CHAPTER NINETEEN

The Firestorm

The Media Frenzy

Nicole stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of her penthouse, phone in hand, eyes scanning the countless headlines.

❖ "Power Couple or Corporate Scandal? Nicole Melbourne & Tyler Winslow Caught in a Heated Affair!"

❖ "Melbourne Heiress & Winslow CEO: Passion or Business Merger?"

❖ "Tyler Winslow Marks Nicole Melbourne as His—What's Next?"

The media had lost its mind, and her inbox was a warzone—investors demanding explanations, tabloids asking for interviews, Melbourne Enterprises' board questioning her judgment.

Nicole's fingers tightened around her whiskey glass. This was not just a scandal—it was a calculated attack.

Tyler Winslow, however, seemed completely unbothered.

Leaning against her marble counter, he scrolled through the news, smirking.

"They used my best angles. Not bad."

Nicole shot him a cold glare.

"This is a distraction."

His smirk deepened. "From what, exactly?"

She didn't answer—because she already knew.

Andrew Bond.

While the world focused on her and Tyler's 'affair,' Andrew was making his move.

Andrew's Silent War

At that exact moment, deep within a private high-rise office, Andrew Bond poured himself a glass of red wine, watching the chaos he had unleashed.

Nicole was smart. Too smart.

If he had tried to destroy her head-on, she would have seen it coming. So instead, he gave her something else to fight—a war on public perception.

And while she played damage control, he had already:

✔ Infiltrated Melbourne Enterprises through a hidden shareholder.

✔ Manipulated key investors into questioning Nicole's leadership.

✔ Planted an internal mole—someone close to her, feeding him information.

The final piece of his plan? A scandal Nicole wouldn't see coming.

A knock at his door interrupted his thoughts.

Merissa Bond stepped in.

Andrew raised a brow. "Here to celebrate my victory?"

She walked in slowly, arms crossed, expression unreadable.

Then, she slapped him.

The crack of the impact echoed in the room.

Andrew stilled. Then smirked. "That's how you greet your dear brother?"

Merissa's voice was cold. "You're not my brother Andrew. And after this, you never will be."

Andrew's smirk faltered.

Merissa took a step closer, her brown eyes burning with fury.

"You want to mess with my Nicole? Destroy her?" She let out a bitter laugh. "And you think I'll just sit back and watch?"

Andrew's gaze darkened. "This isn't your fight, Merissa."

She tilted her head. "It is now. Because you just declared war on my best friend."

Andrew clenched his jaw, but Merissa wasn't done.

"I won't forgive you for this, Andrew." Her voice dropped, sharp as a blade. "And when Nicole destroys you, I'll be there to finish the job."

She turned on her heel and walked out.

Andrew's fingers tightened around his glass.

Merissa had never spoken to him like that before.

And that unsettled him more than he cared to admit.

She's all his got as a family and he doesn't want to loose her but having tried to make Nicole his has turned them to enemies and there's no turning back now

Nicole's Ruthless Counterattack

The next morning, Nicole walked into Melbourne Enterprises' boardroom like a queen entering a battlefield.

Seated around the table were her top executives—and one of them was a traitor.

She knew it.

They didn't.

The meeting began with Edward Melbourne's most trusted associate, Daniel Pierce, standing to speak.

"There's concern that your… relationship with Tyler Winslow is compromising Melbourne Enterprises."

Nicole took a slow sip of her coffee, then placed the cup down—precisely.

"If you're implying that I'm distracted, let me correct you."

Her sharp gaze swept over the room, unapologetic and ruthless.

"In the last month alone, we've secured three international contracts, expanded our financial division, and eliminated ChemCorp from competing against us. Yet you question my focus?"

The room fell silent.

But Daniel wasn't done.

"There have also been—concerning leaks. Documents exposing sensitive internal transactions."

Nicole's lips curled into a dangerous smile.

"There have."

She reached into her folder, pulling out a dossier—and slid it across the table.

"Which is why I took the liberty of investigating. Turns out, we have a mole."

The boardroom froze.

Daniel's face paled.

Nicole leaned forward, her voice deadly soft.

"Would you like to confess now, or should I let security drag you out?"

Security guards entered the room, ready.

Daniel panicked. "Nicole, wait—"

She didn't.

With a flick of her wrist, the guards grabbed him, removing him from Melbourne Enterprises permanently.

Then, turning back to the board, she smirked.

"Meeting adjourned."

Tyler's Public Declaration

By noon, Tyler Winslow dropped a bombshell.

Standing in front of reporters, flashing cameras, he gave them exactly what they wanted.

"Let me make something clear—Nicole Melbourne isn't just my business partner."

He paused, his voice lowering.

"She's my fiancée and mine."

The media went insane.

Nicole watched the live broadcast, expression unreadable.

Emma shifted beside her. "Are you going to correct him?"

Nicole smirked.

"No, let them believe whatever they want."

Because the game had changed—and if Andrew wanted a war, she would give him one.

Andrew's Reckoning

Somewhere in his penthouse, Andrew's phone buzzed.

A message.

When he opened it, his expression darkened.

An image of Nicole smirking at the screen.

Captioned: "Checkmate? Not yet, I just started."

Andrew exhaled slowly, setting his glass down.

Nicole had just made her move.

And this time, she wasn't playing defense again.

She was coming for blood. His