The morning sun streamed into the top-floor boardroom of Hayes Enterprises, glistening off the polished table around which the board members had gathered. Soren settled into place as usual, all cool and calm,and Caspian stood at the other end with a tight chest, jittery with anticipation. The directors whispered to each other, charged, in a time of turmoil. Out of nnowhere, the big double doors burst open, and in strode Valentina.

She was dressed in a structured emerald suit that was a stark departure from her usual demure style. Narrow-eyed with intent, she slid a thin folder across the table, unperturbed by Soren's curled lip of disdain.Caspian, momentarily jolted by his mother's graceful entrance, sensed the briefest flare of hope - Valentina hardly ever displayed such brazen resistance to Soren.

A hush fell. The lead director coughed dismissively. “Mrs. Montague,would you like to speak to the board?" In a gentle way, he asked,but the tension in his voice belied his calm. Valentina nodded stiffly. “I do,” she answered, the voice ringing with a rare determination.“We have lived with illusions far too long. “Today, I submit evidence of Soren Montague's involvement in fraudulent transfers and offshore deals designed to hollow out Hayes Enterprises,"

A hush swept through the room. Soren's face stopped, but there was a slight twitch in his jaw that revealed his anger. "What nonsense is this?”he asked, fixing narrowed eyes on his wife. Valentina refused to cower."Nonsense? Hardly. "This is evidence of money being funnelled out of flagship projects into shell companies- documents left an ever-so traceable paper trail by your mistress and co-conspirators. She opened the folder and handed copies to the directors, who were stunned. Murmurs

rose in pitch and volume with every pagethat revealed a spiderweb of questionable transactions traced directly to Soren.

Caspian's heart beat hard in his chest; relief battled with shock for dominance. This was more direct than any previous intel, more damning.He met Valentina's gaze and silently signalled his thanks. She pulled away,allowing the room to feel the brunt of it.

Soren slapped a hand against the table, fury shining in his eyes.“What they're accusing me of is petty vendettas," he hissed, looking across the pale faces of the directors. Some looked away, visibly disturbed by the weight of evidence. “Do not let her manipulate you.” But he sounded less confident than he usually does, the sheen of impervious power cracking.

The lead director, whose composure was finally returning, methodically straightened the papers.“We will investigate immediately," he said,meeting Soren's glare with surprising resolve. And in the taut silence that followed,Soren's look flicked to Caspian-who met it with nothing but steely defiance. Caspian had now been given legitimate cause to take over the company's reins through Valentina's unavoidable revelations. So much tension filled the air, and it was as if a storm was about to break.

A junior board member quietly stood from a corner of the room and slipped out. Little noticed, he punched a number into his phone. “Plan B is gone," he muttered into the receiver, voice taut with urgency. Beyond the polished doors of the boardroom, a new crisis was crouching to explode-even as Valentina's audacious attack blew Soren's facade to smithereens.

In the mansion's study later that day, the air felt suffocating still. Faint afternoon lighting shimmered on the old oak desk strewn with files threatening Caspian's unravelling should he falter in guiding the company

through its current storm. Celeste was standing by the wide windoww with her arms folded, watching him pace in restive strides. She felt the pressure eat at his control like some sort of flesh-eating bacteria, with each new revelation making him more frayed.

He stopped in his tracks and, with a snarl, hurled a file onto the desk.“Valentina's last-minute rescue is eclipsed by Soren's new threat.The board is on edge, Talia's father has his hands in it, and half our investors are on the edge of a panic attack. I'm struggling against illusions on all sides," he said in a biting tone. Hlis blood boiled an effect of days of agitated build-up and nights of no sleep.

Celeste moved slowly, noticing the storm within his gaze."I know it's choking," she admitted, her voice low and comforting. “But attacking me isn't going to change anything.” He spun to look at her, his face twisted with frustration. “Do you think that I'm trying to repair it alone? Maybe if you'd been-”He broke off, fists clenched at his sides. Shame washed over his face when he realized he was taking out his anger on the only person who had ever been by his side.

