The fallout was immediate.
Phones wouldn't stop buzzing. Messages stacked on top of each other—news alerts, blocked numbers, whispers moving faster than truth ever could.
Arden Blackwood was no longer hiding.
And the world noticed.
Victor slammed his phone onto the table. "International press. Financial analysts. Your father's allies."
Arden leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Good."
"This isn't good," Victor snapped. "This is exposure."
Ife watched them both, her chest tight. She had expected chaos—but not this fast.
Victor ran a hand through his hair. "Julian thrives in noise. You just gave him an audience."
"Then he won't be able to move quietly," Arden replied. "That's the point."
Victor stared at him for a long moment. "You sound like him."
The words landed harder than any slap.
Arden stiffened. "Don't."
Silence crackled between them.
By afternoon, the consequences turned personal.
Victor returned from a short call, his face unreadable. "We've got a breach."
Arden straightened. "Where?"
"Here," Victor said quietly.
Ife's heart dropped. "What do you mean, here?"
Victor hesitated—then turned the tablet toward them.
Security footage.
A familiar figure stood outside the house late the previous night, phone to his ear, posture relaxed.
Ife's breath caught.
"No," she whispered.
The man on the screen laughed at something said on the other end of the line.
Victor.
A younger Victor.
Months earlier.
Arden's stomach twisted. "Explain."
Victor exhaled slowly. "Julian didn't find you by accident."
Ife's voice shook. "You led him."
"No," Victor said firmly. "I monitored him."
"You fed him information," Arden said coldly.
Victor met his eyes. "Selective information. Enough to keep him predictable."
"And what about us?" Ife demanded. "Was I predictable too?"
Victor's jaw tightened. "You weren't supposed to be involved."
"But I am," she said sharply. "And you gambled with my life."
The room felt suddenly unsafe.
Arden stepped back. "You used me."
"I protected you," Victor snapped. "From your father. From yourself."
Arden laughed bitterly. "By turning me into bait?"
Victor's shoulders sagged. "I lost control."
That admission hurt more than the betrayal.
Ife didn't wait for the argument to finish.
She walked into the bedroom, hands shaking, heart racing.
Everything had been a lie layered on another lie.
Protection. Strategy. Control.
All at her expense.
She packed quietly.
When Arden followed her in, panic flickered across his face. "What are you doing?"
She didn't look at him. "Ending this before it ends me."
"No," he said, stepping forward. "Don't."
She turned then, eyes shining. "Julian wants leverage. Victor gave it to him. And you—" her voice broke "—you're drowning in men who think they know what's best."
"I never wanted this," Arden said.
"I know," she whispered. "That's why this hurts."
He grabbed her hands. "If you leave, Julian wins."
"If I stay," she said softly, "someone will die."
Silence swallowed them whole.
"I love you," she said. "That's the problem."
His breath hitched. "Then don't go."
She pressed her forehead to his chest. "Sometimes love means stepping away."
Victor watched from the doorway as Ife walked past him.
"This is your fault," she said quietly.
He nodded. "I know."
"I'm giving Julian what he wants," she continued. "Distance."
Victor stiffened. "That's dangerous."
"So is staying," she replied.
Arden's voice broke. "Ife, please."
She turned back one last time. "You chose loudly. Now let me choose wisely."
She left.
An hour later, Julian responded.
A video message this time.
He smiled into the camera like a man who had already won.
"She's smart," Julian said. "I was wondering when she'd remove herself."
Arden's fists clenched. "You planned this."
Julian chuckled. "I planned everything. Including Victor."
Victor didn't deny it.
Julian leaned closer to the screen. "Now here's the twist. She thinks she's walking away to protect you."
Arden's heart slammed.
"But she's walking straight into my reach."
The screen went black.
Arden lunged forward. "Where is she?"
Victor swore. "She didn't just leave. She was guided."
Arden grabbed his jacket. "Then we get her back."
Victor looked at him, guilt burning in his eyes. "This time, we don't play games."
Arden's voice was deadly calm. "No. This time, we end it."
Outside, the road stretched open and waiting.
And somewhere in the city, Ife walked alone—believing she was choosing safety.
Not knowing she had just stepped into the most dangerous part of the story.