Bound by the Past, Locked by the Heart novel Chapter 248

248 /320

Soon after, rumors started swirling that she had led a scandalous, promiscuous life abroad, entangled with countless wealthy businessmen, and that this wasn't her first time using a pregnancy to manipulate her way into money.

Martin Jenson called, his voice laced with panic. "Willa, the negative press is out of control. Our collaborative videos are on the verge of being taken down. We might have to pause your involvement in the next shoot."

"I understand," Willa said, her voice eerily calm despite the bone-deep exhaustion setting in. "I'm sorry for dragging your team into this."

"Don't apologize. We all believe in you, it's just..." Martin hesitated, drowning in guilt. "Maybe it's best if we wait for this storm to blow over before we make any decisions?"

"Yeah."

After hanging up, Willa collapsed against the sofa cushions.

She grabbed her phone and dialed Randal's number, desperate to know if he had seen the latest wave of attacks.

She called twice, but it went straight to voicemail.

With the wedding fast approaching, he was likely buried in preparations and endless corporate politics, leaving him with no time to clean up her mess.

Willa decided to ignore it. She tried to convince herself it was just internet trolling—if she didn't look at it, it couldn't hurt her.

But over the next few days, the vitriol only escalated.

Strangers kept DMing her malicious links disguised as messages of concern, their tones dripping with thinly veiled spite.

Willa knew she shouldn't click them, but her thumb rebelled, tapping the screen before her rational mind could stop it.

When the page loaded, the headline was like a physical strike.

*Exposing the "Artisan Goddess" Using Her Womb to Climb the Social Ladder. From Murderer's Daughter to Billionaire's Mistress—How Many Men Has She Used?*

The article was massive, padded with dozens of photos.

There were pictures of her standing next to various men, accompanied by falsified bank transfer records.

Every single image had been meticulously cherry-picked for the worst possible angles, paired with twisted narratives to fabricate an entirely different reality.