Cambria's fingers hovered over the screen, her breath shallow, the words on the article flashing before her eyes like an oncoming storm. The words were a blur at first, but then they slowly began to sink in.
"Exclusive: Cambria Vale's empire may be built on a scandalous secret that could bring her to her knees."
She clicked on the article, her hands shaking. The first line hit her like a punch to the gut.
"Cambria Vale, the self-made billionaire, has been hiding a dark secret,, a secret that could bring everything she's built to the ground. Sources close to Vale reveal that her rise to power wasn't as clean as the world has been led to believe."
The words blurred, but Cambria couldn't tear her eyes away. She had to read. She had to understand just how far Elena's reach had extended.
"The truth behind Vale's meteoric rise involves a web of lies, deceit, and a betrayal that could shock even the most hardened industry insiders. But perhaps the most damning revelation is the identity of the person who helped her cover it up."
The article continued, but Cambria's mind raced. Betrayal. Lies. The secret.
She already knew what Elena was doing. She had to be. It was a smear campaign, an orchestrated effort to tear down her empire. But who was this person? Who had helped her?
Her heart skipped a beat as the next line loaded.
"In an exclusive revelation, it's been confirmed that Cambria Vale's rise was assisted by none other than… Julian Mercer."
The world tilted.
Julian.
Of course. It made sense now. The warning. The manipulations. Everything.
She had known for a long time that Julian was playing both sides, but this? This was something different. This wasn't just about betrayal, it was about destruction.
The article continued to paint a picture of Julian as her hidden benefactor, the man who had pulled the strings behind the scenes to help her rise to power, using his influence to keep her name out of the dirt while manipulating her into becoming a pawn in his own game.
Her phone buzzed again, and this time, it was Elara's message.
"Cambria, I don't know how they got the evidence, but it's all over. It's out in the public now. People are already starting to turn. The damage is already done."
Cambria slammed the phone down onto the desk, her breath coming in quick, shallow bursts. She could feel the walls closing in, could feel the weight of the entire empire she had worked so hard to build starting to crumble.
But there was no time for panic. Not yet.
She needed to move. She needed to act. And most importantly, she needed to find out how far Elena had gone. This wasn't just a smear campaign, it was war. Elena wasn't going to stop until Cambria was destroyed.
The sharp sound of the door opening brought her back to reality. She turned, her body tensing instinctively, expecting to see Maddox. But it wasn't Maddox. It was Julian.
He stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame, his face unreadable. His dark eyes were watching her with that same calculated, cold gaze that had always been his signature. But there was something different now, something darker. Something that made her blood run cold.
"Cambria," he said, his voice low, almost detached. "I see you've seen the article."
She didn't answer him. She didn't trust herself to speak.
"You knew this was coming," Julian continued, stepping into the room. His footsteps were slow, deliberate, like he was savoring the moment. "I wasn't going to let you keep everything, Cambria. Not after what you did."
Her heart clenched at his words. What had she done? The anger rose in her chest, and she stood abruptly, slamming her fist into the desk.
"You bastard," she hissed, her voice trembling with fury. "You've been behind this from the start, haven't you?"
Julian's smirk grew, a look of pure satisfaction dancing across his face. "You've always been so clever, Cambria. But you never saw me coming. Not really."
He took another step toward her, his presence imposing and suffocating. "You've always played the game, but you've never understood the rules. And now? Now you're going to learn what happens when you make an enemy out of me."
She wanted to scream, wanted to throw something at him, but instead, she stood frozen. She couldn't afford to lose control now. Not when everything was on the line. Not when the walls were closing in.
"Why?" Her voice came out in a whisper, shaky with disbelief. "Why are you doing this? We were… we were partners, Julian."
He took another step closer, his eyes narrowing. "You think I ever saw you as a partner, Cambria? You were a tool. A pawn. And once I had no more use for you, I discarded you. The same way you discarded me. You think I would forget what you did? You think I would let you get away with using me as a stepping stone?"
Cambria flinched, the words hitting harder than she expected. He was right. She had used him. She had manipulated him, just as he had done to her. The difference was, she had never intended for him to fall this far.
"I never wanted this," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, but the words carried the weight of years of regret. "I never wanted to hurt you."
Julian's face softened, just for a moment, before the hardness returned. "It doesn't matter now. The damage is done, Cambria. You've lost."
She stared at him, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill. Her heart ached, not just from the betrayal but from the realization that the war was already over. She had been so consumed by her need for revenge that she hadn't seen how far Julian had gone to make sure she lost.
The door opened again, and this time, it was Maddox. His eyes flicked between the two of them, sensing the tension in the room. But Cambria barely noticed. She was lost in the realization that the one person she thought she could count on, the person who had been her ally, her partner, had betrayed her.
"Maddox," she said quietly, her voice strained, "you need to get out. All of you need to leave."
Maddox stepped forward, but she held up her hand, stopping him. "I'm done. It's over."
Julian's eyes flicked to Maddox, then back to Cambria. "You won't be able to rebuild from this. Not after everything that's been revealed. The press is already turning. Public opinion is shifting. There's no coming back from this, Cambria."
Cambria locked eyes with Julian, her voice cold. "I'm not done. Not yet."
She turned away from him, her gaze falling on the city skyline outside. It felt like everything she had worked for was slipping away in an instant. But she wasn't going to give up. Not like this. She would fight. She had to.
As Cambria turned back to face Julian, her phone buzzed again. This time, it was a message from Elara.
"Cambria, we've got a bigger problem. Elena's going public with everything. And there's a new piece to this puzzle, something you won't believe."
The words flashed on the screen, but before Cambria could read any further, the phone slipped from her hands, clattering to the floor.
The screen went black.