Chapter 16

The first hint that something was wrong came with a ding on Kate's phone — a text from Celine at 6:02 a.m.

> We've got a problem. Check Twitter. Now.

Kate rubbed her eyes, still tangled in the sheets of her bed, and reached for her phone.

And there it was.

A photo.

Her and Jade — from weeks ago — exiting a private dinner. Her hand in his, their faces close, smiling. The caption read:

> "Is this the face of female empowerment? Sleeping your way to the top, again?"

It was already trending.

#SleepingWithPower

#HypocrisyHasAName

Her stomach twisted.

She jumped out of bed and called Celine. "How the hell did this leak?"

"We're working on it. It's all over gossip sites. Someone sent it anonymously. And the timing? Just days after you rejected DuPont's board seat."

Kate gripped her phone tighter. "You think this is retaliation?"

"I think it's war, sweetheart."

---

Meanwhile, in Midtown, Jade stood at the glass wall of his penthouse, his phone pressed to his ear.

"Find out who sent that picture," he said to his head of security. "And do it quietly."

His mind raced.

Only a handful of people had access to those locations. The restaurant was private. The car service was his. The driver… damn it.

Could someone from his team have sold them out?

Or worse — someone from her past?

Then, like a lightning bolt, a name hit him.

Evelyn.

She had always been two steps ahead. And she'd never forgiven him for what happened after Kate left.

---

At Empower, the tension was thick.

Kate walked into the office to a mix of sympathy and subtle judgment. Everyone smiled a little tighter. Eyes lingered too long. Whispers floated behind coffee mugs.

Celine pulled her into her office and shut the door.

"You need to respond," she said. "Now. Before the narrative sets in."

Kate sat heavily. "How? Say I'm in love with my ex-boss? That I started the campaign from pain and still ended up with the man who caused it?"

"No," Celine said. "Say that love and power aren't mutually exclusive. Say you didn't fall — you chose."

Kate's chest rose with a slow, fierce breath. "Then I'll say it. All of it."

---

That evening, Jade met Evelyn at a hotel bar.

She wore a blood-red dress and a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"I was wondering when you'd crawl back," she said, sipping her wine.

"Don't flatter yourself," Jade replied. "Did you leak the photo?"

Evelyn arched a brow. "Why would I do that?"

"Because you hate losing. And because Kate said no to someone who plays your game better than you."

Evelyn leaned in. "You're right. I do hate losing. Especially when I trained the winner."

Jade's jaw clenched. "So you did it."

"I didn't say that." She set her glass down. "But tell your little firecracker — not everyone gets to rewrite the rules and come out clean. She thinks love will protect her?" She laughed. "Love makes you vulnerable. And the sharks are circling."

Jade stood slowly, hands curled into fists. "If anything happens to her, Evelyn, I'll burn every bridge I've built to take you down."

She waved lazily. "Always so noble."

---

At Kate's apartment that night, Jade arrived looking like he hadn't slept.

She opened the door in sweats, makeup wiped off, her hair pulled into a loose knot.

"I know who did it," he said. "It was Evelyn. Or someone close to her."

Kate didn't blink. "I figured."

"You're not safe in the press right now. We need to get ahead of this."

Kate looked him dead in the eye.

"No. I need to get ahead of this."

She pulled out her phone, opened Instagram Live, and hit record.

---

The screen blinked to life. Thousands joined in within seconds.

Kate stared straight at the lens.

"I wasn't going to address the picture," she began. "But silence gives power to shame."

Her voice was steady.

"Yes. That's me. Yes, that's Jade Williams. He was once my boss. He's now the man I love. And I owe no one an apology for either."

The comments exploded — heart emojis, claps, fire, and a few hateful things she ignored.

"I started the More Than a Lover campaign because I was tired of seeing women dragged for their desires, especially when they dared to also be ambitious. Love doesn't disqualify us. It doesn't weaken us. It makes us human."

She paused, then smiled.

"And if my success offends you more than my heartbreak ever did, maybe the issue isn't me — maybe it's you."

She ended the Live.

Jade stared at her, equal parts awed and anxious.

"That was… bold."

Kate set the phone down. "Bold is all I've got left."

He stepped toward her, gently took her face in his hands.

"You've got me too."

And when they kissed, it wasn't about lust or escape — it was a vow. One without rings or signatures. Just fire and devotion in equal measure.