The days after the meeting with her father felt like an eternity compressed into mere hours. The storm Agnes had so boldly provoked was already beginning to gather strength, but now that she had made her decision, there was no going back.
She had been prepared for the weight of her father's disappointment, but what she wasn't prepared for was the way the world around her seemed to fracture, to break apart, as if everything she had once known was crumbling to dust.
The first signs came swiftly.
The First Consequence
The phone call came early the next morning, just as the first rays of sunlight filtered through the blinds. Agnes hadn't even had time to finish her coffee when the number on her phone flashed on the screen.
It was from her father's office.
She swallowed, her heart pounding as she answered.
"Agnes," came her father's voice, cold as ice. "I gave you a chance. And now, you've chosen to destroy everything we've worked for. You are no longer my daughter."
The words hit her like a slap in the face. No longer my daughter.
Her mind raced as she fought to steady her breath. This was the moment she had been anticipating—the moment her father would make it clear that her defiance would come at a price.
"What do you mean?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper, the weight of the words pressing on her chest.
"I'm cutting you out of the family business, Agnes. You're no longer part of SMG. I will make sure the public sees you for what you really are. A traitor. A fool who couldn't see what was in front of her."
Her father's voice, once a source of strength, now sounded hollow. Like a man lost to his own empire.
"You can't do that," Agnes said, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and hurt. "You don't control me anymore. You can't take everything from me."
There was a long silence on the other end, then her father spoke again, his tone final. "I've already spoken to my lawyers. You're being removed from all official company roles. You'll be disowned, and I'll make sure no one associates with you. We're finished, Agnes."
The call ended abruptly, the click of the line going dead ringing in her ears. She was cut off.
Agnes stood there, her hand still gripping the phone as if it could somehow reverse what had just happened. Her father's final betrayal.
And yet, deep down, she knew this had been coming. She had walked into this storm with her eyes open, ready to face the consequences. But the pain of hearing the words, the finality in his voice, was something she hadn't fully prepared for.
"Agnes?" Majek's voice broke through the fog in her mind. He had come into the room without her noticing, his eyes filled with concern. "What happened?"
Agnes didn't look at him immediately. She couldn't. The tears stung her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "He cut me off," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "I'm no longer part of SMG. He… he said I was a traitor."
Majek's face darkened as he stepped closer. He placed a hand gently on her shoulder, and she could feel the warmth of his touch grounding her. "I'm sorry, Agnes. But this… this is just the beginning. We knew there'd be fallout."
Agnes closed her eyes, the weight of it all pressing down on her chest. "I thought I was ready for this. But… he's really gone. He's erased me."
Majek was silent for a moment, but when he spoke again, there was a calm authority in his voice. "You're not erased. You're free. And we'll build something new. Together."
She looked up at him then, her eyes filled with uncertainty. "But what now, Majek? What do we do now that it's over? We've lost everything."
"Not everything," Majek replied softly. "We still have each other. And that's more than enough to start over."
The Fallout
The press was relentless. It didn't take long for the rumors to start swirling, and within hours, articles were being written about the dramatic fall of Agnes Lewis, the once-promising heir to the SMG empire. Her father's lawyers had wasted no time in discrediting her, releasing statements that painted her as a reckless, irresponsible daughter who had turned her back on the company and its legacy.
The Betrayal. The Scandal. The Family Feud.
The media had a field day, casting Agnes as the villain of her own story. The headline reads: "Agnes Lewis: The Heiress Who Destroyed Her Family's Empire."
The pressure was mounting from all sides. She couldn't step out of her apartment without being bombarded by paparazzi, reporters with cameras flashing in her face, shouting questions, demanding answers.
"How does it feel to be disowned by your father?" one of them shouted.
"Will you be marrying Lami as your father wanted?" another asked.
Agnes felt the weight of their gaze, but she didn't falter. She knew what she had to do. She knew the price of her freedom would be paid in full, but she was determined to hold her ground. No matter what.
Majek stood by her side, his presence a constant reassurance, even as the world around them tried to tear them apart.
"I'm not afraid of them," she whispered to him one evening as they sat in her apartment, staring out at the city lights. "I'm not afraid of what they'll say or do. They can take everything from me, but they can't take my peace."
Majek nodded, his hand resting on hers. "We'll face it together. And when it's all over, we'll be stronger than we were before."
The Silent Threat
But there was something far more dangerous lurking in the shadows. Lami's silence had been ominous. While her father was quick to cast her aside, Lami was still very much a threat in the background, watching, waiting.
Agnes hadn't heard from him since the meeting at her father's office, and for the first time, the uncertainty felt palpable. She couldn't shake the feeling that he was plotting something—something that would push her further into a corner.
"I don't trust him, Majek," she said one night, pacing the room. "Lami's not just going to sit back and let us go. He's going to come after us."
Majek met her gaze, his face set in a hard line. "I know. And we'll be ready for him. Whatever it takes."
But as the days passed, Agnes couldn't escape the nagging thought that her father's disownment wasn't the only battle she had to face. Lami's game wasn't over. Not by a long shot.
The Turning Point
The turning point came when Majek received an unexpected call one evening. Agnes had been in the kitchen, trying to distract herself with something as mundane as dinner, when he walked in, his face tight with concern.
"It's Lami," Majek said, his voice low. "He's making his move."
Agnes turned to face him, a chill running down her spine. "What do you mean?"
"He's bought up a large portion of SMG shares. He's positioning himself to take control. If he succeeds…" Majek paused, the weight of the situation hanging between them. "We'll have no leverage left. And if he forces a merger…"
Her stomach dropped. The thought of Lami controlling everything—the company, her life, her freedom—was something she couldn't bear.
"Then we have to act fast," Agnes said, her voice suddenly sharp, determined. "We can't let him win. We can't let him take everything from us."
Majek nodded. "We won't. We'll fight back. And we'll make sure he regrets ever underestimating us."