in the shadows."
A pause.
Then his voice, low and intense. "Then we fight together."
Later – Surveillance Room, Wolfe Tower
The two of them stood shoulder to shoulder in front of a bank of monitors. Ethan's head of security, a former intelligence operative named Kael, brought up access logs, camera footage, timestamps.
And there on the screen was the footage they needed.
A man slipping into the executive terrace stairwell the night of the rooftop embrace.
Zoom in.
Facial recognition.
Board member: Gregory Slate.
Lila's eyes narrowed. "He's the one trying to take you down?"
"He's been circling my seat for years," Ethan said. "And now, he's using you to finish the job."
Lila turned, full of fire. "Then let's give him a show he'll never forget."
Final Scene – Media Leak Incoming
That night, an anonymous email went out to every major media outlet in the city.
Attached: the real footage.
Unedited. Contextual. Clear.
A heartfelt embrace. A woman telling the man she wouldn't run. A man admitting he was terrified to care.
Not scandalous.
Human.
The message was signed:
"Truth is not a weakness. - L.H."
Back in Gregory Slate's office…
He stared at the screen in rage as the video went viral. His carefully planted story falling apart.
"Who gave her the balls to do this?" he snapped.
His assistant's voice shook. "I think… she gave them to herself.