The service elevator groaned, a metallic protest that felt too loud in the dead silence of Ashford Tower's sub-level. Vivian leaned against the cold steel wall, her hand pressed firmly against the bandages at her side. Every breath was a gamble, a sharp tug at her ribs that reminded her of the bullet she'd taken, but she refused to wince.
Liam stood in front of her, his back a broad wall of shadow. He wasn't looking at the floor numbers. He was looking at her reflection in the brass doors.
"Ten floors to go," he whispered, his voice vibrating with a lethal sort of calm. "Once those doors open, there's no turning back. The injunction makes this a criminal act the moment we step onto the 50th floor."
Vivian straightened her blazer, smoothing the fabric over the slight bulge of her medical dressing. She met his gaze in the reflection, her eyes hard and bright. "Evelyn already tried to kill me, Liam. A trespassing charge feels like a promotion."
Liam reached out, his hand covering hers on the elevator rail. He didn't say it was going to be okay, they both knew better, but the heat of his palm was the only anchor she had left.
The elevator dinged. Floor 50.
In the boardroom, the air was thick with the scent of expensive espresso and desperation. The "Global Freeze" had sent the market into a tailspin, and the men and women around the mahogany table were looking for someone to blame.
Evelyn Ashford sat at the head of the table, the picture of composed elegance. She looked less like a woman whose company was failing and more like a judge about to pass a sentence.
"It is a tragedy," Evelyn said, her voice carrying that practiced, honeyed sorrow. "Liam was always brilliant, but the pressure of the recent audit... and the unfortunate instability of his personal life... it seems he has simply walked away. We cannot leave Ashford Systems without a captain while the ship is taking on water."
"He hasn't answered any calls," Graham added from his seat, leaning forward with a grave expression. "And with Vivian Ashford currently under a fitness injunction, the family's leadership is... compromised."
One of the older board members cleared his throat. "Then we have no choice. The motion to remove Liam Ashford as CEO and appoint Evelyn as Interim Chair is on the floor. All in favor?"
Hands began to rise. Evelyn's lips curved into the ghost of a victory smile.
The double oak doors didn't just open; they hit the walls with the force of an explosion.
The board members jumped. Evelyn's smile didn't just vanish, it froze.
Liam stepped into the room first, his presence filling the space like a physical weight. But it was the woman beside him that stopped their breath. Vivian walked with a slight limp, her face pale, but she held her head with the regal defiance of a queen returning to a kingdom that had thought her dead.
"I believe the vote is premature," Liam said, his voice cutting through the stunned silence.
"Liam?" Evelyn recovered quickly, though her eyes were darting toward the security panel. "You're in violation of a court order. You shouldn't be here. And Vivian... you belong in a hospital bed."
"I belong exactly where I am," Vivian countered, stepping up to the table. She leaned forward, ignoring the fire in her side. "Watching you lose."
"Security!" Graham shouted, reaching for his phone.
"Don't bother," a new voice rang out over the intercom.
The massive digital displays that usually showed stock tickers and global projections suddenly flickered. The amber "Global Freeze" warnings vanished, replaced by a scrolling list of internal server logs, offshore wire transfers, and, most damning of all, a grainy video of a warehouse.
Charlotte's voice echoed through the boardroom speakers. "The security feeds are looped, and the board's personal devices have been temporarily locked. Please, everyone, turn your attention to the screens. We're calling this presentation: The Real Audit."
Evelyn stood up, her face finally cracking. "Turn that off!"
"Sit down, Evelyn," Liam commanded, his voice a low growl. "You wanted to show the board who was unfit to lead. Let's see what they think of a Chairman who siphoned forty million dollars into a private account named 'Vale' just three days before an assassination attempt."
The room erupted into chaos as the first documents, real, unedited, and undeniable, began to unspool before the eyes of the most powerful people in the city.
The glass wasn't just cracking anymore. It was shattering.