All Chapters of Breaking The Spotlight: Chapter 191 - Chapter 200

Paris woke up to blood in the water. The headline dropped at exactly 06:12 a.m., timed for maximum damage.FASHION MOGUL VALERIE SINCLAIR REUNITES WITH EX?INSIDE THE DANGEROUS HISTORY BEHIND ECLIPSE’S POWER CO-LEADSBy the time Valerie’s phone started vibrating nonstop, the article had already been mirrored, dissected, and monetized across every fashion blog, gossip column, and finance platform that mattered.She read it once. Then again. By the third time, her grip on the phone was white-knuckled.It wasn’t explicit. That was the genius of it. No confirmations. No denials. Just suggestion. Carefully curated photos from seven years ago. Cropped images of proximity. A timeline reconstructed with surgical malice. Enough truth to feel real. Enough omission to let the world fill in the gaps.She exhaled slowly through her nose, the way she did before killing a deal. “This wasn’t a leak,” she said aloud to the empty penthouse. “This was a strike.”Her assistant Mia was already calling. V

Valerie knew better than to trust invitations framed as courtesies.The Eclipse boardroom wasn’t ostentatious. That was its danger. Frosted glass, muted steel, pale wood polished so throughly you could see your face shine, it was the kind of room where decisions were made quietly and consequences echoed loudly elsewhere. No windows. No clocks. Eclipse preferred time to feel irrelevant when power was in play.She entered without hesitation, posture was without fault, and her expression neutral. Authority sat on her shoulders like a tailored coat she’d learned never to shrug off.Sebastian was already there, standing near the far wall, hands loosely clasped behind his back, attention directed toward the projection screen that hadn’t yet been activated. He wore black today, not his usual corporate charcoal, or his disarming grey, no, he wore black with intent.He turned in her direction, the minute he sensed her presence. Their eyes met, and something unspoken passed between them, not h

That night Valerie lay restless, her mind was circling the same few moments on repeat, the space between her and Sebastian, the way the air had gone tight, the way her body had reacted before her resolve could catch up. "A bruise," she thought, or at least that’s what it felt like, tender enough that every memory pressed against it.By morning, she was already dressed, already moving, already deciding. Work had always been the place she ran tp when feeling threatened, when something inside her demanded control. This was no different, except this time, the threat wore Eclipse’s logo and Sebastian Sinclair’s shadow followed too closely behind her. The capsule collection came together faster than it should have. Design sketches finalized before sunrise. Fabric calls made while the city was still yawning awake. Messages fired off to production heads with language sharp enough to cut through hesitation. Eclipse resources were leveraged aggressively, deliberately and without apology.She

Morning came too sharp to be ignored. The Napa air pressed against the villa’s glass walls, spilling light across the conference table in angles that made the room feel smaller than it actually was. Valerie had arrived early, her cup of coffee untouched, place next to her open tablet. Every motion said control, precision, dominance. She was a storm in calm disguise, and the board had yet to realize how quickly it could break through the façade.Sebastian slid into the chair beside her, quiet, deliberate, a shadow of presence that didn’t need permission.The board trickled in, one by one, each smile polished, each handshake measured, each glance a silent question: who would crack first? The meeting was meant to be about strategy, alignment, and vision, but in truth, it was about testing Valerie. Seeing whether she could or would bend, or break, under pressure.The first volley came without warning. One of the key suppliers, a man whose loyalty had always been transactional, spoke thr

The gala, held at a private estate, was designed to feel untouchable. An event that was by invitation-only. Black cars glided through wrought-iron gates like they belonged there. Crystal light spilled across marble floors polished to the point of reflection. No banners. No press banners. No chaos. Only power.Valerie stepped out of the car with practiced ease, Eclipse’s insignia catching the light along the curve of her wrist. She wore a black, bare shoulder, dress, the kind that didn't asked to be noticed, the architectural kind that commanded as she entered. Sebastian emerged a second later, and immediately everyone perceived the dynamic duo. He took his place by her side, not touching, not offering an arm, but his presence beside her said volumes. “Remember,” he murmured, low enough that only she could hear, “this room feeds on hesitation.”Valerie smiled without looking at him. “Then it’s going to starve.”They entered the ballroom side by side. The Eclipse team spread natur