Cambria's heart raced as she turned, but what she saw made her blood run cold. The door had opened, but it wasn't just anyone who stepped inside. It was her uncle. The very man who had just sent her the chilling message about losing everything, the man who had been pulling the strings behind her back, now standing in the doorway as if he were the king of this crumbling empire.
His presence filled the room like a storm, and for a moment, Cambria could hardly breathe. The man she had trusted more than anyone, the man she had considered a second father, was now the one standing between her and her future.
"You think you have time, don't you?" her uncle said smoothly, his voice betraying none of the emotions swirling inside her. He stepped inside, his eyes locking onto hers with a chilling intensity. "But you don't. It's over, Cambria. Everything you've fought for gone. The board has spoken. They've already signed. It's only a matter of time before your name is removed from the ledger."
"You're wrong," Cambria said, her voice hardening. She stepped forward, refusing to be cowed by his presence. "It's not over. Not yet. I still have time, and I'm going to make sure everyone knows the truth."
Her uncle chuckled darkly. "The truth? What truth, exactly, Cambria? That you've been deceived? That your entire life has been a lie? You've always been the princess, kept in a gilded cage, believing that you could inherit your father's legacy. But the truth is he didn't want you to inherit it. He knew you didn't have what it took. He was too blind to see it, but I've known for a long time."
Cambria's chest tightened, and her fists clenched at her sides. Every word he spoke was like a dagger, each one piercing deeper than the last. "You're sick," she whispered, unable to mask the disgust in her voice. "You betrayed me. You betrayed my father. All for what? Power? Money?"
Her uncle's smile remained as cold as ever, but there was a hint of something darker in his eyes. "Power, yes. But more than that control. I've been waiting for this moment for years, Cambria. Your father was a fool, a dreamer. He never understood that in order to control something, you have to dominate it completely. He was too focused on legacy, on building something that would outlive him. But legacy is a myth. You control the future, Cambria. You control the people who move the pieces. And now, I'm the one with the power."
"Not for long," Cambria spat, fury rising in her chest. "I'm not going down without a fight. If I have to burn this whole thing to the ground to stop you, I will."
Her uncle's eyes flicked to Knox, who had been standing silently by the door, watching the exchange like an observer at a match. The silent agreement between the two men was enough to make Cambria's blood boil.
"Knox and I have already made our move," her uncle continued, ignoring the venom in her voice. "You've always been too emotional, too reactive. You couldn't see the bigger picture. But we've been playing the long game. And now, you've lost."
Cambria's mind raced. There had to be a way out of this. There had to be something she could do to turn the tide. But everything her uncle said seemed so final. The board was already in his hands. Elena's alliance had sealed the deal. How could she possibly win this fight?
And then, like a spark igniting a fire, a thought crossed her mind. Leverage.
If they thought she had lost, then they had underestimated her. They were playing their own game, but Cambria wasn't done yet. She had one card left to play one piece of information that could change everything.
"Not yet," Cambria said, her voice growing steadier as her mind worked through the possibilities. "You think it's over. But you haven't heard what I've got."
Her uncle stopped, the arrogance momentarily leaving his face. "What are you talking about?"
Cambria reached for her phone, her fingers moving swiftly. A message from Elara had just come through the final piece of the puzzle.
"Cambria, I've got the evidence. Your uncle's offshore accounts he's been laundering money with Elena for years. If we can release it, it's over for him. He won't be able to deny it."
Cambria's eyes flicked to her uncle, watching the slight shift in his expression. She had his number. She had the one thing that could shatter everything he had worked for.
"I've got proof, uncle," Cambria said, pulling up the files on her phone. "I know about the money you've been hiding. The secret accounts. The deals with Elena. You're not as untouchable as you think."
Her uncle's smile faltered for the briefest second, but it was enough. She had him.
"You wouldn't dare," he growled, his voice dark and dangerous. "You think that's going to stop me? You're a fool."
"No," Cambria said, her voice calm but resolute. "You're the fool. You've been playing with fire for far too long. And now, it's time for you to burn."
Her uncle's eyes flicked between her and Knox, the tension in the room thickening. He had underestimated her. Just like Julian had. Just like everyone else who thought they could control her. But Cambria wasn't backing down. Not now. Not ever.
"Get the press release," Cambria commanded, her voice cutting through the silence. "We're going public with this. Now."
Her uncle's face turned from anger to frustration. "You won't survive this. You have no idea how deep you've dug your own grave."
"I'll dig deeper if I have to," she shot back, a fire burning in her chest. "You won't take this from me. Not today, not ever."
As her uncle's eyes darkened, Cambria's phone buzzed once more, but this time, it wasn't just another message from Elara. The screen flashed a name she hadn't seen in years: Maddox.
Her heart skipped a beat. She hadn't heard from him since the explosion of the media scandal. Since everything had started falling apart. He was supposed to be the one person who understood, the one person who could stand by her. But now, with everything on the line, she had to wonder was he truly on her side, or had he turned his back like everyone else?
Before she could make a move to answer, the message flashed across the screen:
"Cambria, they're coming for you. You need to leave. Now."
Her stomach dropped.
Coming for her?
Who was coming? Was it her uncle? Knox? Elena? Or was this something even worse?
The door behind her slammed open with a deafening crash, and she whipped around, heart in her throat.
A figure stepped forward, shadowed by the doorway, and for the first time, Cambria felt a deep, cold chill.
"I'm here to make sure you don't get out of this alive."