Chapter 8

The Live Execution

The countdown clock in the studio header read: 30 SECONDS TO AIR.

Avery sat on the leather interview couch, the heavy studio lights baking her skin. Across from them sat Sterling Hayes, the anchor, adjusting his earpiece with a smug, knowing grin.

Vivian sat beside her, perfectly upright. But underneath the camera's sightline, hidden between their cushions, Vivian’s hand was flat against the leather. Avery didn't hesitate. She slid her fingers into Vivian's, locking their hands together. Vivian’s grip was incredibly tight, a silent declaration of absolute trust.

"In five, four, three..." the floor manager signaled.

"Good evening," Sterling Hayes spoke directly into the center lens, his voice booming with artificial gravity. "Tonight, we are joined live by Vivian Thorne, CEO of Thorne Enterprises, and her new wife, Avery Cross. Today, shocking leaked documents suggested that their highly publicized marriage is nothing more than a fraudulent scheme to manipulate the market. Ms. Thorne, let’s start with you. Is your marriage a lie?"

Vivian didn't flinch. She looked directly at Sterling, her voice cool and steady. "The documents leaked by my cousin are a desperate fabrication. My marriage to Avery is entirely real."

Sterling smirked, turning his gaze sharply to Avery. "Ms. Cross, you are an independent artist. You’ve spoken out against corporate greed your entire career. Yet, you suddenly marry the head of your family's fiercest rival right as your firm faces foreclosure? It looks like simple math. Did Vivian Thorne buy your love?"

Avery felt the sting of the trap, but she remembered the penthouse war room. She let out a soft, genuine laugh that caught the anchor entirely off guard.

She turned her head, looking away from the cameras and directly at Vivian.

"If you had asked me that a month ago, Sterling, I would have said yes," Avery said, her voice filled with a raw, undeniable sincerity that resonated through the studio speakers. "The truth is, our families forced us into a room together. I thought Vivian was a cold, calculating machine. I absolutely despised her. And I know she couldn't stand my mess."

Sterling leaned forward, sensing a blood trail. "So you admit it was forced?"

"It was," Avery said, her eyes never leaving Vivian's. "But then we had to live together. And I watched her protect my business when she had no legal obligation to do so. I watched her stand up to the bullies in her own family to protect my dignity. I realized that beneath the corporate armor, Vivian Thorne is the fiercest, most profoundly protective woman I have ever met. So, did she buy my love? No. She earned it. And I am entirely, completely in love with her."

The studio went dead silent. The anchor froze, his script suddenly useless as he stared at the sheer, palpable emotion radiating between the two women.

Vivian stared at Avery, her emerald eyes shiny with unshed tears. The cold CEO mask was entirely gone, shattered by the live confession.

Vivian squeezed Avery’s hand tightly under the frame, then looked back at Sterling Hayes, her voice returning with a fierce, absolute authority.

"My cousin wanted to use an old contract to destroy my career," Vivian stated, her gaze lethal. "But all he did was force me to realize that the best decision I ever made wasn't a business transaction. It was choosing Avery. The merger stands, the stock is stable, and our marriage is non-negotiable."

"We'll... we'll be right back after a commercial break," Sterling stammered, completely defeated.

The red light on the camera clicked off.

Avery let out a breath she felt like she'd been holding for days. Before she could even stand up, Vivian pulled her hand out from the cushions, wrapped her arms around Avery’s neck, and pulled her into a fierce, breathless hug right there on the set, completely ignoring the stunned studio crew around them.

"You were brilliant," Vivian whispered against her ear, her voice shaking with an emotion that was no longer an act.

"We're a team now, Thorne," Avery whispered back, a triumphant smile spreading across her face. "Malakai never stood a chance."