The Reborn Heiress Strike Back-Chapter 68 - Look At What She Made Me Do

The Carter Group boardroom was quieter than a graveyard.

Nick stood at the head of the table, gripping the polished wood so tightly his knuckles were white. Half the chairs around him were empty—an insult in itself.

The remaining members looked anywhere but at him.

On the massive screen behind him, stock graphs plunged downward.

Investor withdrawals. Market skepticism. Rumors spreading like wildfire.

Nick cleared his throat, voice strained.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please—just listen. Carter Group is not collapsing. These... allegations against Samantha Bradley are fabricated. Our numbers can stabilize if we stop the panic—"

"Mr. Carter," one board member cut in coldly, "what we need is leadership."

"We have leadership," Nick snapped, eyes flashing.

"I’ve held this company together for years."

"Your personal scandals," another said sharply, "are now affecting business. Investors doubt your judgment."

The words hit him like a blow.

Another member leaned forward, fingers steepled.

"Your... history with Samantha Bradley is making you look compromised."

The room shifted.

Nick stiffened.

His jaw tightened.

"So that’s what this is really about," he said quietly.

"You’re blaming me for rumors—created by people who want this company destroyed."

No one answered.

No one needed to.

Their silence condemned him.

For the first time in years, Nick Carter stood in a room where his authority meant nothing.

When the meeting finally ended, the remaining board members walked out quickly—avoiding eye contact, avoiding responsibility, avoiding him.

Nick remained alone.

The chair next to his was empty.

The chair Ally once used to tease him about being too serious.

The chair Samantha had sat in only weeks ago, silent and unreadable.

His fingers trembled as he touched the armrest.

A ghost.

A memory.

A punishment.

---

Kate’s Meltdown

He stormed into the mansion after midnight.

He found Kate in the living room, surrounded by broken glass—bottles, vases, frames.

She turned when she heard him.

Her eyes were wild.

"You," she hissed.

"You did this. You built this mess with your lies."

Nick’s jaw clenched.

"Kate—"

"No!" She threw a glass against the wall.

"You still love her! I can see it every time her name is mentioned. You think I don’t see it?!"

He stared at her, exhaustion sinking into his bones.

"You want honesty?" he said quietly.

"You built this mess the day Ally walked away."

Kate froze.

The words strangled the room.

"You don’t get to say her name," she whispered, shaking.

Nick’s voice cracked, painful and raw.

"She walked away because we failed her. Because I failed her. And maybe—maybe we deserve everything happening now."

Kate slapped him—hard.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she screamed,

"Samantha will ruin all of us!"

Nick didn’t yell back.

He didn’t defend himself.

He just walked away.

Defeated. Broken. Holding the weight of a decade of guilt.

Upstairs, he collapsed onto the bed.

He buried his face in his hands.

And for the first time since the truth broke, Nick Carter finally hit rock bottom.

---

Chloe’s Breakdown — A Desperate Plea

Samantha’s penthouse was dim—only the soft glow of city lights illuminating her silhouette by the window.

Chloe burst through the door with red eyes, mascara streaked down her cheeks.

"Samantha—please—help me!"

She nearly fell to her knees.

Jake instantly stepped closer, instinctively protective.

Samantha didn’t move.

Chloe sobbed, voice shaking violently.

"Marcus—he knows I helped you. He sent someone to follow me today. If I don’t cooperate, he’ll kill me. Please—I have nowhere else to go."

Samantha finally turned.

She approached Chloe slowly, her expression unreadable, controlled, deadly calm.

"You want protection from Marcus?" Samantha asked softly.

Chloe nodded rapidly.

"Yes... yes, I’ll do anything—just don’t let him hurt me."

Samantha leaned in.

"One condition."

Chloe swallowed hard.

"O-okay."

"You hand me the master financial key to the Carter Group’s offshore accounts."

Chloe froze.

Her pupils dilated. Fear rippled through her.

"That... that key gives access to everything," she whispered.

"Every transfer. Every hidden asset. Every emergency fund. If I hand it to you—Carter Group would be—"

"Mine," Samantha finished quietly.

Chloe trembled violently.

"You... you’ll destroy my family because of my selfisness."

Samantha didn’t deny it.

Instead, she held out her hand.

"Your life," she said, "or your loyalty."

Chloe stared at her palm like it was a choice between heaven and hell.

Then—

her trembling fingers reached into her coat.

She placed a small encrypted device into Samantha’s hand.

The master key.

"The password," Chloe whispered, tears slipping down her face,

"is A.M.... the same initials on your pen. Nick still uses them for legacy-level access."

Samantha’s expression didn’t change.

But for Jake, watching closely, something flickered behind her eyes.

Something dangerous. Something final.

Chloe collapsed onto the sofa, sobbing.

Jake approached Samantha slowly.

"Sam," he whispered, "you know what this means."

She turned toward him.

Lightning flashed behind her.

"It means," Samantha said,

"the Carter empire falls tonight." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Jake swallowed.

She wasn’t bluffing.

She wasn’t raging.

She was cold.

Focused.

Unstoppable.

And this time—

she wasn’t just seeking justice.

She was taking their entire legacy with her.

---

Cliffhanger — The Final Strike Begins

Jake watched as Samantha inserted the master key into her laptop.

Lines of encrypted data flooded the screen.

Financial maps.

Hidden accounts.

Slush funds.

Board payouts.

Illicit transactions.

Everything the Carters thought was buried—

now belonged to her.

Jake whispered,

"Sam... if you do this... there’s no going back."

She didn’t even blink.

"There was no ’back’ after the day they left me bleeding on the road."

Her fingers flew across the keys.

Jake stood beside her.

And together—

they pulled the first thread.

The one that would unravel the Carter dynasty.

Forever.