She bristled, feeling pricked but trying to stay cool."I know that you feel cornered,"she said, matching his blazing stare. “But if you let your rage take you,you will do exactly what Soren wants." He wants you unmoored,impulsive. Her unwavering tone,if wobbling at the edges, was telling him to be reasoned with. She remembered every one of Soren's manipulative moves, using Caspian's stress against him.

Streaming his fingers through his hair, Caspian steppedI back. In the blink of that moment, the creases of fatigue beneath his eyes softened. “I'm-I'm sorry," he said, the apology heavy with guilt. "This is larger than what I expected, Every day, yet another betrayal, another crack in the foundation." He collapsed into the desk chair, releasing a quaking breath.

She moved behind him and draped her hands on his shoulders.“Direct this anger into strategy," she whispered. “Don't let it eat you alive.” He closed his eyes, remembering how easily he'd fallen before. That fall from grace continued to haunt him. “If I lose,” he said, voice tightened, “I don't just lose Hayes Enterprises, I take you down with me."

Before she could console him, his phone beeped from the desk. A flurry of text notifications pinged on the screen. Your wife has a lot more secrets than you know. The message sent a volley through both of them, shadows of suspicion clutching in. Caspian stiffened, anger winding up again.Celeste's stomach dropped-Soren or Sterling had hoistedI a new line of doubt, possibly designed to spur a rift between the two of them. The corners of the room appeared to darken as if to echo the new tension that had drawn them to the brink yet again.

The next morning, the board assembled in the grand hall of Hayes Enterprises, tension swirling like an undercurrent through the overhead lights. Glass walls offered a panoramic view of the lively city, but hush ruled within this kingdom. Caspian was at the head of the table, with Celeste behind him. Directors seated themselves on their usual couches,some squírming wíth anxiety, knowing that the Montague family's internecine conflict had reached a crisis.

Soren lounged in one corner, a thin-lipped smile on his face. It felt like his dark presence was hanging over the discussion. At first, the meeting's agenda items rolled on as they always do-financial updates and efforts to calm jittery shareholders. And then, like a switch had been flipped,one of the directors-a veteran who had long supported Caspian-abruptly sided with Soren's stance. "Maybe," he said,“Soren is more knowledgeable about our legacy. Caspian has chronic health issues that make leading complicated." And then shock rippled across the table. Caspian's eyes grew wide, betrayal flaring in them.

Murmurs erupted. Celeste gasped and caught her breath. Just as Caspian began to defend himself, the director continued with a monologue,rhapsodizing how Caspian's insomnia and rumoured breakdowns were undermining investor confidence. Soren leaned forward, pretending to humbly accept the words of this unwanted ally. There was tension in the air, pulsing between every one of those seats.

Caspian's anger blazed. “We've made it this far,” he shot back, voice serrating. “We tore apart your father's tapestries of manipulation and exposed his fraud. Now you would pivot and say I'm unfit?” The director shrugged,avoiding eye contact. An unnameable flicker crossed his face-discomfort,maybe shame.

All at once, the boardroom doors swung open. Talia bounded in,her hair tousled,holding a heavy folder. She was panting, but she scanned the crowd and lit upon the disloyal director. “Wait,” she pleaded, voice ricocheting off the smooth walls. "Don't condemn Caspan until you've seen this. She opened the folder to retrieve receipts for wire transfers and statements of personal accounts. “He's been bribed,” Talia said darkly,indicating the stunned director, "by Sterling Price.”

A gasp echoed through the silence, the mouths of half the board members dropping open in disbelief. The director who had been accused turned pale. Soren, for his part, froze in place, his eyes glimmering with tension.Caspian grabbed the folder, still in shock, and pored over the damning evidence of hush payments directed to the director's private accounts. The whole room crackled with an explosive energy-loyalty lines evaporating in seconds.

Some directors stood, appalled. Some doubted the video's authenticity.Talia's voice shook but was strong. "This is real," she insisted.“Sterling Price bribed him to change his vote." At that fragile moment, Soren's face

twisted with rage, and Caspian understood all too clearly how tenuous that foundation was. The loyalty of each board member hanging by a thread.poised to tilt with the next exposé. The swirling storm of allegations came to an epic crescendo, the meeting poised to collapse in on itself.