The backlash came like a wave.
Not from Marcus,
from the world.
Aaliyah woke to thousands of messages, news alerts stacked one after another, her name trending in more countries than she could count.
#IStandWithAaliyah
#BlackwoodExposed
#LetHerSpeak
Her hands shook as she scrolled.
Some messages were full of support.
Some were full of hate.
Some were terrifyingly personal.
She locked her phone and pressed it against her chest, breathing through the weight of being seen.
A knock came at her door.
Rowan stepped in quietly.
"Security's been doubled," Rowan said. "No one gets near you."
Aaliyah nodded. "I didn't realize how loud the world is when it notices you."
Rowan hesitated, then said softly, "I did."
They stood there, the space between them heavy with everything they'd just survived.
"Marcus hasn't responded yet," Rowan said. "That's not a good sign."
Aaliyah's stomach tightened. "What will he do?"
"He'll look for a way to regain control," Rowan replied. "Publicly or privately."
Aaliyah met her gaze. "We're ready."
Rowan nodded. "We are."
Elise entered moments later, tablet in hand. "The board is reconvening. Emergency vote."
Rowan's jaw set. "On what?"
"Marcus's authority," Elise said. "And yours."
Aaliyah's heart skipped. "So this decides everything."
"Yes," Rowan replied.
Aaliyah took a breath. "Then let's finish it."
Rowan looked at her, something fierce and protective shining through.
"We will."
Outside the penthouse, cameras already waited.
And inside, two women prepared to face the consequences of choosing truth over control.
The boardroom had never felt so exposed.
Aaliyah sat beside Rowan at the long polished table, her hands folded tightly in her lap. Screens lined the walls, each one showing a different angle of the city, the media frenzy outside, the financial tickers running wild.
The directors filed in one by one.
Some avoided Rowan's eyes.
Some watched Aaliyah with open curiosity.
Some looked afraid.
Marcus Blackwood entered last.
He didn't look defeated.
He looked amused.
"Shall we?" Marcus said smoothly, taking his seat at the head of the table.
Rowan didn't rise. "You don't run this meeting."
Marcus's smile thinned. "Not yet."
The chair of the board cleared his throat. "We're here to determine whether recent events compromise leadership."
Aaliyah felt Rowan's hand brush against hers under the table, not possessive. Reassuring.
Marcus leaned forward. "My daughter has allowed personal entanglement to cloud her judgment. This public spectacle,"
"This public spectacle," Rowan interrupted coldly, "is you being caught."
Murmurs rippled through the room.
Marcus's gaze flicked to Aaliyah. "You should never have been here."
Aaliyah met his eyes steadily. "You invited me when you tried to erase me."
Silence.
Rowan turned to the board. "You've all seen the evidence. Shell companies. Surveillance. Media manipulation. If you let him regain control, you're endorsing it."
The chair hesitated. "The legal ramifications,"
"Will fall on him," Rowan said. "Not on us."
Marcus laughed softly. "You think this changes anything?"
"Yes," Aaliyah said. "Because people are watching now."
Marcus's eyes hardened.
The vote was called.
Hands rose.
Some for Marcus.
Some against.
The tension was unbearable.
Finally, the chair spoke. "By a majority, Marcus Blackwood's authority is suspended pending investigation."
Aaliyah exhaled shakily.
Marcus's face went still.
Rowan didn't smile. She simply looked at her father with something like quiet finality.
"This is over," Rowan said.
Marcus leaned back, eyes burning with something dangerous.
"No," he replied. "This is just the beginning."
And as security stepped forward to escort him out, Aaliyah felt it in her bones,
He wasn't finished.
Not by a long shot.
Marcus didn't go quietly.
As security closed in, his eyes locked on Aaliyah, not with rage, but with something far colder.
Calculation.
"You think you won," he said calmly. "But you've only exposed how fragile she is."
Rowan rose from her chair. "Leave."
Marcus smiled thinly. "You used to be stronger."
"I used to be obedient," Rowan replied. "That's not the same thing."
Security took Marcus by the arm. For the first time, his control slipped just a fraction.
"You've made yourself vulnerable," Marcus said, his gaze never leaving Aaliyah. "And vulnerability has a price."
Then he was gone.
The room was silent.
Aaliyah felt Rowan's hand on her back, steady and grounding. "It's done," Rowan murmured.
Aaliyah shook her head slightly. "It's not."
Rowan didn't argue.
The board members began to file out, some offering quiet nods, others avoiding their eyes. Elise appeared at Rowan's side, already moving into crisis mode.
"He'll go public again," Elise said. "And private."
Rowan nodded. "Increase security. Lock everything."
Elise glanced at Aaliyah. "Especially around her."
Aaliyah straightened. "I won't hide."
Rowan turned to her. "You won't have to. But you also won't be unprotected."
They left the boardroom together, stepping into a corridor buzzing with reporters and cameras. Flashes erupted. Voices shouted questions.
"Ms. Blackwood!"
"Aaliyah Moore!"
"Is Marcus Blackwood finished?"
"Is your relationship real?"
Rowan stopped.
Aaliyah's heart raced as Rowan turned back toward the cameras, her hand finding Aaliyah's.
"Yes," Rowan said clearly. "It is."
The statement wasn't for the press.
It was for her.
As they walked forward, hand in hand, Aaliyah felt the weight of what they'd done settle into something solid.
They had chosen each other in the open.
Now the world and Marcus Blackwood, would have to deal with the consequences.