Married to the Billionaire Who Betrayed Me novel Chapter 103

Chapter 103 The Heiress Leaks the Secret

“Minerva, Tristan breathed.”Tell me you are not looking at the news.”

“I am looking at it,” I replied.

‘I did not authorize this,” Tristan swore. “My communications team is tracking the source right now. We are sending cease-and-

desist letters to every outlet carrying the story. I will bankrupt the publisher.”

“You do not need to track the source,” I told him. “Your fiancé leaked the story. She bought the long-lens photographs. She fed the

narrative to the networks.”

Silence fell over the line. The truth hit him.

“Celeste,” he whispered.

*She wants to humiliate me,” I explained. I stared at the blurred image of my son on the laptop screen. My hand gripped the edge of

the glass desk. “She wants your investors to think I am an unstable, bitter woman. She wants them to believe I slept with a laborer out of spite the moment you abandoned me. She is using my child to destroy my image.

“I will handle her,” Tristan promised. A dark, lethal edge crept into his tone. “I swear to you, Minerva. I will shut this down.”

“You cannot unpublish a rumor, Tristan,” I said. “The damage is already in the public bloodstream. Do not call me again.”

I ended the connection. I tossed the phone onto the desk.

I looked at Diego. My head of acquisitions stood completely still. He watched the cold, calculated mask slide into place over my

features. He knew the anger I felt toward the Johnston family. But this was different. This was an attack on Elias.

“Gather the files on Thomas Whitmore,” I ordered. “Pack the laptops. We are going to the office.”

“There are reporters swarming the headquarters, Diego warned. He pointed to the live news feed running on his secondary monitor.

A crowd of journalists and camera crews blocked the main entrance of the Aegis building. “We should use the underground delivery

entrance.”

“No,” I said. I grabbed my blazer from the back of the chair. “I refuse to sneak into my own building.”

We left the penthouse. Leo drove the black sedan through the morning traffic. The city looked bright and oblivious to the war

tearing my life apart. I sat in the backseat, staring at the passing skyscrapers.

My mother owned three billion dollars of this city. Harriet Montgomery and Thomas Whitmore stole it. They forced her to die in a

cramped public ward. Now, Thomas Whitmore’s daughter wanted to drag my son through the mud. The Whitmore family owed me a

debt paid in blood and ruined reputations. I intended to collect every single cent.

The sedan pulled up to the Aegis headquarters.

13

DG |||

O

Г

1/3

Chapter 103 The Heiress Leaks the Secret

A sea of reporters blocked the glass doors. Flashbulbs erupted the moment my car stopped. The glaring white light strobed agathat the tinted windows.

Marcus stepped out first. He used his broad shoulders to carve a path through the chaotic crowd. Leo flanked my left side. I stepped onto the pavement.

The noise hit me like a physical wave. Dozens of voices shouted over each other, demanding answers, hungry for a scandal.

“Miss Hayes! Is the child yours?”

“Who is the father? Was he a dockworker?”

‘Did Tristan Johnston leave you for Celeste Whitmore?”

“Are you stepping down as CEO?”

I did not flinch. I kept my spine straight and my chin level. I met the lenses of the cameras without blinking. I did not speak a single word to the press.

We breached the heavy glass doors. The security team locked them behind us, holding back the frenzy.

I walked across the marble lobby. The Aegis employees stared at me. Some looked sympathetic. Some looked unsure. The rumor

infected my own. I ignored their stares and stepped into the private elevator.

Chloe waited for me in the executive suite. My assistant looked pale. She held a thick stack of printed media reports.

“The stock valuation remains stable, Chloe reported, following me into my office. “Alexander Redford called twice. He does not care

about the gossip, but he wants reassurance that the brand image can withstand the hit.”

“Tell Redford we are launching a new marketing campaign by tomorrow,” I instructed. I walked behind my desk. The controversy

drives traffic. Women will buy our products out of defiance. But we need to shift the narrative.”

Diego entered the office a moment later. He carried a fresh dossier. He dropped it on the glass surface.

You wanted dirt on Celeste’s charity foundation, Diego said. A grim, satisfied expression settled on his face. I put four data miners

on it. We found a massive fracture in her upcoming launch event.”

I opened the folder.

Celeste planned to host a massive luxury gala this Friday. The event served as the launch for her new Women in Leadership initiative. She secured millions in sponsorships from major tech firms and legacy banks. The initiative promised to fund small,

female-owned businesses in the industrial sectors.

“Read the campaign manifesto,” Diego pointed out.

I scanned the printed pages. The text sounded inspiring.

O

MON

13

D G |||

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify