Asher

The mansion looms ahead of us, dark and foreboding, as Max and I drive up the long, winding driveway. The guards at the gate eye us warily but make no move to stop us. They know who we are, and they know better than to get in our way. With unwavering determination, we park the car and walk confidently towards the front door.

"Ready?" Max asks, his voice steady despite the tension crackling in the air.

"Let's do this," I say, pushing open the door with more force than necessary.

We barge into Henry's place, our footsteps echoing through the grand foyer. Henry's bodyguards, trailing behind us, exchange confused glances. Henry looks up from his meeting with James, surprise flashing across his face before settling into a wary glare.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" He demands, standing from his seat. His eyes flicker to Max in his wheelchair, then back to me, his expression a mix of confusion and anger.

"It's better for you to let the bodyguards go," Max says calmly, his presence commanding despite the wheelchair.

Henry hesitates, then silently motions for the bodyguards to leave. The tension thickens as they exit, leaving us in a standoff.

"Alright, what's this about?" Henry says, trying to regain control. James, seated a few feet away, looks equally tense but attempts to mask it with a sneer.

I throw a folder onto the table between them. "Illegal campaign contributions, corporate espionage, bribery, stock manipulation... take your pick. We know everything."

Henry's face drains of color, but he quickly tries to cover it with a smirk. "You can't prove any of it."

Max leans forward, his eyes cold. "We have all the evidence we need. And once it's out, you're finished."

Henry's smirk falters, replaced by a look of desperation. "You're bluffing."

"Am I?" Max counters, pulling out a tablet and playing an audio recording. It's James and Henry, discussing their schemes in explicit detail.

James's face turns an alarming shade of red. "Turn that off!"

The room erupts into chaos. Henry lunges at Max, knocking the tablet to the floor. I grab Henry, shoving him back. He stumbles but catches himself, glaring at me with pure hatred.

"Tell me, Henry," Max begins, his voice calm yet dripping with cold fury. "Did you ever think this would end well for you?"

Henry scoffs, trying to mask his fear with bravado. "I've played this game long before you ever stepped into the office, Max."

"Then you should know when you're beaten," I interject, my tone ice-cold. "You're out of moves."

Henry's eyes flash with defiance. "I'm not out of moves until I'm six feet under."

"You've always been jealous, haven't you?" Max shakes his head.

"Jealous?" Henry spits, his face contorted with rage. "You think I wanted this? I had to claw my way up while you had everything handed to you."

"You chose this path," I snap. "You could've worked with us, but you decided to be a snake."

"You always thought you were better than me, Max," Henry spits, his fists clenching. "The golden boy! The perfect son."

"This isn't about us," Max says calmly, his voice a sharp contrast to Henry's rage. "This is about justice."

"Justice?" Henry laughs bitterly. "You've always had everything handed to you. You and Asher both. But me? I've had to fight for every scrap."

"And look where it's gotten you," Max says. "In bed with criminals and traitors."

Henry's face twists with rage. "You think you're so noble, but you're just as dirty as the rest of us! You should've died in that car accident."

The room falls deathly silent. Max's eyes widen for a fraction of a second before he regains his composure, but the damage is done. I feel a surge of fury so intense I can barely see straight.

"What did you just say?" I ask.

"You heard me," Henry sneers, his bravado fueled by desperation. "Everyone knows you blame me for the accident. Maybe you're right."

"You bastard!" I lunge at Henry, my fists connecting with his jaw. He stumbles back, but I'm on him, my rage blinding. "You did this! You ruined our lives!"

I feel someone pulling me back, but Henry's words have struck a nerve.

"Asher, stop!" Max's voice cuts through the haze of my fury. "He's not worth it!"

Henry laughs. "You can't prove anything. You never could."

"Yet," I growl. "But I will. I'll find a way to make you pay for everything you've done."

Henry's eyes narrow, and without warning, he swings a punch at me. His fist connects with my jaw, sending a shockwave of pain through my face. The impact forces me back, but I recover quickly, my own fists clenching in response.

"Is that all you've got?" I taunt, my voice low and dangerous.

