Chapter 25: The Reckoning
The boardroom at Grey Enterprises had never felt so tense. Sleek glass walls. Leather chairs. The city's skyline stretched out behind them—but today, no one looked at it.
All eyes were on Dominic Grey.
He stood at the head of the table, calm but deadly, a USB drive in hand. His jaw was tight, suit immaculate, but his eyes burned with barely contained fury.
"I called this emergency meeting," he began, voice cold and sharp, "to address the internal breach threatening this company's foundation."
He plugged in the drive.
A video began to play.
Juliana's voice—clear, smug, incriminating.
> "By the time I'm done, the company will be mine. Dominic's too distracted by his little wife to see it coming."
Gasps echoed around the table.
Juliana, seated at the far end, stood sharply. "This is doctored—"
"It's not," Dominic cut in. "And there's more. Financial reports. Hidden transactions. Legal violations. All traced to your shell accounts."
He threw a file onto the table.
Juliana turned to the board. "You're really going to take her word for this? A woman who was just a pawn in his marriage game?"
Dominic's voice dropped dangerously low. "Careful, Juliana. You've underestimated Ava for the last time."
---
Meanwhile… Ava
Ava sat by her mother's bedside, quietly feeding her soup. Her phone buzzed.
DOMINIC:
"It's done. She's out. The board sided with us. I owe you everything."
She stared at the message, unreadable.
Then another ping.
DOMINIC:
"But what I want… is you. Not for the company. Not to fix my mistakes. Just you. Can I see you tonight?"
She didn't answer right away.
Instead, she opened her email.
Attached was her official board appointment confirmation—as a strategic advisor to Grey Enterprises.
It was a position Dominic had put forward without telling her. No conditions. No attachments.
Just respect.
And maybe something more.
---
Later That Night – Dominic's Penthouse
Ava arrived in a simple black dress.
Dominic opened the door, eyes weary but full of something softer now. Hope.
"You came," he said quietly.
"I had questions," she replied.
"Ask me anything."
She stepped inside.
Then turned to him, heart pounding.
"What would you have done," she whispered, "if I never came back?"
He didn't flinch.
"I would've waited," he said. "For as long as it took."
A pause.
Then she stepped closer.
"I'm still angry," she admitted. "Still broken in places."
"Then let me help you heal," he said. "Not as your husband. Not as the man who made a deal. But as the man who loves you. Freely."
Her breath caught.
And slowly, finally… she let herself fall into his arms.
Not because she was weak.
But because she was ready.
---