Part 25 –
The battle lines had been drawn.
But it wasn't just a war for Wolfe Enterprises anymore—
It was personal.
It was blood-deep.
And Lila was about to step into the lion's den alone.
A Seat at the Table
Lila stood at the head of the long, polished boardroom table. The air was thick with tension and suspicion.
Twelve board members.
One woman.
But she wasn't afraid.
Gone was the intern. The assistant.
Gone was the girl in Ethan Wolfe's shadow.
This was Lila Whitmore, power in heels.
"I'm not here to ask for your trust," she said, her voice echoing off the walls. "I'm here to claim it."
There were murmurs. Raised brows. A scoff or two.
One of the older members leaned forward. "And what exactly do you think you're claiming, Miss Whitmore?"
She smiled, calm as glass.
"A future. One without sabotage. One where loyalty is earned not inherited."
Another voice cut in smug, slick.
Julian Drake.
"Bold words for someone with no title. No legacy. Just a bed in the CEO's penthouse."
Lila didn't blink.
"Funny. I thought this company cared about results, not rumors. And I'm the reason we stopped a mole, saved our shares, and stabilized investor confidence."
Julian sneered, but the others stilled.
She had a point. And they knew it.
"I'm proposing a motion," Lila continued, sliding a document onto the table. "A new position Strategic Co-Chair. Created to oversee ethical restoration and internal risk. And I'm naming myself for it."
"You think you can vote yourself into power?" someone scoffed.
She shook her head.
"No. But I think you're smart enough to know the press already sees me as a public face of this company. If you don't legitimize that power, you'll lose it."
She looked each of them in the eye.
"I'm not asking to be part of the empire. I'm telling you I've already built part of it."
There was silence.
Then
"I vote yes," came a voice.
Then another.
And another.
Julian's smile faded.
And Lila stood taller than ever.
Secrets in the Past
Elsewhere, Ethan stood in his mother's old study, rifling through her hidden files something he hadn't had the heart to do since her death.
Until now.
Until Damien.
He found it at the back of the cabinet.
A faded manila folder marked only: Wolfe-B.
Inside legal papers. Letters. Photos.
One picture made him freeze.
It was Damien.
As a child.
Next to his mother.
But the letter attached broke Ethan.
To my son, should you ever learn the truth
Damien is your brother, but I did not abandon him. I was forced to hide him. His father… wasn't the man you believed I married. He was dangerous. Violent. A man I tried to escape, and thought I had. But the past always finds us, doesn't it?
Ethan's hands shook as he read the last lines.
If Damien comes for you don't hate him.
He grew up in the shadow of our mistakes.
Just remember who you are. And who you fight for.
Reunion
That night, Ethan returned to Lila's apartment not the penthouse, not the office but her space.
She opened the door and saw it instantly in his eyes.
Grief. Guilt. Something heavier than she'd seen before.
He handed her the letter.
She read it in silence.
When she finished, she looked up.
"He's your brother."
He nodded. "I hated him for what he did. But now... I just feel like I failed both of us."
Lila stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.
"You didn't fail anyone," she whispered. "But we have to end this. Clean. Strong. Together."
Ethan rested his forehead against hers.
"I can't lose you."
"You won't," she said softly.
"But we're going to war, Ethan. With blood. With business. With everything."
He kissed her deep and slow, like an oath.
"Then let's burn down every lie they built."