The silence after the storm was always the loudest.
Nadia sat frozen, her fingers still clutching the damning documents, her pulse hammering against her ribs. The walls of her father's office, once a place of power, now felt like a cage closing in.
This wasn't just an attack. It was an execution. A well-crafted, merciless strike meant to bury her alive.
Ayla stood beside her, fists clenched so tight her knuckles had turned white. "This is insane," she breathed. "Everyone with half a brain can see this is fake!"
Zafir's gaze was razor-sharp. "The truth doesn't matter, Ayla. Perception does. And right now, the world perceives Nadia as a criminal."
Mama moved closer, placing a hand on Nadia's shoulder. Her touch was warm, but Nadia felt nothing. Numb. Distant. As if this was happening to someone else.
"I can fix this," she whispered. The words felt fragile, breaking apart the moment they left her lips.
Zafir scoffed. "Fix it?" He gestured to the flashing stock market reports on his screen. "We're bleeding out. The shareholders are panicking. We have a meeting in an hour, and they're already preparing a vote."
Nadia blinked. "A vote?"
Zafir exhaled sharply, gripping the edge of his desk. "To sell AF Group."
The world tilted.
Ayla sucked in a sharp breath. "They can't! Baba, you own controlling shares—"
"Not if I'm forced to sell to cover the losses." His voice was grim, his features carved from stone.
Nadia felt something inside her shatter.
This wasn't just about her. This wasn't just about being framed.
This was about losing everything.
Her family's legacy. Her father's empire. Everything they had built, stolen away in broad daylight.
And the man waiting to claim it—
Kareem Aslan.
Her stomach twisted.
This wasn't just about business. This was personal. Kareem was Sara's weapon, and now he was positioned to deliver the final blow.
Nadia forced herself to stand. Her legs felt weak, but she clenched her fists, grounding herself in rage. "We can fight this," she said, voice steel. "We have to fight this."
Zafir was already shaking his head. "We don't have the luxury of time. If we don't act, the board will make the decision for us."
A sharp knock cut through the tension. One of the maids stepped in, her expression uneasy.
"Master," she said cautiously. "The shareholders are on a call. They're demanding you join immediately."
Zafir exhaled slowly before turning to Nadia. His voice was quiet, but it carried the weight of a death sentence.
"If we don't find a solution, the company is gone."
Ayla was fuming. "This is a set-up, Baba! We can prove it—"
"With what evidence?" Zafir snapped. "Who do you think they'll believe? The board? The investors? The public? Or leaked documents and news reports backed by 'credible sources'?"
Mama's grip on Nadia's shoulder tightened. "Then we delay," she said, her voice steady. "We stall. Give Nadia time to prove her innocence."
Zafir pinched the bridge of his nose. "There is one way to buy time."
A strange, heavy silence fell over the room.
Nadia already knew what he was going to say.
She knew the second he lifted his gaze, meeting hers with something close to resignation.
"The marriage."
Her stomach plummeted.
"If you marry Zayn Alaric," Zafir said, voice firm, "his name alone will hold the investors back. The board won't dare vote against us if he's involved."
Nadia felt her chest tighten.
Her father wasn't just pushing her into this marriage anymore.
He was betting everything on it.
"Are you serious?" Ayla hissed, outraged. "She's being framed for embezzlement, and your solution is 'get married'?"
Zafir's jaw clenched. "It's the only way."
Ayla's gaze darkened, and for the first time that night, she looked genuinely shaken. "Then they really played you, didn't they?" she said bitterly. "They forced you into this corner."
Zafir could only stare dumbfoundedly at his spoilt youngest daughter, she couldn't possibly be so dense she didn't see that it was literally the only option they had. "You cannot be serious Ayla"
Ayla huffs and pouts looking away, making Zafir sigh.
Nadia's hands curled into fists.
Her mother turned to her, eyes filled with silent worry. "Nadia…"
Nadia swallowed, trying to breathe through the panic, the suffocating helplessness.
And then she made her choice.
She lifted her chin, steel settling into her bones.
"Fine."
Mama flinched. Ayla gaped.
"I'll do it," she said. "I'll marry him, it's not like i had a choice. Difference this time is I'll do it... willingly"
Ayla grabbed her wrist. "Nadia..."
But Nadia wasn't listening.
Because if this was war, she wasn't going to lose.
If her father wanted to push her into Zayn Alaric's arms, fine.
But she wasn't going in as a victim.
She was going in as a fighter.
She would win.
She would destroy Sara.
She would take back her life.
And if Zayn Alaric thought she was just some pawn in this game.
He's in for a rude surprise.