All Chapters of RISE OF THE FORSAKEN HEIR : Chapter 61
- Chapter 70
110 chapters
chapter 61
: The Quiet Coup Six weeks had passed since Katherine Vale walked out of the boardroom with her interim CEO title still technically in place. Six weeks of calculated silence from her end. No leaks. No press conferences. No public attacks. Just quiet, methodical moves behind the scenes—board members quietly courted, shareholders gently pressured, client relationships nurtured with personal calls and private dinners. She didn’t shout. She didn’t threaten. She simply worked. And she was winning. The stock had stabilized after the firmware scare, but it hadn’t recovered fully. Whispers in the financial press kept the narrative alive: Lockwood still vulnerable? Interim CEO Vale quietly consolidating power. The security division’s new contracts slowed. Not stopped—just slowed. Enough to make investors nervous. Enough to make board members question. Enough to make Katherine’s case stronger every day. I spent those weeks in constant motion. Late nights in the office. Early mornings on cal
chapter 62
: The Night Before the Announcement The penthouse was quiet at 2:14 a.m., the kind of quiet that feels loud when you’re the only one still awake. Bella had fallen asleep hours ago, curled on her side in the bedroom with the quilt pulled high, one hand resting protectively over her belly even in sleep. The baby had been active tonight—sharp kicks, little rolls, like it knew something big was coming tomorrow. I’d stayed with her until her breathing evened out, until the tension in her shoulders finally let go. Then I’d kissed her temple, slipped out, and come here to the office. The city lights spread out below the windows like scattered diamonds. I didn’t turn on the overheads. Just the desk lamp and the glow from three monitors. One showed the live stock ticker—still climbing slowly after the firmware reversal announcement. One showed the Singapore contract final draft, ready for signature tomorrow morning. One showed Katherine Vale’s latest move: a private email she’d sent to s
chapter 63
The Press Conference The auditorium on the sixty-fifth floor of Lockwood Tower was packed by 9:45 a.m. Floor-to-ceiling screens behind the podium showed the company logo rotating slowly against a dark background. Rows of chairs filled with reporters, analysts, investors on video link, and a handful of board members who’d insisted on being in the room. Cameras lined the back wall. Lights hot. Air thick with anticipation. I waited backstage in a small green room. Black suit. No tie. Bella beside me in a deep emerald dress that hugged her pregnancy without hiding it—elegant, powerful, unapologetic. She’d chosen it herself. Said it made her feel like armor. She was right. Marcus stood by the door, earpiece in, eyes on the monitor showing the live feed. Rico was already in the audience—plain clothes, blending with security, watching faces. Lydia monitored from the ops room upstairs, ready to kill any feed, any hack, any surprise Katherine might try to pull. Bella adjusted my collar
chapter 64
The Counter Offer Damian pushed through the front door of the farmhouse just before dawn, the kind of quiet Lagos morning where the first call to prayer mixes with the low rumble of early generators kicking on in the distance. The air smelled like wet earth from last night's rain and the faint smoke of someone's breakfast fire down the road. He kicked off his shoes in the entryway, not wanting to track city grit across the tiles Bella had insisted on keeping spotless even though they were basically living in a fortified safe house now. She was already up, of course. Bella never slept through his returns anymore. She stood in the kitchen doorway, arms folded under the swell of her belly, wearing one of his old T-shirts that hung loose everywhere except where the pregnancy stretched it tight. Her hair was wrapped in a silk scarf, and her eyes were sharp despite the shadows underneath them. "You met her alone," she said. Not angry yet. Just stating a fact, the way she'd state
chapter 65
:The Shareholder Dinner The private dining room at La Mer overlooked the lagoon, all dimmed chandeliers and dark wood that swallowed sound. Candles flickered in hurricane glass, throwing long shadows across the linen. Harold Grayson sat at the head of the long table like a man trying to look relaxed while holding a grenade. Across from him, Katherine Vale was the picture of calm elegance—black silk dress, single strand of pearls, wine glass held loosely in long fingers. She was mid-sentence when the double doors swung open without a knock. Damian walked in alone. No security visible, though Marcus and Rico were parked two streets over, engines running, comms live. He wore the same charcoal suit he'd had on all day, tie loosened just enough to say he wasn't here to play polite. Harold startled, fork halfway to his mouth. "Mr. Lockwood?" Katherine didn't flinch. She set her glass down with deliberate care, lips curving into
