No flowers for the dead - Chapter 14: Chapter 14
You are reading No flowers for the dead, Chapter 14: Chapter 14. Read more chapters of No flowers for the dead.
Alina didn’t leave the penthouse for three days.
Elias had locked down the floor. Security was doubled. Background checks re-run. The staff reduced to three trusted names. Even the view—the city skyline she’d once found beautiful—now looked like glass waiting to shatter.
He hovered around her like a shadow that didn’t want to lose its light again.
And she let him.
For a while.
But Alina was never built for safety. She was built for truth.
And truth wasn’t quiet.
⸻
On the fourth day, she stood in front of the mirror, pulled her hair into a sleek bun, and stepped into the suit she hadn’t worn since Elias took her to her first board meeting as more than just his assistant.
She was no longer just the woman he loved.
She was his partner.
His witness.
His future.
Elias watched her walk down the stairs and felt something shift. She wasn’t hiding anymore.
Neither was he.
⸻
Their plan was simple, but devastating.
Hit them not with blood—but with exposure.
Files Elias had buried over the years. Deals made in secret. Hidden beneficiaries. Offshore bribes. Illicit takeovers.
He and Alina spent hours combing through encrypted archives, crafting a release that would cripple not just his family, but the network they sat atop of.
“You’re sure about this?” she asked as they uploaded the final file into the secure leak server.
“If I lose everything but still have you,” he said, looking her straight in the eye, “then I didn’t lose anything.”
Alina exhaled slowly. “Then press send.”
And he did.
⸻
The ripple was immediate.
Articles. Leaks. Anonymous tips. Reports flooding out across digital newsrooms and political circles. The Vale empire—long untouchable—was bleeding, and the sharks came fast.
By the time the sun rose, the board had called an emergency session.
And Elias Vale wasn’t invited.
Not officially.
But he showed up anyway.
⸻
Alina watched from the car as he walked into the building, head high, coat swirling behind him like he was walking into a storm he’d started on purpose.
He didn’t take a single guard.
Just a folder in his hand and her strength in his chest.
He entered the boardroom like a man with nothing to lose.
“I see you’ve all read the news,” Elias said smoothly, dropping the folder onto the table with a satisfying thud.
His uncle, seated at the head, looked up with disgust. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Taking back what’s mine.”
“Yours?” another board member sneered. “You’ve burned the legacy down.”
“No,” Elias said calmly. “I’m rebuilding it. Without the lies.”
A silence fell.
And that was when he realized—
They were more afraid than angry.
Because they knew the world outside this room wasn’t going to protect them anymore.
⸻
Back at the penthouse, Alina’s phone lit up with messages.
From former partners.
Journalists.
Even a prince she once met at a gala.
Some wanted to help.
Others wanted to flee.
But all of them knew something had changed.
And she was at the center of it now.
⸻
That night, Elias returned to her without a word.
She met him at the door.
He kissed her like a man who’d just survived a fire.
“Whatever happens now,” he said against her mouth, “I’ll never stop choosing you.”
Alina held his face in her hands. “Then don’t.”
Elias had locked down the floor. Security was doubled. Background checks re-run. The staff reduced to three trusted names. Even the view—the city skyline she’d once found beautiful—now looked like glass waiting to shatter.
He hovered around her like a shadow that didn’t want to lose its light again.
And she let him.
For a while.
But Alina was never built for safety. She was built for truth.
And truth wasn’t quiet.
⸻
On the fourth day, she stood in front of the mirror, pulled her hair into a sleek bun, and stepped into the suit she hadn’t worn since Elias took her to her first board meeting as more than just his assistant.
She was no longer just the woman he loved.
She was his partner.
His witness.
His future.
Elias watched her walk down the stairs and felt something shift. She wasn’t hiding anymore.
Neither was he.
⸻
Their plan was simple, but devastating.
Hit them not with blood—but with exposure.
Files Elias had buried over the years. Deals made in secret. Hidden beneficiaries. Offshore bribes. Illicit takeovers.
He and Alina spent hours combing through encrypted archives, crafting a release that would cripple not just his family, but the network they sat atop of.
“You’re sure about this?” she asked as they uploaded the final file into the secure leak server.
“If I lose everything but still have you,” he said, looking her straight in the eye, “then I didn’t lose anything.”
Alina exhaled slowly. “Then press send.”
And he did.
⸻
The ripple was immediate.
Articles. Leaks. Anonymous tips. Reports flooding out across digital newsrooms and political circles. The Vale empire—long untouchable—was bleeding, and the sharks came fast.
By the time the sun rose, the board had called an emergency session.
And Elias Vale wasn’t invited.
Not officially.
But he showed up anyway.
⸻
Alina watched from the car as he walked into the building, head high, coat swirling behind him like he was walking into a storm he’d started on purpose.
He didn’t take a single guard.
Just a folder in his hand and her strength in his chest.
He entered the boardroom like a man with nothing to lose.
“I see you’ve all read the news,” Elias said smoothly, dropping the folder onto the table with a satisfying thud.
His uncle, seated at the head, looked up with disgust. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Taking back what’s mine.”
“Yours?” another board member sneered. “You’ve burned the legacy down.”
“No,” Elias said calmly. “I’m rebuilding it. Without the lies.”
A silence fell.
And that was when he realized—
They were more afraid than angry.
Because they knew the world outside this room wasn’t going to protect them anymore.
⸻
Back at the penthouse, Alina’s phone lit up with messages.
From former partners.
Journalists.
Even a prince she once met at a gala.
Some wanted to help.
Others wanted to flee.
But all of them knew something had changed.
And she was at the center of it now.
⸻
That night, Elias returned to her without a word.
She met him at the door.
He kissed her like a man who’d just survived a fire.
“Whatever happens now,” he said against her mouth, “I’ll never stop choosing you.”
Alina held his face in her hands. “Then don’t.”
End of No flowers for the dead Chapter 14. Continue reading Chapter 15 or return to No flowers for the dead book page.