The first twenty-four hours after the exposé felt like a storm had passed through, and Agnes and Majek were left standing in the wreckage. The video had gone viral, shaking the very foundations of the empire her father had built.
The media's response was swift and brutal. Headlines screamed of betrayal, political corruption, and the unraveling of SMG Conglomerate. Agnes's face was everywhere—splashed across the news as the daughter who had torn her father's empire apart. The image of her standing in front of the camera, poised but trembling, was now a symbol of defiance—and of tragic inevitability.
But it wasn't just her reputation on the line. The company was in freefall. Investors were pulling out, competitors were circling, and her father was already preparing for his own defensive maneuver.
The Public's Fury
Agnes sat in the kitchen, the harsh glow of her phone screen illuminating her face as she scrolled through endless social media posts. The words blurred together, and yet each comment felt like a personal attack.
"She ruined her father for greed."
"A spoiled daughter who couldn't handle her privilege."
"She deserves to lose everything."
She swallowed hard, the bile rising in her throat. Every word felt like a knife digging deeper into the wounds she had tried to heal. For the first time in a long time, she wasn't sure if she had made the right choice.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on the door. Majek entered, his face tense, his eyes dark with exhaustion.
"How are you holding up?" he asked, his voice gentle, though there was an underlying edge to it. It was clear he was battling his own demons.
Agnes didn't answer immediately. She looked at him, searching for some sign of reassurance. But the truth was, she didn't know what she needed. The weight of the past 48 hours was unbearable.
"I don't know if I can take much more of this," she finally whispered. "It's too much. The hatred. The judgment. People think I'm a villain, Majek. They think I destroyed my father's legacy out of spite."
Majek sat beside her, his hand gently reaching for hers. "You did the right thing. You exposed the truth. Your father was hiding behind a façade, using his power to crush people. You've freed yourself—and so many others."
"I don't feel free," she said, her voice breaking. "I feel like I'm drowning."
Majek's thumb brushed over her knuckles, his gaze softening. "I know it's hard. I know it feels like the whole world is turning against you. But you did what had to be done. And I'll stand by you, no matter what."
Agnes closed her eyes, taking a shaky breath. But in that moment, the pain didn't go away. It didn't vanish just because Majek was holding her hand.
The truth was, the battle wasn't just with the world. It was with herself.
Her Father's Counterattack
As the hours passed, Agnes's father, Mr. Smith Lewis, had already begun his counteroffensive. Press releases were issued. Lawyers were called. He was painting the picture of a distraught father betrayed by a daughter who had turned her back on everything he had built for her.
The media was eating it up. Interviews with "close family friends" and "business partners" painted Agnes as an unstable heir who had let personal grievances destroy her father's legacy.
But behind the scenes, things were far worse.
Agnes's lawyer, Tolu, had managed to gather intelligence: Her father was orchestrating a smear campaign not just against her, but also against Majek. The aim was to make him the scapegoat for everything—suggesting that he had manipulated her into turning on her family.
A Dangerous Offer
By late evening, the phone rang. It was an unknown number.
Agnes hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Agnes…" The voice on the other end was familiar. Cold. Her father.
"Don't you dare, Father. Don't think you can spin this in your favor. You've done enough damage already."
"Don't be foolish," he snapped. "You can't just walk away from this. The company is mine. It always has been. You've done irreparable damage, and now you'll face the consequences."
Her father's voice was a weapon, cutting through her like a knife.
"I'm offering you a way out. A chance to fix this. I can help you save your reputation. You can keep your wealth. Your status."
"And all I have to do is what?" she asked, her heart racing. "Turn my back on everything I've done? Pretend this never happened?"
"You can't undo the damage, but you can stop it from getting worse. You don't have to be a pariah, Agnes. There's still time to salvage your future."
Her father's words hung in the air, laced with an offer that promised security in exchange for submission. The same kind of submission that had kept her trapped her whole life.
"I don't need your help anymore," Agnes said, her voice barely audible. "I'll take my chances."
The line went dead.
Majek's Plan
The next morning, Agnes barely slept. The weight of her father's threat still lingered, but the truth remained: she had made her choice. There was no turning back.
But even as the dust began to settle from the media frenzy, a new battle was brewing. Majek's plan to take down SMG Conglomerate—once a distant thought—was now an urgent necessity.
He needed to act fast. The longer they waited, the more leverage her father gained. His influence was enormous, and the longer he played the victim, the more powerful his narrative would become.
Majek entered her apartment, his face hard with determination. He wasted no time.
"We need to go public with everything we've got. No more secrets. No more waiting. This has to end now, Agnes."
She looked at him, her mind reeling. "What are you saying? You want to go even further? We've already exposed everything we can."
"No," Majek replied, his eyes fierce. "We need to expose every single deal he made. Every lie he told. We need to destroy his empire before he can build a counter-narrative. We can't give him the chance to turn this around."
She stood up, pacing the room, her mind racing. She knew he was right. They had to act, but the idea of going even further was terrifying.
"I'm scared," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.
Majek stepped closer to her, his hand resting gently on her shoulder. "You're not alone in this, Agnes. We've come this far together. And we'll finish it together. You've already made the hardest choice. The rest of it is just following through."
Her heart pounded in her chest as she locked eyes with him. The storm was far from over, but now, it felt like they had a fighting chance.
The Final Countdown
As they moved forward with their plan, the tension between them began to dissolve—if only for a moment. There was a shared understanding between them now. This wasn't just about revenge; this was about claiming their freedom from a system that had enslaved them both.
The pieces were falling into place. Majek had already contacted his sources, and soon, the final piece of evidence—the one her father had kept hidden for decades—would be in their hands. They would bring the full weight of the truth crashing down on SMG Conglomerate.
But as the deadline approached, Agnes couldn't shake the feeling that the worst was yet to come.
The media storm had barely begun to settle, and the next phase of their battle promised even more chaos.