Chapter 5 Beneath the Surface

> "Sometimes, love isn't the shield. It's the war."

[Lancaster Enterprises, Morning]

The air in Lancaster Enterprises carried a rare quiet the kind that followed a bomb but preceded the aftershock.

Sandra sat at her glass desk outside Steve's office, thumbing through documents, pretending her hands weren't shaking. It had been three days since the press conference. Three days since she stood beside Steve as the world dissected her every glance and breath.

She knew the silence wouldn't last.

The press had cooled. The board was silent. But silence in business was never safety.

It was strategy.

The elevator chimed.

Sandra looked up. A sharply dressed woman with bright red lipstick stepped out, flanked by two assistants.

Board member.

No. Not just any board member Madeline Raine, known as the Ice Queen of Southwest Corporate Banking. She was beautiful, brutal, and always five moves ahead.

"Ms. Vega," Madeline said, voice like glass on tile. "Is he in?"

"He's in a call."

"I'll wait." She didn't ask for permission, just strolled past the desk, her heels sharp as threats.

Sandra didn't stop her. But her pulse ticked faster.

Five minutes later, Steve's office door opened.

"Madeline," he said coolly. "Didn't expect to see you so soon."

"We need to talk."

"Of course. Sandra, come in."

Madeline's eyes flicked to Sandra. "She's involved now?"

"She's the reason this company didn't crumble," Steve said. "She stays."

Sandra stepped inside.

Madeline's smile was all teeth. "Then let's talk risk."

[ The Office]

Madeline sat across from them, legs crossed, perfect posture. "Vivienne is still speaking to press anonymously. Her stories are gaining traction again."

"She's discredited," Steve said.

"She's loud. That's more dangerous."

Sandra shifted. "What do you want, Madeline?"

Madeline smiled wider. "The company is bleeding. We've lost three contracts in forty-eight hours. The board is discussing restructuring. Quietly."

Steve's hands curled into fists.

Madeline continued. "There's a way to stop it. A show of strength. Not sentiment."

"What are you suggesting?"

"A merger."

Steve's jaw clenched. "Absolutely not."

"Think, Steve. Merge with Cordell Tech. Combine assets. Share losses. The board gets stability. You keep your title."

"And what do you get?" Sandra asked.

"A seat as interim co-CEO during transition. Six months. Then I step down."

"Bullshit," Steve growled. "You never step down."

Madeline stood. "You have until Friday. Take the merger, or the board will vote you out."

She turned to Sandra. "You were impressive. But in the real world, emotional leverage doesn't last. Good luck."

The door shut behind her.

Steve punched the wall.

[ Penthouse Nightfall]

That night, Steve was quieter than usual.

Sandra moved around his kitchen barefoot, pouring wine, watching him pace.

"You're thinking in spirals," she said.

He looked at her. "I don't want to lose this company."

"Then don't."

"They'll make it about you. Again. About us."

"Then let's make it about truth," she said, walking up to him.

He caught her hand. Held it.

"Don't," he whispered.

"Don't what?"

"Don't make this easier than it is. I need to know you understand what staying with me costs you."

"I'm not afraid."

He pressed his forehead to hers. "I am."

Then, in a blink, their mouths collided. No hesitation. No slow burn.

Just hunger.

He lifted her onto the kitchen counter, his hands under her shirt, palms memorizing every inch of her.

She gasped against his lips, tugged his tie loose, and he swept everything off the counter in one movement, making space for chaos.

There, between spilled wine and shattered silence, they clung to each other bodies speaking what words couldn't.

And in that moment, nothing else mattered.

Not the board.

Not the world.

Just them.

[ Lancaster Archives, Morning]

The next morning, Sandra headed to the lower archives of Lancaster Enterprises, following a lead. Steve's father's transfer documents the ones leaked to the press didn't match the company's historical records.

She had to know the truth.

The archives were dusty, cold, and rarely visited. But deep in the back, among old records, she found it - a ledger from 1998.

She flipped pages.

There it was.

Daniel Lancaster - 12% shares transferred to "D.S."

No full name.

Initials only.

Her eyes widened.

She took a photo, ran back upstairs.

"Steve," she gasped, bursting into his office. "I found it. Your father didn't give those shares to an investor."

He looked up, startled.

"He gave them to a partner. Someone with initials D.S."

Steve's face paled.

"D.S.," he said. "That's... my uncle."

[The Truth Hurts]

Steve paced. "My uncle Daniel. He and my father started the company. He left when I was a teenager. Said my father cheated him."

"And now?"

"He must've kept those shares. He could be behind this. Feeding info to the press. Fueling Vivienne."

Sandra stared. "He's trying to take the company back."

Steve nodded slowly. "And he's using me to do it."

Her eyes softened. "Then we fight harder."

[ Late Night Planning]

They stayed up late.

Plotting.

Scheming.

Building a counterattack.

"We leak the real ledger," Sandra said. "We show your uncle's name."

"We risk retaliation."

"We're already bleeding. May as well punch back."

He grinned. "Remind me again how you ended up saving my life twice in one week?"

She kissed him. "Because you needed me."

[ Press Statement Day]

Two days later, the company issued a second press release:

> "New historical records show original Lancaster shares given to a silent partner: Daniel Lancaster, estranged brother of current CEO. Legal investigation pending."

The media exploded again.

But this time, the fire turned elsewhere toward Daniel. Toward greed. Toward legacy battles.

Steve was framed as the son cleaning up his father's secrets.

And Sandra?

As the woman pulling strings with intelligence and fire.

[ Boardroom Showdown Eve]

Steve and Sandra stood in the boardroom after everyone left, the glow of downtown Phoenix behind them.

"Tomorrow they vote," he said.

"And?"

"And if they choose the merger, I step down. Or fight."

She took his hand. "You fight."

He nodded.

Then slowly, turned to her.

"I want you beside me," he said. "In everything."

Her breath caught.

"I mean it," he said. "Not just here. Not just now. Always."

She smiled. "Then let's win. Together."

He kissed her hand. Then her neck. Then her lips.

And under the city lights, power and passion blurred once again.