48 hours.
That was all they had left before the official Infinity Project unveiling—a launch that could skyrocket CraneCorp into global AI dominance or sink both Julian and Selene's reputations forever.
And right now? It was leaning hard toward disaster.
Julian stood before the digital war board in the penthouse's secure command suite. Red alerts blinked on every line of code. System vulnerabilities. Access discrepancies. Ghost logins.
Camille had bled them.
And worse, someone was still inside.
🧊 Selene Returns to Her Throne
Selene walked into Blackwood Tower like she owned it.
She used to, once. Before the merger. Before she agreed to play fake-fiancée to a man she was starting to feel too much for.
Now?
She wasn't here for love.
She was here for blood.
"Get me IT, R&D, and Legal. Now," she barked to her assistant.
The entire floor snapped to attention.
Camille thought she could humiliate her?
Let her try to keep up.
Selene was back in control—and she was no longer playing nice.
🧠Julian's Sleepless Realization
Julian hadn't slept.
Not since the photo leak.
Not since Selene's eyes filled with something she never let herself show—hurt.
He reviewed the footage again and again.
Marcus and Selene did meet.
But something about it felt… off. Too perfectly captured. Too conveniently framed.
He leaned back, staring at the timestamp again.
Then it clicked.
The reflection in the glass—a second photographer.
Someone had staged the shot.
Someone wanted him to see it.
And suddenly, Camille's smiles felt too sharp.
đź’Ś A Mysterious Envelope
Selene returned to her office and found an envelope waiting on her desk. No return address. Just her name.
Inside?
One page.
Typed.
"There's a traitor in your family. Blood doesn't always mean loyalty.
Look closer—before it's too late."
—A Friend.
Her fingers trembled.
Not from fear.
From fury.
There was only one person who still had access to internal files and had vanished conveniently after Camille's rise…
Eliot Blackwood.
Her cousin. Her ex–right-hand man. Her biggest regret.
🥀 A Reunion with Thorns
That evening, Selene met Eliot at an abandoned restaurant they used to frequent as kids.
He looked older. Colder. More like their father.
"I should've known it was you," Selene said.
"I never betrayed the company," Eliot replied. "I betrayed you."
"Why?"
He lit a cigarette.
"Because you let emotion cloud the empire."
"You mean I didn't marry into politics like you wanted?"
"No. I mean you let a man like Julian Crane see you."
She stiffened.
Eliot dropped the cigarette.
"He's going to destroy you, Selene. The question is—will you let him?"
🔍 Camille's Secret Partner Revealed
Back at CraneCorp, Nina hacked into Camille's personal accounts, sweating as digital firewalls danced in red.
"Come on, come on…" she muttered.
Finally, access.
Inside: financial statements. Transaction logs. Hidden partnerships.
And then—
Marcus Hale.
Not just an ex.
A shareholder.
"Son of a—" Nina whispered.
Camille hadn't just weaponized Marcus against Selene emotionally.
She'd paid him to infiltrate.
And Julian… had no idea.
đź’” Julian Finds the Drive
Julian returned to Selene's penthouse suite, unsure if she'd slam the door in his face.
She didn't.
She just stared.
"What do you want?" she asked, tired.
He didn't speak.
He held out the flash drive she left behind.
"The one Marcus gave you."
Her heart dropped.
"You went through my things?"
"I needed to know."
Selene looked away. "So now you know everything."
Julian stepped closer. "No. Now I know the only person still fighting for us… is you."
She blinked.
And that was when Julian did something neither of them expected.
He dropped the flash drive… and kissed her.
This time, she didn't resist.
Because even fire needs ice to keep from burning out.
🔥 A Setup in Motion
In Camille's private suite, she was preparing her final move.
The Infinity Launch.
Only this time… she wasn't planning on sharing the stage.
With Selene gone, and Julian heartbroken, the board would name her interim CEO once the crisis hit.
But she didn't know…
She was being watched.
A silent figure in the shadows recorded every plan.
Because Camille wasn't the only one setting traps.
🚨 Cliffhanger Ending
The next morning, just as Selene and Julian returned to the main office—united, for the first time—the emergency alarm blared across the building.
"System breach detected. Critical protocols compromised. Infinity Launch failure imminent."
They looked at each other.
And then Selene whispered:
"Camille's not working alone anymore."