Married to the Billionaire Who Betrayed Me novel Chapter 79

Chapter 79 A Scandal Splits The City

The black town car sped down the winding driveway of the Whitmore estate. The tires crushed the fallen autumn leaves against the cobblestones. I sat in the backseat. The heavy black silk of my gown pooled around my ankles.

I looked down at my right hand.

My palm burned. The skin carried a bright, angry flush. The physical sensation anchored me to the reality of the past ten minutes.

Marcus sat in the passenger seat. He spoke into a secure radio channel, coordinating our route with the private pirfield. Leo drove.

Neither man asked questions. They recognized the shift in my posture. The defensive armor was gone. An offensive, dangerous

energy replaced it.

‘Direct route to the airstrip, Leo,” I instructed. The adrenaline hummed in my veins. “Bypass the hotel. We are leaving the city.”

Understated, Miss Hayes, Leo replied.

The flight to Port Sterling took less than an hour. I did not sleep. I stared at the dark horizon.

Tristan’s final words echoed in my mind. Go back to Port Sterling. I will be there tomorrow. He heard Celeste insult my child. He

pieced the timeline together. He knew I checked into a maternity ward. He was coming for answers, and he possessed the resources

to tear my life apart to find them.

The jet landed. A secondary transport vehicle drove me to the secure house on the edge of the industrial district..

I unlocked the front door. The house was quiet.

I bypassed my bedroom. I walked straight down the hall to the nursery.

I pushed the door open. The small nightlight cast a warm, yellow glow over the wooden crib. I stepped out of my designer heels. I

moved across the thick rug in bare feet. I leaned over the railing.

Elias slept on his stomach. His dark hair curled against the white cotton sheet. One small fist rested near his cheek. His breathing

was deep and rhythmic.

I reached down. I placed my hand over his back. His small chest rose and fell against my palm.

“No one will touch you,” I whispered to the quiet room. “I will burn their city to ash before I let them look at you.”

I stayed by the crib until the sun began to rise.

At seven in the morning, my secure phone vibrated on the kitchen counter. I poured a cup of black coffee. I picked up the device.

Chloe’s name flashed across the screen. My assistant never called before business hours unless a crisis hit the servers.

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Chapter 79 A Scandal Splits The City

I pressed the green icon. “Report.”

“Miss Hayes, Chloe began. Her voice shook. The background noise of the Aegis office indicated chaos. Phones rang. Keyboards clattered. “The Ashcroft Media Syndicate just published a breaking story. It is dominating every network.”

I closed my eyes. The retaliation arrived. The Whitmore family deployed their public relations machine to frame me as an unhinged,

violent attacker.

“Read the headline,” I ordered. I braced for the impact.

Chloe took a breath. The Heiress Bleeds: Aegis CEO Strikes Back Against Vicious Unprovoked Assault.””

I opened my eyes. I set my coffee mug on the granite counter.

“Read that again,” I demanded.

Chloe repeated the headline. “It is not a smear campaign against you, Miss Hayes. The article defends you. Penelope Ashcroft authorized the release on her primary network. They cite two anonymous high-society sources who witnessed the entire

confrontation in the women’s lounge.”

I walked over to my laptop. I opened the browser.

The Ashcroft Media homepage loaded. A massive photograph filled the screen. It was a candid shot taken outside the Whitmore estate. I stood on the marble steps in my severe black gown, looking untouchable.

I scanned the text. The article detailed the trap Celeste set with the fake dress code. It described how I arrived and dominated the

ballroom. Then, the narrative moved to the marble lounge.

The anonymous sources-undoubtedly Penelope Ashcroft and Gabriela Fuentes-provided a flawless, damning account of Celeste’s behavior. They described Celeste locking the heavy brass door. They quoted her exact insults. They highlighted the frantic, unhinged

nature of her attack.

They framed my retaliation not as an act of senseless violence, but as the justified defense of a self-made woman cornered by a

bully.

The public reaction is massive, Chloe reported over the phone line. “The social media metrics are exploding. We are tracking a

major shift in consumer sentiment.”

“They are not boycotting Aegis?” I asked. The reality felt surreal.

“They are championing you,” Chloe corrected. “The customers love the narrative. You refused to bow to the elite.”

I ended the call. I stared at the screen.

Penelope Ashcroft did not release the story out of a sense of moral justice. The capital elite lacked morals. Penelope operated on

calculated self-interest. Scandal generated massive revenue for her media syndicate. More importantly, tearing Celeste Whitmore off

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