As the heavy doors clicked shut behind the officers and the hollow sound of Evelyn's heels faded into the distance, the boardroom was plunged into a suffocating silence. The digital screens were still frozen on the evidence of the "Real Audit," the blue light casting long, ghostly shadows over the stunned directors.
Liam didn't move. He stood at the head of the table, his eyes fixed on the empty leather chair where his mother had sat for decades. The empire was bleeding, the markets were in a panic, but for the first time in his life, he felt he could breathe.
He turned to look at Vivian, a smile of victory forming on his lips, but the smile died instantly.
Vivian's hand, which had been resting on the mahogany table for support, began to slide. Her face, already pale, had turned the color of ash. She took one swaying step toward him, her eyes fluttering as the adrenaline that had kept her upright finally evaporated.
"Vivian!"
Liam moved with a desperation that ignored the dozens of eyes watching him. He caught her just before her knees hit the carpet, pulling her into his arms.
"Stay with me," he hissed, his hand pressing against her blazer. He felt the terrifying warmth of blood. The effort of the climb, the confrontation, and the sheer force of will it took to face Evelyn had torn her stitches wide open.
Vivian's head fell back against his shoulder. Her eyes were unfocused, looking at the ceiling as if she were already somewhere else. "Daniel..." she whispered, her voice barely a breath.
"He's safe. I've got you," Liam vowed, his voice cracking. He looked up at the stunned board members, his eyes burning with a lethal intensity. "Call the medical team! Now!"
The last thing Vivian saw before the world dissolved into black was Liam's face, not the face of a billionaire or a CEO, but of a man who looked like he was losing his entire world.
The silence of the private wing was heavier than the noise of the boardroom. Vivian blinked, her eyelashes feeling like lead against her cheeks. The smell of industrial grease and the cold, metallic air of the service tunnels were gone, replaced by the sharp, clean scent of antiseptic and something else, sandalwood and expensive wool.
Liam.
She turned her head slowly, a dull ache still throbbing in her side where the stitches pulled at her skin. He was slumped in a chair that looked far too small for his broad frame, his head resting in his hands. His tie was undone, dangling like a broken noose around his neck, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. For the first time since she had met him, the "Billionaire CEO" of Ashford Industries looked entirely, breakably human.
"You stayed," she whispered, her voice a dry, dusty rasp.
Liam's head snapped up. The deep lines of exhaustion etched into his face vanished, replaced by a raw, naked relief that made Vivian's heart skip a beat. He didn't say a word at first; he simply reached out and took her hand. His grip was firm, but he was trembling just enough to betray the terror he had been hiding.
"The company is in freefall," he said, his voice low and gravelly from lack of sleep. "The board is screaming for a statement. The SEC is at the front gates, and the press has surrounded the building like a pack of wolves. And all I could think about... all I cared about... was whether or not you were going to open your eyes."
Vivian squeezed his hand back, her fingers lacing through his. "And Daniel? Tell me he's okay."
"Safe at the penthouse. I've tripled the security detail," Liam reassured her, though his jaw tightened. "But Vivian... the world knows now. The secret isn't just ours anymore. Every camera in the city is looking for the 'Secret Ashford Heir.' Evelyn's arrest is the only thing people are talking about from New York to Tokyo."
He picked up a tablet from the side table and tilted it toward her. The headlines were a chaotic blur of bold text and flashing images
"ASHFORD DYNASTY CRUMBLES: MATRIARCH ARRESTED FOR CONSPIRACY"
"THE BILLIONAIRE'S SECRET SON: WHO IS VIVIAN ASHFORD?"
A soft rap on the door interrupted the heavy silence. A nurse entered, her eyes widening as she looked from the heart monitor to Vivian, then to Liam. Usually, the staff at Ashford Private were the peak of professionalism, but today, her hands trembled as she checked Vivian's IV drip.
She didn't look at Vivian as a patient anymore. She looked at her like a legendary figure from the morning's news cycle, the woman who had dared to strike the Queen.
"The... the Chief of Medicine is waiting to speak with you, Mr. Ashford," the nurse murmured, her voice barely audible. "He says the hospital board is struggling to manage the crowd at the south gate. There are helicopters, sir. They're trying to get a shot of the window."
Liam's jaw tightened. He didn't even look at the door. "Tell the Chief to double the floor security and ground any drone that comes within a mile of this wing. No one enters this room without my personal clearance."
"But sir, the shareholders...."
"I don't care about the shareholders," Liam snapped, finally turning his gaze to the nurse. The cold, CEO authority was back, but it was being used to shield Vivian. "I care about her recovery. Now, leave us."
The nurse nodded frantically and scrambled out. Liam turned back to Vivian, his expression softening instantly, though the stress was still visible in the way he gripped the edge of the bed.
"The world wants a piece of you now," he said quietly. "They want to know how a woman from the East End survived the Ashford gauntlet. I won't let them touch you, Vivian. Not the press, not the board, and especially not the Vales."
Vivian looked away from the screen. The life she had built in the shadows, the quiet safety she had fought so hard to maintain for her son, was incinerated. "We're not just a contract anymore, are we?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Liam leaned closer, his forehead resting against hers. "The contract died the moment you walked into that boardroom for me. There is no more 'fake marriage,' Vivian. There is only us. And whatever Aiden Vale is planning next."
The mention of Aiden's name chilled the air in the room. Just as Vivian began to relax into Liam's warmth, her eyes drifted to the bedside table. Resting next to her water glass was a small, unmarked black envelope.
"Liam," she breathed, nodding toward it. "Was that here before?"
Liam frowned, reaching for the envelope. He tore it open to find a single, high-tech keycard, black with a gold 'V' embossed on the front, and a handwritten note.
The Queen has fallen, but the board is still set. Welcome to the real game, Vivian. I'll be seeing the heir soon.
— A.
The heart monitor began to beep faster. Aiden wasn't just watching them; he had walked right into the most secure private wing in the city. The war wasn't over. It had simply changed hands.