The fire cracked softly in the marble hearth, but the warmth didn't touch Maria.
She stood facing Sebastian Vale, the man who had pulled strings behind her downfall like a god in the shadows. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears, but she kept her face still.
Ian stayed by her side, unreadable.
Sebastian's smile was patient. "I admire your resilience. You were never supposed to survive, let alone rebuild. But here you are—stronger, sharper. Uncontrolled." He paused, tilting his head. "That's what makes you dangerous."
Maria narrowed her eyes. "You don't seem too worried."
"I'm not," he said simply. "Because I have something to offer."
She almost laughed. "You think you can bargain with me?"
Sebastian stepped closer, unhurried. "I'm not offering you a favor. I'm offering you a throne."
---
He walked to a small antique bar cart and poured himself a glass of scotch, gesturing to the seats across from him.
Neither Maria nor Ian moved.
"I built an empire," he said. "Not just Ross Global. Dozens of shell companies. Technology. Arms. Media. Your father was a key piece of that puzzle—before he got soft. Before you inherited what he refused to manage."
He turned, glass in hand. "You weren't targeted because you were weak, Maria. You were targeted because you were valuable."
Maria's voice was cold. "Then why try to kill me?"
"Because at the time, it was more efficient." He sipped his drink. "But now? Now I see opportunity."
He placed the glass down, hands resting lightly on the edge of the table.
"Join me," he said. "Take your father's original shares. Take the real seat at the table. I'll clear Dana's mess, erase your legal exposure, and reframe your return as a calculated power move. You'll be richer, more powerful, and untouchable."
Ian scoffed. "And in return?"
Vale's gaze flicked to him. "You disappear. Quietly. Permanently."
Maria's body stiffened.
Ian's hand curled into a fist. "Of course."
"I don't tolerate wild cards," Sebastian said smoothly. "And I don't trust love. It clouds judgment."
Maria took a step forward, her tone sharp. "You want me to sell my soul and walk away from the only person who never betrayed me?"
Sebastian's smile faded slightly. "You want revenge, Maria. You want power. I'm offering both."
"I want justice," she corrected. "Not a seat at your table of rot."
Vale leaned back in his chair. "Be careful, Maria. Justice is just vengeance with better PR."
---
Silence stretched between them.
Then Maria pulled something from her coat and placed it on the table between them—a small silver recorder. Its light blinked red.
"You've been broadcasting live for the last ten minutes," she said coolly. "Your offer, your confession, your threat against Ian. All of it."
Sebastian didn't flinch.
"You think I didn't sweep this room?" he asked.
"You did," she replied. "But you missed the frequency we piggybacked through your own CCTV security feed. Ian installed it before we entered."
Ian lifted a small transmitter from his coat pocket and set it beside the recorder.
"Sometimes love improves judgment," he said.
For the first time, Sebastian Vale's mask cracked.
"You've made a mistake."
"No," Maria said, her voice like steel. "I've made my move."
---
They turned to leave, but Sebastian's voice cut through the room like a knife.
"You think the world will believe you? One interview with a reporter, and I'll buy the network. I'll smear your name across every continent."
Maria stopped at the door.
"I don't need a network," she said. "I have proof."
She turned halfway toward him. "And more importantly, I have nothing left to lose."
Then she and Ian walked out.
---
Back at their Zurich suite, Maria stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, staring down at the glittering lights below. Her hands trembled slightly, the adrenaline wearing off.
Ian approached from behind. "We have the backup copies uploaded. The legal team's getting everything prepped. Noelle is working on the global file dump if Vale tries to strike."
Maria nodded, but her voice was distant. "He won't stop. Not unless he's dismantled completely."
Ian stepped beside her. "Then we finish it. Together."
Maria turned to him, her eyes dark with resolve. "He thinks removing you would make me easier to control."
Ian smiled faintly. "Would it?"
She shook her head. "No. But if he ever tries again—there won't be a throne left to offer."
---
Meanwhile, in a private surveillance room beneath the Zurich manor, Sebastian Vale watched the security feed—again and again—rewinding, freezing, analyzing.
He didn't shout.
He didn't break anything.
He simply picked up the phone.
"Activate Protocol Black," he said.
The voice on the other end responded immediately.
> "Targets?"
"Maria Sinclair and Ian Ross."
---
That night, Maria's phone buzzed with a new notification.
A news headline.
> "Ross Global Executive Under Federal Investigation – Dana Warner Found Dead in Holding Cell"
Her blood turned cold.
Ian read over her shoulder. "Suicide?"
"More like cleanup," she muttered.
He looked at her. "What now?"
She stared at the headline for a long moment.
"Now," she whispered, "we bring down the king."