Chapter 63: A Dangerous Alliance

The press conference was already flooding the headlines.

I stared at the screen in stunned silence as my father, Senator Richard Sinclair, stood behind a sleek podium, flanked by American flags and two grim-faced aides. His face was a mask of composure, the perfect image of a wronged public servant. But I knew that look. It was the same expression he wore when he lied to an entire room without blinking.

“…The recent allegations against my family and my name are nothing but calculated fabrications, conjured up by a man desperate to protect his crumbling empire,” he declared, gesturing toward a blown-up headline of Caldwell Enterprises on fire. “Victor Caldwell will stop at nothing—even dragging up long-dead scandals and forging evidence—to keep the spotlight off his own crimes.”

Dominic’s jaw twitched beside me. We were seated in the corner of his private office, the blinds drawn, the air stale from too many secrets and not enough truth. But there was no ignoring what we were seeing now.

My father was doing exactly what we feared.

“And if Mr. Caldwell does not withdraw these accusations,” my father continued, his voice rising, “I will be forced to reveal the truth about his sordid past—including his involvement in a scandalous affair that destroyed a woman’s reputation and nearly broke this country’s moral fabric.”

He didn’t say my mother’s name—but he didn’t need to.

The journalists at the conference exploded with questions. The sound was static and thunder all at once.

Dominic turned the TV off.

“He’s going nuclear,” he muttered.

I couldn’t speak. My mouth had gone dry. The air in my lungs refused to move. I’d always known my father was ruthless—but this… This wasn’t politics. This was war.

“They’re both going down if this gets out,” I whispered. “My mother… Victor… everyone.”

Dominic stood abruptly and began pacing, hands raking through his hair. “He’s trying to discredit Victor before we can release the real evidence. Turn him into a scandalous distraction.”

“And he’s using Olivia as the ammunition,” I said bitterly. “Of course he is.”

Dominic paused, looking at me. “You think your mother will deny it?”

“No.” I swallowed hard. “I think she’ll stay silent.”

He tilted his head. “Why?”

“Because she’s always chosen silence over conflict. Over truth. Even when it destroys her.”

Dominic let out a slow breath. “Then it’s time someone spoke for her.”

A knock at the office door jolted both of us.

It creaked open and Liam stepped in, his phone in one hand, tension radiating off him like heat.

“You saw it?” he asked, eyes flicking between us.

Dominic nodded.

“Then you know what comes next.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, standing.

Liam looked at me—hard and calculating, but not unkind. “Your father just escalated this to the public. Which means he’s willing to burn it all down. If we don’t act fast, this entire empire will fall before we even get the chance to expose the real truth.”

He tossed a folder on the desk.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Proof. Or at least part of it. Victor’s personal logs. Financial records. Meeting memos. Names. There’s enough here to show Richard’s involvement in off-shore laundering and government kickbacks.”

Dominic’s eyes narrowed. “Where did you get this?”

“I broke into Father’s private vault.”

Dominic blinked. “You what?”

Liam shrugged. “I figured if we’re playing dirty, I might as well dig deep.”

I opened the folder and scanned the pages. My fingers trembled as I took in the documents.

“He paid off judges. Doctored votes. There’s even a memo about silencing a whistleblower from years ago…” My voice faltered. “And look at this. He hired someone to follow Olivia for months.”

Dominic came beside me, his eyes scanning the memo.

“God, he was obsessed with her,” I whispered.

“He never loved her,” Liam said darkly. “He wanted to own her. Control her. And when he couldn’t—he buried her past.”

“Which means it’s time we dig it up,” I said, lifting my chin.

Liam raised an eyebrow. “You sure you’re ready for that?”

“I’ve never been more sure.”

Silence stretched between the three of us. Then Dominic nodded.

“We do this fast. Clean. No media leaks. No flashy exposés. We take this straight to the Attorney General. No time to let your father spin it.”

I hesitated. “What about Olivia?”

Dominic looked at me. “You talk to her. Get her side. Her truth. We don’t move forward until we’re sure we know what happened between her and Victor.”

I nodded, though my heart raced.

Dominic walked over and touched my wrist gently. “Elena. Be careful.”

I looked up, surprised by the sudden warmth in his voice.

His gaze softened. “This could break you.”

I stepped closer. “I’ve been broken before. It didn’t kill me.”

The silence between us buzzed, thick with tension—of all kinds.

“After this,” he said quietly, “we figure us out. No more war. No more games. Just truth. Whatever that means.”

I didn’t answer. I didn’t need to. Instead, I leaned up and kissed him—soft and brief, a promise in the middle of chaos.

Because when the world burns, sometimes a kiss is all you have.