Blood makes you family. But betrayal makes you dangerous. 🤍
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6:47 AM — Lin Estate, Old Study
The carved teak doors creaked open.
Ashira stepped inside the room she'd once been banned from. Dust floated in golden rays from the tall stained windows. A single man sat behind the mahogany desk—her father, Lin Shouren.
He didn't look up.
"Finally returned to visit your ancestors?" he said dryly.
She dropped the manila folder on his desk. It slid across like a bullet.
> Inheritance fraud. Offshore accounts. Years of falsified documents.
"You used my name to hide stolen funds."
He sighed. "Don't be dramatic."
"You moved â‚ą73 crores under shell companies tied to me. My mother's legacy."
"She's dead."
Ashira's eyes sharpened. "She trusted you."
"I protected you. You would've squandered it—"
"Say that again."
Shouren looked up. "This isn't personal. It's business."
"No," she said, voice flat. "Now it's war."
---
12:03 PM — Zhuang Corporation Legal Wing
Damien slammed the office door behind him.
Ashira sat at the glass table, her back straight. Multiple screens blinked with news alerts:
> "Heiress Lin Confronts Father Over Stolen Funds"
"Damien Zhuang's Legal Team Moves to Freeze LinCorp Assets"
"You leaked it to the press?" Damien asked.
"No," she said. "But I didn't stop it either."
"You declared war on your own bloodline."
"I learned from the best," she said coldly. "Didn't you threaten your uncle with a fraud audit at eighteen?"
Damien didn't smile.
"You should've come to me first."
"You should've told me you were watching me."
Silence. Thin. Sharp.
---
1:22 PM — Press Conference Broadcast
Ashira stepped to the podium at LinCorp headquarters, flanked by lawyers.
"I have filed a petition with the Reserve Board to freeze accounts tied to fraudulent inheritance siphoning. These were done using my name, without consent."
Cameras flashed. Reporters shouted.
"What does your father say about your claims?"
She looked directly into the lens.
"My father does not own me. Neither legally, nor emotionally. And he will be held accountable."
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3:46 PM — The Bombshell
A rival news outlet dropped a leak:
> "Exclusive: Clause Five – The Secret 'Love Ban' in Zhuang-Lin Marriage Contract"
The world gasped.
Talk shows erupted. Hashtags trended: #ClauseFive, #LoveVsPower, #AshiraVsContract
Reporters hunted them. Paparazzi circled.
Damien's lawyers scrambled to spin it. Ashira refused to make a statement.
She stood by the window of her private office, watching the city blur into noise.
---
5:10 PM — Damien Confronts Her
He entered without knocking.
"I can fix this."
She turned. "Fix what? The fact that everyone now knows I was forbidden to fall in love with my own husband?"
"It wasn't meant to be public."
"But it was meant to be real," she said. "A real threat. You wrote it into law."
His voice dropped. "Because I didn't want to lose control."
"Well, now you have."
They stared at each other across the room.
Damien's jaw tensed.
"Do you love me?"
"Do you want me to lie?" she whispered.
He stepped closer.
"No. I want you to tell me you hate me."
"I don't," she said.
And that made it worse.
---
8:00 PM — A New Deal Appears
Lucien Voss returned with a vengeance.
An anonymous courier delivered a black leather envelope to Ashira's table at the Grand Thorn restaurant.
Inside?
> An offer: "Merge with Voss Holdings. Full control. All shares. Zero love clauses. Choose autonomy."
And under it, in Lucien's handwriting:
> "Zhuang put a cage around you. I'll break it. Choose power—or choose your poison."
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11:44 PM — The Worst Fight Yet
Back at the penthouse, Ashira shoved the envelope into Damien's chest.
"You see this?"
He didn't open it.
"Lucien offered you an escape," he said. "And you're tempted."
"Because he didn't put a freaking law on my heart," she hissed. "You love your empire more than me."
"I love you enough not to ruin you."
"No," she said, tears burning. "You love me in silence. In shadows. You never say it. You never let it live."
He opened the envelope.
Read.
Then tore it in half.
"I don't want you with Voss," he said.
"You don't own me."
"But I'll fight for you."
"Then stop hiding behind contracts."
Their eyes locked.
And for the first time…
He stepped forward.
Pulled her close.
Pressed his forehead against hers.
And said, quietly, raw:
"I wrote that clause because I knew I'd fall. I just didn't want you to know it first.
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Final Scene – 1:33 AM, Under the Storm
Ashira stood alone on the balcony.
Rain soaked her.
Inside, the city raged with headlines. Alliances burned. Family ties shattered.
Behind her, Damien watched her silhouette from the shadows.
One step away.
One word away.
But neither moved.
Because love was war.
And neither side was ready to surrender.
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End of Chapter 7
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In Short:-
Ashira exposes her father's financial crimes and inheritance theft.
Damien and Ashira's marriage is publicly exposed for its "Clause Five" restriction—massive PR fallout.
Lucien offers Ashira full freedom through a hostile corporate merger.
Damien and Ashira fight—hard. The raw truth finally comes out.
Neither wins. Yet.
---
Next Chapter – Chapter 8: The Ghost Clause
Ashira takes the first step toward severing her contract with Damien—but discovers a hidden clause even he didn't know existed. Meanwhile, Damien takes a dangerous risk to protect her legacy.
And just when they think the war's ending—someone from Damien's past arrives, with secrets powerful enough to destroy everything.