The city didn't welcome her back.It stared.It whispered.It judged.Every street Leigh crossed, every face she passed it was all eyes. All silence. All scandal.But she didn't flinch.Dressed in a cream power suit with her natural curls pulled into a high knot, Leigh Bennett walked into the lion's den with her chin up, heels slicing the pavement like a warning.Damian trailed just behind.He hadn't wanted her to do this. Not so soon. Not without more protection.But Leigh was done hiding.Cain Media HQ was swarmed with press. Paparazzi lined the barricades. Fans. Haters. Curious nobodies.All of them waiting.She walked past them like they didn't exist.Inside, the air was chilled. Artificial. Corporate.Miranda had once ruled here.Now it was Leigh's turn to set the room on fire. The press conference was scheduled for noon.At 11:59, she stepped on stage.No podium.No notes.Just a single microphone and every ounce of fury wrapped in poise.She began calmly."I know what you've seen."Her voice didn't shake."I know what was taken from me. I know what was exposed."She paused. Let the silence burn."What I want you to understand is this: I will not apologize for being desired. I will not shrink because my body became someone else's weapon. And I will not be reduced to a clip you watched on mute and judged in full."Flashbulbs exploded.She went on."I was violated. Yes. But I will not let that violation define me. I'm still the woman who built a startup from scratch, who stood her ground against Cain Industries, and who made the man you call a villain walk away from power just to be honest for once in his life."Murmurs rose."But most of all, I am still here. I am unbroken. And to Miranda Cain, and everyone who thinks my story is something to leak or silence remember this: I write the final chapter."Applause followed.Some shocked. Some supportive.But none could deny one thing:Leigh Bennett owned that room. Backstage, Damian waited."You didn't have to bring me into it," he said.She shrugged. "You're part of my story. Whether you like it or not."He stepped closer.The chemistry between them hummed like static."I didn't deserve that speech," he whispered."No," she said, "but I did."She touched his chest, lingered for a moment—then walked away.---Meanwhile, Roman stood in a boardroom across the city, watching the live feed.Miranda sat beside him, seething."She's good," he said, sipping his wine."She's dangerous," Miranda muttered.Roman smiled. "Even better."Miranda scowled."We need to move the timeline up."Roman raised a brow. "To what end?""To destroy them both before they gain traction. I want her business license revoked. His Cayman accounts frozen. And I want that backup footage leaked to the press."Roman paused."You know what that will do to her?"Miranda's lips curled."Exactly." That night, Leigh returned to her apartment under tight security.Damian insisted on staying nearby.But she needed space.And silence.So she locked herself in her bedroom, sat at her laptop, and began writing.Not code.Not speeches.A letter.To someone no one expected.To Roman's sister. The letter read:*You don't know me. But I know what happened to you. I know the lies Roman told. I know the silence that followed. And I want you to know I believe you. If you're ready to talk, I'll listen. I'll fight. I'll burn the world with you if I have to. Because some women survive quietly.**And some come back to finish the war. Leigh The next day, Damian received an envelope.Inside: a photo.Miranda.Standing with a judge.One known for backdoor deals.Attached was a sticky note.You have 48 hours to disappear—or we file a case Leigh can't outrun. Damian's eyes narrowed.And for the first time in weeks—he smiled.Because now it was his turn to fight dirty.
The storm was coming.Not the metaphorical one though that too. But a real storm. The sky over Manhattan had turned a brutal shade of gray, thick clouds churning like smoke. It was the kind of atmosphere that promised chaos.And chaos was exactly what Leigh walked into.She arrived at the studio headquarters of Morning Fire, the most-watched daytime show in the city. A last-minute invitation, orchestrated by her team after the press conference went viral. It wasn't planned. It wasn't safe.But Leigh was done playing by the rules.She stepped onto the set like she owned it, every step calculated and dangerous.The host smiled a little too brightly."Leigh Bennett, thank you for joining us. Let's get right into it, shall we?"Leigh gave a half-smile. "Please do."The interview started innocently enough. Career background. Her tech startup. Her pivot to media.Then came the pivot."Leigh, the video that surfaced I won't be commenting on that," she said calmly."But the public wants to know "No," she corrected. "The public wants to judge. I'm here to speak truth, not to beg for mercy."The host blinked.The room went still.And then Leigh did something no one expected.She turned directly to the camera."If you're watching this and you've ever been humiliated, recorded, or violated without your consent this isn't just my story. It's yours. And if they thought leaking my body would break my mind, let me make this very clear: I. Am. Still. Standing."The feed went viral in real time. Backstage, Damian waited.The studio's lights buzzed overhead, but nothing was louder than the silence between them.When Leigh exited, her face was steel.He followed her into the green room.She didn't turn around."I asked you to stay out of this," she said quietly."You're being threatened," he said. "By people I've fought before. You don't know what they're capable of."She spun around."And you think I don't know what you're capable of? You think I didn't see it in your eyes the moment you got that envelope?"Damian stepped forward."You want to fight your own war? Fine. But don't pretend this isn't personal for me too."She stared at him."Then prove it," she whispered.And she kissed him.Not soft.Not sweet.Hungry. Angry. Desperate.He lifted her onto the vanity, swept aside the makeup kits, and kissed her like a man starving for forgiveness.Her hands gripped his hair.His lips found the hollow of her throat.Clothes disappeared in fragments.The green room was locked.But nothing could lock down the fury between them.He took her like she was the only thing that mattered.And she let him, because for one stolen moment it was enough. Later, dressed and breathless, she leaned against the mirror."This changes nothing," she murmured."I know," he said."But I still want you.""I never stopped."She looked at him."Then help me burn it all down." Meanwhile, across the city, Miranda opened her inbox.A message waited.From an anonymous sender. SUBJECT: Your secret will die with you. Attached: a photo of Miranda and Roman… kissing.Not business partners.Lovers.The very leverage they swore never to expose.She gasped.Roman was already in her penthouse, pacing."What's wrong?"She turned the laptop.His eyes widened."Who the hell has that photo?""I don't know," she whispered. "But they're coming."---That night, Leigh received a call.Not from a reporter.Not from Damian.From a soft voice.A woman."I got your letter," the woman said."You're Roman's sister.""Yes."Silence.Then: "I'm ready to tell my story."Leigh's hand shook."Then we're going to war."