The morning sun did nothing to warm the chill in the penthouse. William emerged from the guest room, dressed in a suit, his face a mask of stone. He headed for the door without a word.
“Stop.”
Victoria stood in the hallway. She wasn’t wearing pajamas. She was dressed in a sharp blazer and trousers, holding the rusted lockbox and Dominic’s flash drive.
“Move, Victoria,” William said wearily. “I have to go to the office.”
“To sell the company?” Victoria asked.
William froze. He turned slowly. “How do you know that?”
“Because I found the file in your old box,” Victoria said, walking toward him. “And Dominic told me the rest.”
“Dominic?” William’s eyes flashed with anger and shame. “You discussed my family’s history with *him*?”
“I discussed it with an ally because my husband wouldn’t talk to me,” Victoria countered, her voice rising. “I know about Richard. I know about the embezzlement. And I know Arthur is threatening to leak it.”
“Then you know I have no choice!” William shouted, the dam breaking. “I can’t let him destroy the legacy! I can’t let Leo grow up with that name hanging over him!”
“You aren’t protecting Leo,” Victoria said, stepping close enough to touch his chest. “You are protecting a ghost. Arthur is bluffing, William.”
She held up the flash drive.
“Dominic gave me this,” she revealed. “Arthur was on the board in ’98. He signed off on the cover-up. If he leaks the file, he goes to prison, too. He is counting on your shame to blind you.”
William stared at the drive, then at Victoria. The terror in his eyes began to recede, replaced by the realization that he wasn’t alone in the dark anymore.
“We don’t sell,” Victoria stated firmly, the Lioness taking charge. “You don’t have to carry this alone, William. We destroy the leverage. And we do it together.”
William let out a ragged breath, his shoulders slumping as the weight lifted. He pulled her into his arms, burying his face in her neck, finally accepting that the “United Front” was stronger than his fear.