Chapter 33: Parted by Fire
The city did not sleep after the scandal broke. It breathed, whispered, and watched.
Amber felt it the moment she stepped out of Gareth Accessories that night—the weight of eyes, the hum of judgment, the sharp curiosity clinging to her like perfume that would not fade. Cameras flashed from across the street. Reporters murmured her name as though it were a spell. She did not slow her steps. She never did.
Inside the car, Camila exhaled sharply. "They're circling us like vultures."
"Let them," Amber said, staring straight ahead. "Vultures only feed when something is dead. Gareth Accessories is very much alive."
Yet even as she spoke, her phone vibrated again. And again. Messages. Alerts. Headlines.
LEAKED MERGER: INSIDE THE GARETH–WILSON DEAL
SCANDAL OR STRATEGY? WHO BENEFITS MOST?
AMBER GARETH: ICE QUEEN OR MASTER MANIPULATOR?
Camila glanced at the screen, then back at her sister. "Alex hasn't called."
Amber's jaw tightened. "Good."
"That didn't sound convincing."
Amber turned to her then, eyes sharp. "Because it doesn't need to be. If Alex Wilson wants to talk to me, he knows where to find me."
She did not say what both of them knew—that part of her was waiting, listening, alert to every vibration of her phone not as a CEO, but as a woman.
—
Across town, Alex Wilson stood at the floor-to-ceiling window of his penthouse, the city spread beneath him like a living map of power. The news played quietly behind him, Amber's name rolling off the anchor's tongue with thinly veiled fascination.
"She's being crucified in public," Beverly said from the couch. "You're really not going to step in?"
Alex did not turn. "She doesn't need saving."
"That's not what I asked."
He finally looked at his sister. "If I step in now, it looks like control. Like ownership. Amber Gareth doesn't tolerate either."
Beverly studied him carefully. "You're afraid."
His lips curved, but there was no humor in it. "No. I'm patient."
Yet when he turned back to the window, his reflection betrayed him. His eyes were dark, restless. The scandal had done something dangerous—it had stripped away distance. Every attack on Amber felt personal. Every lie told about her lit something sharp and possessive in his chest.
He picked up his phone.
Then set it back down.
—
The Gareth mansion was quieter than usual. Staff moved carefully, as though sound itself might provoke another disaster. Amber retreated to her room, shedding her heels, her jacket, the armor she wore so effortlessly in public.
Only when the door closed did she let herself feel it.
Anger. Pressure. Heat.
She poured herself a drink she did not finish and crossed to the window. The city glittered, indifferent to her turmoil. Her thoughts drifted, uninvited, to Alex—the way his voice had lowered during their last meeting, the look in his eyes when he had stepped too close.
Temptation was dangerous on a good day.
Tonight, it was lethal.
Her phone buzzed.
Unknown Number.
She stared at it for a long second before answering. "Speak."
"You always answer like that," Alex said.
Her breath caught despite herself. "And you always call when you shouldn't."
"Funny. I was thinking the opposite."
Silence stretched between them, thick with everything unsaid.
"You shouldn't have come to the office," she said finally.
"You shouldn't have been left alone to fight this."
"I'm not alone."
"No," he agreed quietly. "You're isolated. There's a difference."
She closed her eyes. "Why did you call, Alex?"
"Because the board is nervous. Investors are spooked. And because tomorrow morning, a story is going to break linking the leak to an internal power struggle inside Gareth Accessories."
Her eyes snapped open. "That's a lie."
"Yes," he said calmly. "But a believable one."
Amber's grip tightened on the phone. "Who's feeding it?"
"I don't know yet," Alex admitted. "But I will."
"I didn't ask for your help."
"I know."
Another pause. This one heavier.
"Are you coming to the emergency board meeting tomorrow?" she asked.
"Yes."
"Then we'll talk then."
"Amber—"
She ended the call.
Her heart pounded long after the line went dead.
—
Morning arrived without mercy.
The Gareth boardroom was filled before Amber entered, tension buzzing like static. Directors whispered. Lawyers shuffled documents. PR consultants avoided eye contact.
When Amber walked in, the room stilled.
She took her seat at the head of the table, Camila beside her. "Let's begin."
The accusations came swiftly. Questions sharper. Doubt crept into voices that once brimmed with loyalty.
"Public trust is eroding."
"Our stock dipped overnight."
"Who had access to the merger files?"
Amber listened. Measured. Silent.
Then Alex entered.
The shift was immediate.
Eyes turned. Whispers rose. Amber did not look at him—not until he sat opposite her, calm, unreadable.
"I'll be brief," Alex said. "The leak did not originate from Gareth Accessories. We've traced the initial release to a third-party consultancy firm with ties to one of your minority shareholders."
The room erupted.
Amber turned to him slowly. "You're sure?"
"Yes."
"Can you prove it?"
He slid a folder across the table. "Already prepared."
Their eyes locked. For a moment, the world narrowed to the space between them.
Camila broke the silence. "If this is true, we move immediately."
"We will," Amber said. "And we'll do it together."
Alex's gaze flickered. Something unreadable passed between them.
—
The meeting ended with a fragile sense of control restored, but the damage lingered.
Outside the boardroom, Alex caught up with Amber. "You handled that well."
"I always do."
A smile ghosted across his lips. "You don't have to pretend with me."
She stopped walking. "This is exactly why you're dangerous."
"Because I see you?"
"Because you want me to let you."
The hallway was empty. Quiet. Too quiet.
Alex stepped closer. "And you don't?"
Her pulse betrayed her. "Not like this."
"Then like what?"
She looked up at him, frustration blazing. "Not when everything is on fire."
"Maybe fire is exactly what burns the distance away."
For a heartbeat, she thought he might touch her.
Instead, he stepped back.
"Tonight," he said. "My place. No boards. No scandals. Just honesty."
Amber's laugh was sharp. "You make it sound simple."
"It won't be."
She held his gaze, then turned away. "I'll think about it."
—
She did not plan to go.
But as night fell, the silence of the mansion pressed in. Her thoughts circled. Restless. Hungry.
At 9:47 p.m., she stood in front of Alex's door.
He opened it without surprise, as though he'd known.
No words. No games.
The tension snapped the moment she crossed the threshold.
His kiss was not gentle. It was deliberate, restrained only by the question in his eyes.
She answered by pulling him closer.
The world narrowed again—this time to breath and heat and the slow surrender of control neither of them had ever allowed before.
When they finally parted, foreheads touching, Alex whispered, "Tell me to stop."
She didn't.
—
Later—much later—Amber lay awake, staring at the ceiling, Alex's arm heavy across her waist.
This was not part of the plan.
Power was clean. Desire was not.
Outside, the city kept whispering.
And somewhere between scandal and surrender, Amber realized something had changed.
They were no longer just circling each other.
They were already in the fire.
—
Minimal note: Chapter 33 continues directly from the scandal fallout, increases length and intensity, deepens Amber–Alex emotional and physical tension, and sets up irreversible consequences for the chapters ahead.