The air in the Carter Enterprises boardroom was thick with tension. The room, usually dominated by polite business chatter and the clinking of glasses over merger deals, now echoed with silence sharp enough to slice through concrete. Brooklyn sat beside Damien at the long glass table, her hands folded in her lap. Across from her sat Geneva Carter, cold and poised, her diamond brooch gleaming like a dagger on her blazer.
Damien's hand brushed against Brooklyn's under the table, a quiet gesture of solidarity. He didn't speak, not yet. He didn't need to. His presence alone was defiance.
"I called this meeting," Geneva began, her voice even, "to address the…publicity stunt you both orchestrated on national television. While it may have swayed the minds of romantics and keyboard warriors, it did little to uphold the dignity of the Carter name."
Brooklyn didn't flinch. She looked directly at Geneva. "Is that what this is about? Dignity?"
Geneva's lips twitched into a near-smile. "This is about legacy, dear. Something you know nothing about."
"Legacy isn't built on lies and manipulation," Damien cut in sharply. "We've entertained your theatrics long enough, Aunt Geneva. If you have something to say, say it plainly."
Geneva folded her hands. "Fine. I want a formal paternity hearing held before the board. No medical DNA tests. No private labs. It will be conducted by an independent Carter-appointed panel. If your child is proven to be yours, Damien, then we'll accept the lineage. But if not…"
"You'll push for disinheritance," Brooklyn said. "Of both me and the baby."
Geneva tilted her head. "You're catching on."
The meeting ended with nothing resolved, only war declared. As they exited the room, Damien's phone buzzed. He glanced down at the message and frowned.
"What is it?" Brooklyn asked.
He hesitated. "A former employee of that tech firm you exposed is speaking out. Claims you seduced the CEO for promotions before leaking confidential documents. It's garbage, but the media will eat it up."
Brooklyn's throat tightened. The past she'd buried was clawing its way back with dirt under its nails.
---
Later that night, Brooklyn sat in the penthouse living room, curled up in Damien's oversized leather chair. The city lights flickered like stars beneath them. Damien stood across from her, pacing, furious.
"I'll sue him for defamation. I'll drag him through every court in New York," Damien said, his voice low but shaking with restrained rage.
"I expected this," Brooklyn whispered. "Geneva's not just playing chess—she's flipping the board."
Damien stopped. "Brooklyn… do you want to step back? We can disappear for a while. Leave the country, have the baby somewhere safe. We can fight her from a distance."
She looked up at him, eyes calm. "No. I'm done running. For once, I want to stand still. I want to fight back. For me. For our child."
Damien walked over and crouched in front of her, resting his hands on her knees. "Then I'm right here. We'll face them together."
She nodded slowly, her fingers curling around his. "We're going to need allies."
He smirked. "I have a few names in mind."
---
The next morning, a storm brewed, not outside, but within Carter Enterprises. Whispers spread like wildfire. Some employees avoided eye contact with Brooklyn. Others looked at her with thinly veiled curiosity. A few with open admiration.
But in the press, headlines screamed:
"Billionaire Bride: Victim or Manipulator?"
"Whistleblower or Homewrecker?"
"Carter Heiress Scandal Deepens as Ex-Colleague Speaks Out."
Damien held a press conference that day. Calm. Controlled. Ruthless in his clarity.
"I married Brooklyn because she's brave, brilliant, and she stood up against corruption when others cowered. These accusations are desperate attempts to undermine her character and distract from the real issue—our child's future and the power struggle within our family."
Brooklyn watched from the wings, her hand resting gently on her slightly rounded stomach. She wasn't showing yet, but she could feel it. The tiny flutter. A reminder of what she was protecting.
---
Meanwhile, Geneva wasn't idle.
She met with board members behind closed doors, whispering poison and promises. "Brooklyn is a threat to the Carter name," she said. "We can't allow sentimentality to destroy our legacy."
One board member, a man in his late fifties named Harold Blume, folded his arms. "She's also the reason Damien has stepped up. You can't deny the shift. He's more focused, more invested."
"Because he's distracted by hormones and lust," Geneva snapped. "That child, if it's even his. Is the last nail in this company's coffin."
Still, some members were wavering. The public interview, the press conference, and Brooklyn's poise had made an impression.
Geneva realized she needed something bigger. Something damning.
---
That night, Brooklyn received an unmarked envelope at her doorstep.
Inside, there were photos—grainy, obviously taken from a distance, of her entering a hotel years ago. And another… with the former CEO of the tech firm embracing her in the lobby.
She froze. Her stomach turned.
Damien picked up the envelope from the floor and studied its contents.
"This is fake," he said. "Even if it's real, it's meaningless. But to the board? To the press?"
Brooklyn rubbed her temples. "This was the night I warned him. I gave him one last chance to come clean before I went public. He begged. I didn't listen."
Damien placed the photos on the counter. "This is how Geneva fights. Dirty. We'll hit back cleaner. Stronger."
---
The following day, Brooklyn requested a private meeting with Vivienne.
"Do you think I'm bad for Damien?" she asked bluntly.
Vivienne blinked. "Why would you say that?"
"Because everyone else seems to think so."
Vivienne leaned back in her chair. "Damien was lost before you. Angry. Detached. You lit a fire under him. That scares people. Because now, he actually wants something and people like Geneva are terrified of what a man like Damien can do when he's driven by love."
Brooklyn's eyes misted. "Thank you."
Vivienne shrugged. "Besides, you're good for the baby too. Someone has to teach them how to overthrow the world with style."
---
As the week ended, a board hearing date was announced. The panel would convene in three days. Brooklyn and Damien would be forced to testify in front of the entire Carter leadership.
Geneva had already begun orchestrating her performance.
And so had Brooklyn.
She stepped into the quiet nursery they'd begun designing. The walls were still bare. The crib untouched. But she walked over to the window and stared out.
"I don't know if you're a boy or a girl yet," she whispered, running a hand over her belly, "but I do know one thing. You have a mother who's not afraid anymore."
From behind her, Damien wrapped his arms around her waist.
"We're going to win this," he murmured into her hair.
Brooklyn smiled faintly. "Let's make sure Geneva never forgets who she challenged."
Outside, thunder rumbled in the distance.
The war wasn't over.
But Brooklyn was ready.