Married to the Billionaire Who Betrayed Me novel Chapter 51

Chapter 51 The Viral Million Dollar Comeback

“They’re not just killing the brand, Eduardo. They’re skinning me alive.”

I stared at the computer monitor, the blue light washing over my skin. Eduardo Valdez stood in the doorway of my glass office.

“I saw.” he said. His gravel voice didn’t waver. “Pull the site, we freeze the inventory. We wipe the servers. We weather this until the

news cycle finds a new target to destroy.”

I stood up.

“And do what, Eduardo?” I asked. My voice remained steady, a blade honed to a fine edge. “Hide? Cower in the dark while they pain me as a criminal? Let them write my history for the rest of my life? I don’t hide anymore.”

“You fight a storm with a piece of cardboard,” Eduardo countered. He stepped into the office, the air heavy with his presence. “This is not a logistics negotiation. You cannot out-calculate a media machine funded by the Johnston Group. They possess the power to define reality. If the public believes you are a spy, you are a spy. The bank freezes your accounts. The suppliers terminate your contracts. Aegis dies before it breathes.”

I looked at the sales dashboard. The numbers froze. The cancellation notifications started their relentless, rhythmic chime. It was a

digital death knell.

“They want me to disappear,” I said, my gaze shifting to the warehouse floor visible through the glass. “They want me to pack my bags, abandon the company, and slink away so Tristan can conduct his merger without a ghost haunting his gala. That’s what he wants. He wants the ghost to fade.”

I picked up my cell phone. The weight of the device felt immense in my hand.

I dialed the number. Camila Montoya. The premier financial broadcast journalist for the region. She didn’t like easy stories. She

liked blood in the water.

“Montoya, the voice answered on the third ring.

“This is Minerva Hayes,” I said. “I own Aegis. And I am ready to talk.”

“The smear campaign?” Camila asked. “The Johnston Group files? My producers have a team waiting outside your warehouse. Are you ready to confirm the rumors?”

‘I’m ready to set the record straight,” I said. “Bring your cameras. I’ll give you thirty minutes of unedited airtime. But I control the set. You come to my floor. You speak to my terms.”

‘Forty minutes, she agreed.

I hung up. I set the phone down and looked at Eduardo.

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Chapter 51 The Viral Million Dollar Comeback

*I built a new supply chain,’ I said, my voice dropping, gaining intensity, ‘I launched a profitable company in six months. Aegis does not exist to make women look pretty for high-society dinners. Aegis exists because the world requires women to wear armor. We face the rumors. We face the boardrooms that dismiss us. We face the men who underestimate us. I created a product that survives

the fight.”

Camila looked at her producer, who shook his head.

“My personal life is not the subject of this panel,” I said. “My business strategy is. If you want to discuss the future of the luxury market, I am here. If you want to trade in the toxic gossip manufactured by the Johnston PR team, the exit is behind you.”

The room went dead silent.

“Let’s talk about your strategy, then, Camila said, her tone shifting. She respected the kill.

“Your launch faced a catastrophic wave of cancellations. Your brand was boycotted by thousands. How does Aegis intend to survive when the largest corporate conglomerate in the country actively tries to destroy you?”

I smiled.

“Tristan Johnston is a brilliant businessman,” I stated. I let the name hang in the air. “He understands the power of a narrative. But he underestimates the power of the truth. He sold a lie about me. I am selling a reality. The market decides who succeeds. The customers decide who survives. They are choosing Aegis.”

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