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97. The Backlash
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2026-02-18 22:56:38
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Married To Him By Midnight 100. Public Truth
Morning did not arrive gently.It arrived like a spotlight.By the time we stepped out of the car in front of the Commission building, cameras were already positioned across the street. Not chaotic. Not aggressive. Just present.Waiting.Julian hadn’t needed to call the press. The complaint itself had done that. Public inquiry into a CEO’s marriage? It was irresistible.Adrian adjusted his cufflinks once—small, controlled movement. I smoothed my blazer. Not vanity. Armor.“You still certain?” he asked quietly before we walked in.“Yes.”He studied me for a second longer.“Whatever happens in there,” he added, “we stay aligned.”“Aligned,” I repeated.And we walked inside.⸻The hearing room wasn’t dramatic. No raised voices. No pounding gavels. Just long tables, microphones, and people trained to dissect nuance for a living.The Chairwoman looked over her glasses.“Mr. Vale. Mrs. Vale. Thank you for appearing.”Mrs. Vale.The title still carried a strange weight.“We’ll begin with cla
Married To Him By Midnight 99. Moves not seen
I should have felt triumphant after the warehouse.I didn’t.Victory implies closure.This felt like prelude.Julian had been too calm. Too measured. A man denied leverage doesn’t simply retreat. He restructures.By morning, the city looked the same. Traffic flowed. Markets opened. News cycles shifted.But underneath it—pressure gathered.At 10:12 a.m., Adrian’s phone rang.Not a media call.Not a board member.Regulatory compliance.He listened without interruption, face impassive.When he ended the call, he didn’t speak immediately.“What?” I asked.“There’s been a formal complaint filed with the Commission.”My stomach tightened.“About?”“Conflict of interest. Influence manipulation. Improper disclosure tied to our personal relationship.”Silence filled the room.Julian hadn’t attacked the company.He’d attacked us.“You think it’s him?” I asked.Adrian gave me a look.“It’s structured too cleanly to be random.”I inhaled slowly.“What’s the risk?”“Investigation. Public scrutiny.
Married To Him By Midnight 98. The Choice That Breaks
I should have known the calm wouldn’t last.Peace in this war never meant safety. It meant repositioning.Three days after Julian’s audit memo surfaced, the media shifted focus. Not away from us—but sideways. Speculation slowed. Analysts began debating internal instability at his firm instead of Adrian’s structures.On the surface, it looked like equilibrium.But equilibrium in power games is just tension held at equal force.And tension snaps.It happened at 9:07 p.m.I was reviewing documentation in my office when my phone lit up with a number I hadn’t seen in years.My brother.I answered immediately.“Elara.”His voice wasn’t panicked.It was controlled.Too controlled.“What happened?”A pause.“There are two men outside the house.”My spine went rigid.“Security?”“They’re not threatening. Just… parked. Watching.”Julian.He wouldn’t threaten directly. He’d observe. Create pressure. Let imagination do the rest.“Stay inside,” I said calmly. “Do not approach. Do not confront.”“T
Married To Him By Midnight 97. The Backlash
I knew the backlash would come.I just didn’t expect it to arrive before sunrise.At 5:32 a.m., my phone vibrated against the nightstand. Not a call. Not a message.A notification.A headline.I sat up slowly before opening it.“Confidential Files Surface Linking Vale Group to Pre-Merger Shell Entities.”My blood ran cold.Adrian stirred beside me. “What is it?”I handed him the phone.His expression didn’t shift at first. Then it did—almost imperceptibly. A tightening at the jaw. A stillness in his shoulders.“That’s internal,” he said quietly.The article was vague enough to avoid libel. It referenced unnamed documents. Suggested structural maneuvering years before a major acquisition. It wasn’t illegal.But it looked strategic.Manipulative.Calculated.Julian had fired back.And not at me.At Adrian.“You triggered him,” Adrian said, but there was no accusation in it.“Yes.”“And he escalated.”“Yes.”I forced myself to breathe slowly.This was chess.Not chaos.“Those files,” I a
Married To Him By Midnight 96. Personal Damage
I didn’t sleep.Not because I couldn’t.Because I refused to.There’s something about knowing a storm is already in motion that makes rest feel irresponsible.Adrian stayed awake too.Not hovering. Not pacing.Present.That was new.By 6:12 a.m., the first article went live.Not on a major outlet.Smaller. Strategic. The kind of publication that feeds bigger ones once the scent catches.“Questions Surround Financial History of Mrs. Vale’s Family Holdings.”My jaw tightened.“They’re not accusing,” I said quietly, scrolling. “They’re implying.”“That’s how you build smoke,” Adrian replied. “You don’t start with fire.”The article cited “anonymous internal sources.” Referenced old contracts tied to my father’s consulting years ago. Mentioned my siblings’ businesses in passing—framed as “sudden growth aligned with high-profile marital alliances.”It was clean.Almost elegant.And completely intentional.Olivia called again.“They’ve reached out to your younger brother directly,” she said
Married To Him By Midnight 95. No Moves
By the time we got back into the city, the ripple had become a wave.Three missed calls from Olivia.Two from the board liaison.One from a private number I didn’t recognize.Adrian’s phone wasn’t faring any better.“They’re accelerating it,” he muttered, scanning a notification. “Julian’s forcing reactions before the market closes.”I stared out the window as the skyline sharpened into view. “He wants us tired. Reactive. Cornered.”“And divided,” Adrian added quietly.That landed.Because that had always been the fault line, hadn’t it? Not the business. Not Lydia. Not even Julian.Us.The uncertainty of what we were to each other had been the most convenient weakness in the room.And Julian knew it.⸻We didn’t go home.We went straight to the office.The atmosphere inside Vale Group headquarters felt different. Controlled. Alert. People weren’t panicking—but they were watching.Watching us.Good, I thought.Let them.Inside the executive conference room, the board was already assemb
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