The Strike Back

A Quiet Before the Storm

Ariana woke up feeling a strange sense of unease.

She wasn't sure why—until she checked her phone.

Dozens of missed calls.

From Kingsley Corporation's legal team. From Vincent. From numbers she didn't recognize.

Then she saw it—

The headlines.

"Explosive Allegations Against Ariana Carter—A Past She Tried to Bury?"

"Leaked Documents Reveal Ariana Carter's Ties to a Secret Scandal!"

"Kingsley Corporation's New Bride—Is She Hiding More Than We Think?"

Ariana's blood *ran cold.

She barely had time to process it before her phone rang again.

Vincent.

She answered immediately. "Tell me."

His voice was sharp. "We have a problem."

---

Callum's Move

By the time Ariana reached Kingsley Corporation, the entire building was in crisis mode.

She stepped into the legal department, where Vincent tossed a file onto the table.

"Anonymous source leaked this to the press."

Ariana grabbed the file, scanning it.

Fabricated records. A falsified legal case.

A claim that Ariana had once been involved in a cover-up—a lie.

She set the file down. "Callum."

Vincent nodded. "No doubt."

Ariana clenched her jaw. "What's our next move?"

Before Vincent could answer, another voice cut through the tension.

Damian.

"We end this."

---

The Kingsley Way

Ariana followed Damian into his office.

"You're calm," she noted.

Damian smirked. "Because I already know how this ends."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

He leaned against his desk. "Callum wants to drag you through the mud. But he forgets—I don't play fair."

Ariana crossed her arms. "So what's your plan?"

Damian's eyes darkened. "Simple. We destroy him."

And just like that, she knew—

Callum Reed had just made the worst mistake of his life.

---

to Be Continued…