The storm didn't wait for tomorrow.
It arrived that afternoon, quiet, calculated, and already halfway through destroying what Rowan had built.
Aaliyah was in the sitting room when her phone exploded with notifications.
BLACKWOOD HEIR FACING INTERNAL POWER STRUGGLE
MARCUS BLACKWOOD "CONCERNED" ABOUT DAUGHTER'S JUDGMENT
WHO IS AALIYAH MOORE REALLY?
Her heart dropped.
Across the room, Rowan's phone was ringing nonstop.
She didn't answer it.
Instead, she walked to the television and turned it on. The news filled the screen instantly, Marcus Blackwood's face calm and paternal, framed by a banner that read Family Dispute.
"My daughter is brilliant," Marcus said smoothly. "But she has always struggled with emotional entanglements. I only want what's best for her and for Blackwood Enterprises."
Aaliyah's stomach twisted.
"That's a lie," she whispered.
Rowan stood very still. "It's a strategy."
Marcus continued, "Recent decisions have raised questions among the board. I've asked for a public meeting to reassure our investors."
"And you didn't," Aaliyah said.
"No," Rowan replied quietly. "I didn't."
The implication was clear.
This wasn't about reconciliation.
It was about forcing Rowan
Elise closed the door behind her with deliberate care.
"The story is moving faster than we can contain," she said. "Marcus has been seeding this for weeks. Quietly. Carefully."
Rowan's jaw tightened. "He wants me reactive."
"And he's succeeding," Elise replied.
Aaliyah looked between them. "What happens if the board sides with him?"
Rowan didn't hesitate. "He takes control."
"And you?" Aaliyah asked softly.
Rowan met her gaze. "I become irrelevant."
The word hit harder than any insult.
Aaliyah straightened. "Then we don't let that happen."
Elise's eyes flicked to her. "With respect, you're not in a position to,"
"Yes, she is," Rowan interrupted.
Elise paused.
Rowan stepped closer to Aaliyah, voice low but steady. "You are the variable he can't predict. That's why he's attacking you."
Aaliyah swallowed. "So what do we do?"
Rowan took a breath. "We reverse the narrative."
Elise frowned. "That would require you to do something Marcus doesn't expect."
Rowan's eyes met Aaliyah's. "Exactly."
Aaliyah's pulse quickened. "Which is?"
Rowan's lips curved slightly. "We go public."
Elise stiffened. "You're already public."
"No," Rowan said. "We've been visible. That's not the same thing."
Aaliyah felt the weight of Rowan's gaze. "You mean… we tell them this is real."
"Yes," Rowan said. "No contracts. No optics. No ambiguity."
Aaliyah's heart raced. "That's dangerous."
"It's honest," Rowan replied.
Silence stretched.
"If we do this," Aaliyah said slowly, "you won't be able to take it back."
Rowan nodded. "Neither will he."
Elise looked between them, tension etched into her features. "You're betting the company on a relationship."
"I'm betting the company on the truth," Rowan said.
Aaliyah searched her face, looking for hesitation. For calculation.
There was none.
"Okay," Aaliyah said. "Then we do it together."
Rowan exhaled, something like relief crossing her face. "Good."
Elise rubbed her temples. "You're both insane."
"Probably," Rowan agreed. "But it's our insanity."
Aaliyah almost laughed.
"We need to move fast," Elise continued. "Marcus's press event is tomorrow afternoon. If you're going to counter, it has to be tonight."
Rowan nodded. "Draft a statement."
Elise hesitated. "What do you want it to say?"
Rowan looked at Aaliyah.
"Exactly what it is," Rowan said. "No spin."
Aaliyah felt something warm and terrifying bloom in her chest.
As Elise left to prepare, Rowan turned to her.
"You don't have to do this," Rowan said quietly. "If you walk away now, I'll still fight him."
Aaliyah shook her head. "I'm not walking away from something that matters just because it's risky."
Rowan held her gaze, something fierce and grateful shining there.
"Then stay close," Rowan said. "Not for show."
"For real," Aaliyah replied.
The world outside the penthouse was already buzzing with speculation.
But inside, something more dangerous was taking shape.
Not a performance.
A choice.
And tomorrow, the consequences would be impossible to ignore.
The statement went live at 9:47 p.m.
Aaliyah watched Rowan press send from across the sitting room, the glow of the tablet reflecting in her eyes. For a moment, the world held its breath.
Then it exploded.
Phones vibrated. Screens lit up. The penthouse filled with the quiet chaos of notifications and incoming calls.
Elise stared at her own device. "They're picking it up. Every major outlet."
Aaliyah's heart pounded. "What are they saying?"
Rowan didn't look away from the screen. "They're shocked."
Aaliyah crossed the room, standing beside her. The headline had already formed:
ROWAN BLACKWOOD CONFIRMS RELATIONSHIP WITH AALIYAH MOORE: "THIS IS NOT A STRATEGY"
The statement beneath it was simple. Direct. Undeniable.
I am in a committed relationship with Aaliyah Moore. This is not a contract, a distraction, or a business arrangement. This is personal. I stand by her, and I will not allow my private life to be used as a weapon against me or my company.
Aaliyah felt tears sting her eyes.
"You did it," she whispered.
Rowan nodded once, a quiet intensity in her expression. "So did you."
Elise looked up sharply. "Marcus has already responded."
Rowan didn't flinch. "Of course he has."
Elise turned her screen toward them.
MARCUS BLACKWOOD QUESTIONS DAUGHTER'S STABILITY FOLLOWING 'IMPULSIVE' ANNOUNCEMENT
Aaliyah's stomach twisted.
Rowan read it, jaw tight but steady. "He's escalating."
"He'll call the emergency board meeting now," Elise said. "He'll frame this as evidence you've lost objectivity."
Rowan closed the tablet slowly. "Then we give him something else to choke on."
Aaliyah looked at her. "What?"
Rowan turned, eyes fierce and unguarded. "We show them he's the one manipulating this."
Elise frowned. "We don't have proof."
Rowan's gaze flicked to Aaliyah. "We might."
Aaliyah blinked. "Me?"
Rowan nodded. "The night we met. The way he moved behind the scenes. The questions he asked before he ever acknowledged you."
Aaliyah's pulse raced. "You think he's been tracking me."
"I know he has," Rowan said. "He never leaves variables unmonitored."
Aaliyah swallowed. "Then we find it."
Elise hesitated. "That's risky."
"So is everything else he's done," Rowan replied. "The difference is, we're not hiding anymore."
The city outside buzzed with a thousand stories being written at once.
But inside the penthouse, something sharper took shape.
A counterattack.
Not built on optics.
Built on truth.
Rowan turned to Aaliyah, voice low and steady. "This isn't just about us anymore."
Aaliyah met her gaze without flinching. "It never was."
They stood together as the night deepened, screens glowing, stakes rising.
Marcus Blackwood had made his move.
Now it was their turn.
And neither of them was willing to be controlled again.