Henry lunges again, but this time James snaps, stepping between us. "Enough!" His eyes lock onto mine, a malicious grin spreading across his face. "You think you can threaten us? If you do anything, Asher, I'll release Emma's photos."

I freeze at the mention of Emma, and my blood runs cold. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

James chuckles darkly. "Your precious Emma. Zack had a rather extensive collection of quite... compromising photos of hers. If you cross me, the world will see them."

Rage blinds me. I lunge at James, my fist connecting with his jaw. He stumbles back, laughing even as blood trickles from his mouth. "Do it, Asher! Show everyone the kind of man you really are."

"Asher, stop!" Max shouts, but I want to kill James with my bare hands. "Hold him back!"

Two of our men grab me, pulling me away from James. My vision is red, my body shaking with fury. James wipes the blood from his lip, his eyes gleaming with triumph.

The room is silent, the weight of everything hanging in the air. Finally, Max speaks, his voice calm but authoritative. "We need to find common ground. This ends tonight, one way or another."

James scoffs. "And why should we listen to you?"

"Because," Max says, stepping closer, "if we don't, we all go down. Together. The evidence we have is enough to destroy us all. But if we come to an agreement, we can avoid mutual destruction."

Henry's eyes dart between us, calculating. James's bravado falters, the reality of the situation sinking in.

"What kind of agreement?" Henry asks.

Max looks at me, then back at them. "James, you leave Emma and Aiden alone. You'll sign a document stating you won't contact them ever again. In exchange, you get to keep your plans to run for governor. But if Emma's photos are ever released, we'll use everything we have to put you behind bars. Also... We don't want any mention or correlation of Cavendish and Sullivan names ever again."

Henry glares at us. "This is ridiculous..."

"You resign, Henry," Max says firmly. "Despite my father's promises, you'll leave the company. For good."

Henry's face contorts with anger. "You can't do this! I belong in that company just as much as you!"

"You brought this on yourself," Max says coldly. "We're giving you a way out. Take it."

The room is thick with tension, the hatred palpable. Finally, James speaks, his voice begrudging. "Fine. We'll play ball. But if any of this evidence leaks—"

"We know the stakes," I interrupt, my voice firm. "This agreement stands, or we all go down."

The air is thick with tension as we outline the terms. Henry will resign, forfeiting any claims to the company. James will keep his political ambitions but must sign a legally binding agreement to leave Emma and Aiden alone and to never contact them again. Any breach and the floodgates of incriminating evidence will open wide.

James nods slowly, a malicious glint in his eyes. "Agreed. But remember, Asher—if you slip up, those photos will be everywhere."

The threat hangs heavy in the air, but I meet his gaze without flinching. "You won't get the chance."

Max and I leave the mansion, the weight of the confrontation pressing down on us. The agreement is fragile, a ceasefire in a war that's far from over. But for now, it's a step towards protecting us and dismantling the toxic legacy of betrayal and corruption that James and Henry represent.

As we settle into the car for the drive back home, the tension from the confrontation at Henry's mansion lingers in the air. I glance at Max, who's lost in thought, his expression a mix of exhaustion and determination.

Suddenly, my phone buzzes with a text notification. I unlock it to find a message from Emma, followed by a picture. As the image loads, I can't help but grin. Emma's smiling brightly, her eyes sparkling with mischief. She's trying to convince me that she's already showing her baby bump, but her pose is comically exaggerated, with one hand on her belly and a mischievous tilt to her head.

"What's got you grinning like an idiot?" Max asks, breaking the silence in the car.

I show him the picture, and his face softens into a smile. "Well, look at that. You're whipped."

I chuckle, shaking my head. "Yeah, I guess I am."

Max chuckles too, the tension of the day momentarily forgotten.

I let out a sigh, a mixture of relief and hope. "Despite everything, there's still something to look forward to."

"Yeah..." Max nods, his eyes locking with a mine.

We drive on, the weight of our shared history and recent revelations slowly easing. It's a long road ahead, but for now, I find solace in the simple joy of Emma's text and the promise of a new beginning.

_____

A/N: I don't know about you, but I'm finally starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel for them! 

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Love you all,

Celeste