Burn the kingdom

Chapter 13: The Desperate Web

Rain lashed against the windows of the lake house as dawn broke. The storm had rolled in during the night, but neither Vivienne nor Liam had noticed. They had been too consumed.... first with fevered passion, then with whispered promises beneath the covers.

Now, Vivienne stood naked at the window, arms crossed over her chest, her gaze distant.

Liam came up behind her, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders and pressing a soft kiss to her temple. "You haven't slept."

"Too much at stake," she whispered. Her mind still reeled from Natalie's call: Marcus moving fast, an emergency shareholders' meeting looming.

"We’ll face it," Liam said, his voice low and steady.

She turned, cupping his face. "I won’t let him take this from me. From us."

Their lips met in a searing kiss.... not frantic this time, but deep and grounding. A vow.

Moments later, Vivienne dressed quickly, business armor in place once more. "We need to get back."

Liam nodded. "Together."

Elsewhere, at Marcus’s penthouse...

Emma paced barefoot across the sleek marble floor, wearing nothing but an emerald silk robe. Her nails dug crescents into her palms. She felt trapped.... shut out of Moreau Industries, her power stripped.

Marcus watched her from his armchair, swirling a glass of whiskey.

"I need access," she snapped. "I can't get close to Liam if I’m locked out."

"Patience," Marcus drawled. "You’re more dangerous now, working from the outside. Less predictable."

Emma scoffed. "Easy for you to say. You didn’t lose your standing."

Marcus rose smoothly, crossing to her. "You want back in? Then deliver me something valuable. Corrupt someone on the inside. Plant a new set of eyes."

He handed her a flash drive. "Start with security footage. Find a weak link."

Emma's smile returned... sharp as glass. "Consider it done."

Back at Moreau Industries...

The shareholders’ emergency meeting buzzed with tension. Cameras captured every second for the internal archive.

Vivienne entered, head high, flanked by Natalie and Hugo. She wore a tailored navy suit, her presence commanding.

Marcus waited near the front, oozing smug confidence.

As the meeting began, he rose. "Esteemed shareholders, it is time to question whether this company is being led with the discretion and dignity it deserves."

Vivienne stood slowly. "I welcome scrutiny," she said coolly. "But I will not be tried by innuendo and slander."

A tense exchange followed..... Marcus weaving veiled accusations, Vivienne parrying with icy logic.

But the tide shifted when Hugo presented fresh data: "We have traced an influx of outside shares being funneled through shell corporations linked to Marcus’s allies. An attempt at hostile takeover."

Gasps rippled through the room.

Vivienne’s gaze pinned Marcus. "You wanted a war. Now you have one."

Later that night...

Liam found Vivienne in her office, staring at city lights.

Without a word, he locked the door and crossed to her. His hands slid around her waist, his lips brushing her ear. "You were magnificent."

She turned, hunger flaring in her eyes. "I need more than words tonight. I need you."

Their mouths crashed together. Clothes vanished. He laid her on her desk, devouring every inch of her with reverence and fire.

Her moans filled the room as he drove into her.... slow, deep, claiming her soul as much as her body.

"Liam," she gasped. "Don’t ever let me fall."

He kissed her fiercely. "Never."

They shattered together, clinging like lifelines.

Across the city...

Emma sat in a private lounge with a young IT staffer.... Daniel... her new target.

"You want a future here?" she purred, sliding closer. "Then help me."

She showed him the flash drive. "I need access. Full surveillance logs. In return, I can make things... very good for you."

Daniel swallowed hard, tempted and terrified.

Emma smiled, sensing the crack.

Soon....