chapter 66
: The Personal Line The penthouse felt too quiet after the dinner crash. Damian had sent Marcus and Rico home with instructions to double the watch on the farmhouse perimeter, then driven himself back to Victoria Island alone. The roads were empty enough at this hour that he could hear the low growl of the engine echoing off the high-rises. He parked in the underground garage, took the private lift up, and stepped into darkness broken only by the city glow coming through the glass walls. Bella was already asleep in the master bedroom. He stood in the doorway for a long minute, watching the rise and fall of her breathing, the way one hand rested instinctively over the curve of her belly even in sleep. The room smelled faintly of her—coconut leave-in conditioner, the lavender oil she rubbed on her lower back when the weight got heavy. He felt the knot in his chest loosen a fraction just looking at her. He didn't wake her. Instead he slipped out to the balcony, phone in hand, and
chapter 67
: The LeakThe press release dropped at exactly 9:03 a.m., timed to catch the morning business shows on Channels and Arise while the Lagos traffic was still gridlocked. Headlines screamed across every feed: LOCKWOOD EMPIRE LANDS MULTI-BILLION DEFENSE CONTRACT – GOVERNMENT BACKING SECURED. Stock ticker jumped six points in the first hour. Social media lit up with congratulations, analysts calling it a masterstroke, the kind of move that reminded everyone why Damian Lockwood had clawed his way back from exile.Inside the farmhouse, Bella watched the coverage on the wall-mounted screen in the living room, one hand on her belly, the other wrapped around a mug of ginger tea. She smiled. small, satisfied—when the anchor read the full quote Damian had approved: “This isn’t just growth. It’s stability. For our people, our partners, our future.”She turned to him where he stood by the window, phone already buzzing with board members texting congratulations. “You did it,” she said softly. “T
chapter 68
: The Hearing The regulatory hearing room in the Securities and Exchange Commission building smelled of old paper, fresh coffee, and nervous sweat. High ceilings, long mahogany table polished to a mirror shine, rows of chairs filled with journalists, analysts, and a handful of board members who’d shown up to watch the bloodsport. Cameras were allowed in the gallery—three of them, lenses trained like rifles. The air conditioning hummed too loud, fighting a losing battle against the Lagos heat seeping through the tinted windows. Damian arrived early, Marcus at his shoulder like a shadow. He wore navy—crisp, conservative, the color of control. No tie. Collar open just enough to remind everyone he wasn’t here to bow. He took his seat at one end of the table, folder in front of him, eyes scanning the room methodically. When Katherine entered five minutes later, the temperature in the room seemed to shift. She moved like she owned the carpet under her heels—charcoal grey suit, tail
chapter 69
: Shadows Closing In The drive back from the hearing felt endless. Lagos traffic had thickened into its usual midday snarl, horns blaring in waves, hawkers weaving between cars with trays of cold drinks and plantain chips balanced on their heads. Damian sat in the passenger seat, staring straight ahead, the deleted video still playing behind his eyes on loop. Bella in the garden. Smiling. Unaware. The lens zooming slow and deliberate on her belly. Marcus drove in silence, glancing over once or twice but saying nothing. He knew that look on Damian's face. The one that meant someone had crossed a line there was no coming back from. When they finally pulled through the gates of the farmhouse, the sun was high and merciless. Dust kicked up under the tires. Rico was waiting on the porch, arms folded, expression tight. Lydia hovered just inside the door, tablet clutched like a shield. Damian stepped out before the engine fully cut. "Where is she?" "Back garden," Rico said. "Waterin
chapter 70
: The Quiet Storm Morning came slow and heavy, the kind of new York dawn where the sky stays bruised gray for too long before deciding to let the sun through. Damian woke before Bella, slipped out of bed without waking her, and stood at the window watching the new floodlights click off one by one as the sky lightened. The garden looked ordinary again—wet grass, tomato vines heavy with fruit, nothing screaming danger. But he knew better now. He checked his phone first thing. No new messages. No new photos. Just the usual overnight alerts: stock holding firm, a few analyst notes praising yesterday's hearing performance, one email from Harold Grayson confirming his vote was locked in for the next board meeting. Small wins. They felt hollow. Downstairs, the kitchen smelled like fresh coffee and frying eggs. Rico was at the stove, humming something old-school under his breath while he flipped plantain slices in a second pan. Marcus sat at the table already, scrolling through security lo