Chapter 39: A New Game Begins
The weight of Elara’s words hung heavily in the air, pressing down on Cambria’s chest. "Erased." The word replayed in her mind like a ticking clock counting down to the end of everything she had fought for. It was the final blow in a series of betrayals, but this? This was the most personal.
Her hands trembled as she looked between Elara and Julian. The two people who had just confessed to being part of the plan to strip her of everything the two people who were supposed to be the foundation on which she built her future had reduced her to nothing more than a pawn in a game she never wanted to play.
"How long do we have?" Cambria asked, her voice rough but determined, the last vestiges of her shock fading into resolve. She wasn’t about to let her empire be taken without a fight. Not like this.
Elara’s gaze locked with hers, her own eyes filled with fear but also a glimmer of defiance. "Not long. Julian’s already on their side. Your uncle’s about to release the statement at any minute. If we don’t act fast, everything will be lost."
"You think I don’t know that?" Cambria snapped, stepping forward. Her pulse raced, and the adrenaline coursing through her veins sharpened her senses. "What do we do? How do we stop them?"
Elara hesitated. "We need leverage, something they can’t ignore, something they can’t control. You can’t face them head-on, not without risking everything. We need to find their weaknesses and exploit them. We need to move first, or they’ll own us."
"Fine," Cambria said, her voice hardened by the realization that this was no longer just about a company. This was about survival. She was facing enemies from every angle, and there was no longer any time to hesitate.
Turning to Julian, she felt her stomach twist with anger. He was standing off to the side, watching her, his expression unreadable. He had played his part in this, but Cambria refused to let him off the hook so easily.
"What exactly did you think would happen, Julian?" she asked, her voice venomous. "Did you really think I’d just hand it over to you and my uncle? That I would sit back and watch as everything I built was stolen away from me?"