Chapter 17
The next week passed in quiet repair.
The media frenzy gradually slowed. Collin’s team released a formal statement confirming his past mistakes, but emphasized the truth Linsey had told: that their marriage wasn’t a publicity stunt—it was a choice.
Stockholders were still cautious, but stability was returning.
And most importantly, Linsey had moved fully back into the penthouse.
She and Collin spent their days in simple, grounding ways—morning walks without bodyguards, quiet breakfasts in the kitchen, evenings curled up with books instead of news alerts. The city still buzzed around them, but for once, they were untouched by it.
One evening, as they sat on the rooftop patio, Linsey turned to Collin.
“I got a call today,” she said.
He looked up.
“The women’s shelter I used to volunteer at—before all this—they’re short on funds. They asked if I’d consider being a public ambassador.”
He raised a brow. “That sounds… very public.”
She smiled. “I know. But I think I’m ready. Maybe it’s time to use the spotlight for something more.”
He took her hand. “Whatever you need, I’ll back you.”
“And I’ll do it honestly,” she added. “No secrets. No masks.”
Collin nodded. “You’ve always been the braver one between us.”
They sat in comfortable silence after that, watching the lights of the city flicker on like stars below.
But far across town, in a dimly lit office, Joanna watched a live security feed of that same rooftop.
She clenched her jaw, eyes sharp.
“They survived,” Felix said behind her, pacing.
“They won the public,” Joanna snapped. “But I don’t care about the public anymore.”
She tapped the screen. A cursor hovered over a folder labeled “Project Harrow – Phase 2.”
Felix hesitated. “That wasn’t meant to be opened again.”
Joanna turned to him slowly. “Collin’s old investor—the one who started all this—he’s not happy that Collin defied him five years ago. He’s watching again. Waiting.”
“You’re playing with fire.”
She smiled coldly. “Then let’s burn the house down.”
The next morning, Linsey woke to a strange sound—paper being slid beneath the front door.
She padded over in slippers, picked it up, and unfolded it.
There were no words. Just a photo.
An aerial shot of her on the rooftop.
And a note scribbled in red across the bottom:
“You think the past is behind you. But the price of betrayal hasn’t been paid yet.”
Linsey’s blood turned cold.
She rushed into the bedroom. “Collin!”
He appeared from the bathroom, toweling his hair. “What’s wrong?”
She handed him the paper.
His expression darkened as he read it.
“I thought you said your old investor dropped off the radar,” she said.
“I thought he did.”
She pointed to the handwriting. “Whoever this is—they’re watching us. Not just publicly. Privately. This was taken last night.”
Collin grabbed his phone and dialed a number. “Lock down the building. Check every feed. I want full surveillance pulled from the last 48 hours.”
When he hung up, Linsey’s voice was quiet but firm. “I thought this was over.”
“It should’ve been,” he said. “But someone’s reopened a door I thought was closed for good.”
She placed a hand on his chest. “Then we shut it. Together.”
He nodded, but in his eyes, Linsey saw something new. Not fear. Not guilt.
Resolve.
Collin Riley wasn’t going to run anymore.
Not from his past.
Not from his enemies.
And definitely not from the woman who had stood beside him through the worst.
But none of them knew yet—that the storm coming next wouldn’t just threaten reputations…
It would test who was willing to bleed for the truth.