Chapter 10 – The Last Empire
"Kevin, you need to listen to me," Clara said, grabbing his wrist as he paced the living room.
"I don't have time to sit," Kevin snapped, but his voice shook. "The board is already voting against me. Investors are leaving in waves. Evelyn is making calls as we speak. She's telling the press she's the only true heir's bride."
Clara pulled his hand tighter. "Then let's fight her head-on. Hiding hasn't worked. You need to show the world who you really are and I'll stand right beside you."
Kevin finally stopped pacing. His eyes were tired, red around the edges. "Clara, do you even know what that means? If you walk out there with me, your name is finished. They'll drag you through the mud. You'll be called every insult in the book."
"I already am," Clara shot back. "They call me mistress, pawn, fake wife. I hear the whispers, but you're forgetting something those things only have power if I let them. I choose not to. What I want is to fight back."
Kevin stared at her. His mouth opened, then closed again. Finally, he let out a shaky laugh. "You're braver than me sometimes."
"No," Clara said softly. "I just refuse to let Evelyn win."
Before Kevin could answer, his phone rang. He put it on speaker. It was Martin, his lawyer.
"Kevin, bad news," Martin said. "The board is calling an emergency meeting tonight. Evelyn will be there, she's claiming she has majority support. If she does, they'll strip you of power."
Kevin swore under his breath. "How fast can we counter?"
"There's only one way," Martin replied. "You need to call a press conference and make your claim before they do. Show the investors you're still in control."
Kevin looked at Clara. "If we do this, there's no going back."
Clara lifted her chin. "Then let's go."
The press conference hall was already filled when Kevin and Clara walked in hand in hand. Reporters turned, cameras flashing wildly. Murmurs filled the air as people realized Clara wasn't hiding, she was right there beside him.
"Kevin Raymond!" someone shouted. "Is it true the board is voting you out?"
"Mr. Raymond, why is Evelyn saying you're unfit to lead?" another voice asked.
Kevin ignored them and stepped up to the podium. Clara stayed right beside him, her fingers lightly brushing his.
"Good evening," Kevin began, his voice steady though his jaw was tight. "There have been rumors and claims that I am not fit to lead the Blackwell empire. I'm here tonight with my wife to show you the truth."
Gasps rippled through the room at the word wife. Reporters leaned forward, pens scratching furiously.
"Yes," Kevin continued firmly. "Clara is my wife. Our marriage is legal, binding, and recognized by law. She is not a mistress, she is not a pawn. She is my partner."
Reporters shouted questions at once, but Kevin raised a hand to quiet them. "As for Evelyn Raymond, she has manipulated the press and the board with false claims. Tonight, I will show you the proof."
He nodded to Martin, who handed over a folder. Kevin opened it, pulling out copies of documents.
"These are records," Kevin said, holding them up, "showing Evelyn's financial misconduct, bribes to board members, fake pregnancy papers, and even staged photographs. Every scheme she used to destroy me and my wife is right here."
The room erupted. Cameras clicked nonstop.
Suddenly, Evelyn herself appeared at the back, storming toward the front with her lawyer. "Lies!" she screamed. "Kevin forged everything. Don't believe him. I am the rightful heir's bride."
"Then prove it," Clara said loudly, stepping forward. Every camera turned toward her.
Evelyn froze. Reporters shouted questions at her, but she only glared at Clara with rage.
Kevin leaned into the microphone. "She can't, because there is no proof. I will not let the Blackwell empire be destroyed by corruption. If I must, I will clean it from top to bottom, even if it means losing everything."
For a moment, the room was silent. Then the reporters exploded again with questions.
Clara squeezed Kevin's hand tightly. "You did it," she whispered.
Kevin shook his head slightly. "Not yet. The board still has power and my father…"
Hours later, they stood in Victor's study. The old man sat in his chair, calm as ever, sipping whiskey.
"You made quite the scene tonight," Victor said dryly. "Shouting about cleaning the empire like some hero. Do you know how ridiculous you looked?"
Kevin clenched his fists. "I don't care. The empire is rotten, Father and I will not let Evelyn or you use it to destroy more lives. If that means tearing it down, so be it."
Victor smirked. "You think you can rebuild it? You? Without me?"
"Yes," Kevin said firmly. "Because unlike you, I won't trade lives for profit. I won't lie to everyone who depends on me."
Victor's eyes darkened. "You're weak. That girl has made you weak."
Clara stepped forward before Kevin could answer. "No. She made him stronger. You ruled with fear, he'll rule with truth. That's why you're afraid of him."
Victor slammed his glass down. "You'll regret this. Both of you."
Kevin leaned closer, his voice low but sharp. "No, Father. You'll regret it. Because I'm done being your puppet."
Later that night, back at the penthouse, Kevin collapsed on the couch, his head in his hands. Clara sat beside him, resting a hand on his shoulder.
"You did it," she said quietly. "You stood up to him."
Kevin looked at her. His eyes were raw. "Clara… I need to know. After everything, after the lies, the threats, the scandals, why are you still here? You could walk away. No one would blame you."
Clara swallowed hard, then reached for his hand. "Because I choose you, Kevin. Not the empire, not the name, not the power. Even if you lose everything tomorrow, I'll still be here."
Kevin's breath caught. He pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly. "I don't deserve you."
"Yes, you do," Clara whispered. "And now we face whatever comes together."
They stayed like that for a long time, the city lights flickering outside. For the first time, Kevin looked less like the empire's heir and more like a man who finally found peace.
Just as Clara closed her eyes, her phone buzzed on the table. She reached for it absentmindedly, expecting a text from Martin.
But it wasn't.
The screen lit up with a new message from an unknown number.
Her heart skipped. She opened it and read the words out loud.
"You think Victor was your enemy? Look deeper. The real Blackwell heir is still alive."
Kevin froze. "What did you just say?"
Clara's hand shook as she held the phone toward him. "Kevin… someone's telling us your family isn't finished with us yet."
Kevin stared at the message, his face pale. "If that's true, then everything we just fought for was only the beginning."