Chapter Sixty-One: Strength and Vulnerability

The mansion felt different when we returned from the boardroom—quieter, more intimate, like the rest of the world had fallen away and left only us.

I stood in our bedroom, still wearing the power suit that had felt like armor just hours ago. Now it felt like a costume I was ready to shed. My hands shook as I tried to process everything that had happened.

Seven days to save an empire.

Fifty thousand jobs hanging in the balance.

A corporate predator who'd never lost a battle.

"Hey," Dominic said softly from behind me. "You're thinking too loud."

I turned to find him watching me with those dark eyes that seemed to see straight through every defense I'd ever built. He'd loosened his tie, unbuttoned his shirt at the collar, and somehow looked even more dangerous in his slight dishevelment.

"I don't know if I can do this," I admitted, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. "Marcus Blackstone has been destroying companies for twenty years. Victoria herself couldn't stop him, and she's brilliant. What makes anyone think I can?"

"Because," he said, crossing the room with that predatory grace that always made my pulse quicken, "you're not Victoria. You're something new. Something he's never faced before."

His hands settled on my shoulders, warm and steady and absolutely certain. "You're a survivor, Scarlett. You've been fighting impossible odds your entire life."

"This is different," I whispered. "This isn't just about me anymore. It's about all those people who depend on Van Alston Industries for their livelihoods. It's about everything Victoria built."

"I know." His thumbs traced small circles on my shoulders, the gentle touch somehow more intimate than anything we'd shared before. "And that's exactly why you're going to win."

I looked up at him, searching his face for any sign of doubt. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because I've seen what you're capable of when someone threatens your family." His voice dropped to that tone that made my knees weak. "And that's what this is now, isn't it? Family."

The word hung between us, heavy with meaning. Family. Not just Victoria, but the fifty thousand employees, the company legacy, the empire built on generations of determination and refusal to surrender.

"Dominic," I started, but he silenced me by cupping my face in his hands.

"You faced down poison and assassination attempts," he said quietly. "You walked into that boardroom and claimed your birthright. You've survived everything they've thrown at you, and you're still standing."

His touch was gentle but commanding, his fingers tracing the line of my jaw like he was memorizing every detail.

"You're magnificent," he murmured. "And I am so proud to be standing beside you."

Something inside me cracked open at the raw honesty in his voice. Without thinking, I rose on my toes and kissed him.

It wasn't like our almost-kiss in Victoria's study. This was desperate, hungry, born from weeks of dancing around each other and months of shared danger and the overwhelming need to feel connected to someone who truly understood.

He responded immediately, his arms coming around me like he'd been waiting for this moment as long as I had. His lips moved against mine with a skill that made my head spin and my body forget every reason why this might be complicated.

"Scarlett," he breathed against my mouth, my name a prayer and a question all at once.

I answered by threading my fingers through his dark hair and pulling him closer, losing myself in the taste of him, the scent of cedar and danger that was uniquely his, the way his hands mapped my body like he was learning a new language.

When we finally broke apart, we were both breathing hard. His eyes were dark with desire and something deeper, something that made my heart race for entirely different reasons.

"We should slow down," he said, though his hands remained on my waist like he couldn't quite bring himself to let go.

"Should we?" I asked, surprised by how breathless I sounded.

"You've been through hell today. The stress, the confrontation, everything with the board." His thumb traced my lower lip with devastating gentleness. "I don't want you to do anything you might regret."

"What if I won't regret it?"

His smile was soft and dangerous and absolutely beautiful. "Then we have time. All the time in the world."

He pressed his forehead against mine, and we stood there breathing the same air, wrapped in each other's warmth and the promise of something that felt bigger than both of us.

"Get some rest," he said finally. "Tomorrow we start planning how to destroy Marcus Blackstone."

"We?"

"Did you think I was going to let you fight this battle alone?" His voice carried that edge of possessiveness that should have annoyed me but instead made heat pool in my belly. "You're my wife, Scarlett. Your wars are my wars."

After he left me to change clothes, I sat on the edge of our bed, my lips still tingling from his kiss and my mind spinning with everything that lay ahead.

Seven days.

One impossible challenge.

And a man who believed in me completely.

***

The hospital felt like a tomb at this hour of the night.

Victoria's room was dimly lit, the machines around her bed creating a soft symphony of beeps and whispers. She looked so small in that hospital bed, so fragile, nothing like the woman who'd built a multinational empire with her bare hands.

"Hi," I said softly, settling into the chair beside her bed. "I hope you don't mind the late visit. I couldn't sleep."

Her face was peaceful, but there was still something regal about her even in unconsciousness. The bandages from her surgery were mostly hidden beneath her hospital gown, but I could see the edge of the dressing where the bullet had torn through her chest.

"I met the board today," I said, taking her hand in mine. "Well, I met them yesterday too, but today was different. Today they actually accepted that I'm your granddaughter."

Her fingers were warm but unresponsive. The monitors continued their steady rhythm.

"Maeve was there," I continued. "Your sister. She's... not what I expected when I imagined having family. She tried to have me thrown out, accused me of being a thief. I think she's been planning to take over the company for a long time."

I squeezed her hand gently, wishing desperately that she would squeeze back.

"But that's not the worst part. The board gave me a test. Marcus Blackstone is trying to take over Van Alston Industries, and they want me to stop him. Seven days, Victoria. That's all I have."

My voice cracked slightly on the words.

"I don't know how to do this. I don't know anything about hostile takeovers or corporate warfare. I've never even run a department, let alone an entire empire. What if I fail? What if I let Blackstone destroy everything you spent your life building?"

The machines beeped steadily, unchanged by my confession.

"Everyone keeps telling me I'm strong, that I can handle this. Dominic believes in me completely. But what if they're wrong? What if I'm just a girl who got lucky with some DNA tests?"

I leaned back in the chair, exhaustion finally catching up with me.

"I kissed him tonight," I admitted quietly. "Dominic. It felt... right. Like everything else in my life has been chaos, but when I'm with him, things make sense. Is that crazy? Falling for someone in the middle of all this insanity?"

Victoria's hand remained still in mine, but something about the steady rhythm of her breathing was comforting.

"I wish you could wake up," I whispered. "I wish you could tell me what to do. How to beat someone who's never lost. How to be worthy of everything you're trusting me with."

I sat in the silence for a long time, watching her face and trying to find answers in the peaceful expression she wore.

"I promise you this," I said finally. "I'm going to fight for your company. I'm going to fight for those fifty thousand jobs. I'm going to fight for everything you built, even if I have no idea how."

I stood up slowly, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"I love you," I whispered. "Thank you for finding me. Thank you for giving me a family."

As I turned to leave, I could have sworn I felt the slightest pressure from her fingers.

When I looked back, her eyes were still closed, her breathing still steady.

But for just a moment, I thought I saw the ghost of a smile cross her lips.

Walking back through the hospital corridors toward the exit, I felt something shifting inside me. The fear was still there, the doubt was still real, but underneath it all was something harder.

Determination.

Marcus Blackstone might have never lost a hostile takeover battle.

But he'd never faced a Van Alston woman who had nothing left to lose and everything to protect.

Seven days.

Let the war begin.