Sham Marriage Quit Real Heiress Strikes Back novel Chapter 4

Chapter 4 Put Two Hundred Thousand On My Card

In the hospital room, Camille sat by Nathan's bedside, her lashes lowered. Her expression was soft but full of worry. "Nathan, what if Elena refuses to delete those posts?"

Nathan tried to soothe her. "Elena's not the type to go back on her word. Don't worry."

Hearing the trust in his voice, Camille's chest tightened. She forced a smile. "I guess I'm just overthinking it."

Nathan was confident. Elena had never said no to him in the five years they'd been married. Every time he asked for something, she did it—without question.

But Camille couldn't smile. Every time she thought about Elena using the excuse of deleting the article just to snatch away the jewelry she loved most, it made her want to scream.

Suddenly, her phone rang. Camille picked up. "Natalie? What's up?"

Whatever the person on the other end said, Camille's face went pale in an instant. "What did you just say?"

She hung up and immediately burst into tears, throwing herself into Nathan's arms.

"What's going on?" Victoria, rubbing her lower back as she entered the room, looked alarmed.

Nathan frowned, clearly concerned. "What happened?"

Camille choked out the explanation. "Some gossip accounts are saying I'm having an affair with you. They even posted photos. The whole internet's attacking me."

She handed Nathan her phone. He glanced at it—and sure enough, the gossip posts were everywhere. Some subtle, some direct, all implying there was something going on between them. They even dug into Camille's old Twitter posts.

[No face shown, but that's clearly Nathan. He was on a business trip to Northbridge last month, and Camille's location tag was there too.]

[This is outrageous. A war journalist turned homewrecker?]

[Weren't they trending together yesterday? Looks like the rumors might be true.]

It wasn't just Camille getting dragged. Nathan was getting slammed online too—called a cheater, a liar.

His face darkened. In 28 years, he'd never been trashed like this. He immediately called his assistant. "Find out where those posts came from."

The assistant called back quickly. "Nathan, most of them are traced back to Bend Media. You know they live off celebrity scandals."

"I don't care what you have to do. Shut it down."

"We're trying, but the story's spreading fast..."

Even if Bend Media and the others pulled the posts, the damage was done. People were reposting. The scandal was out.

Nathan hung up, furious. Camille and Victoria didn't dare say a word. They exchanged a glance but stayed quiet.

"I told you to stop posting things online."

Nathan took a deep breath. His voice was low but clearly annoyed.

Camille felt like exploding. She was the one who should be Nathan's wife, yet because he needed to play the good grandson to get his grandpa, Charles Hawthorne's shares, she had to stay hidden. She couldn't even post a sweet little couple photo.

And the more she thought about it, the more suspicious it felt. "Nathan, no one ever went digging through my Twitter before. Why now? What if it was Elena..."

She didn't finish the sentence—but the implication was obvious. Nathan rubbed his temple, head throbbing. He checked Elena's page. The article was gone.

"She deleted the story. She wouldn't need to do something like this."

Before Nathan could respond, she hung up—and immediately blocked his number. She also changed his contact name from "Babe" to Jerk.

She tossed the phone aside. "Go ahead and charge another two hundred thousand to my account, thanks."

She handed the esthetician the black card Nathan had given her years ago. Thinking back to how she used to pinch every penny he gave her, Elena laughed at herself. What a fool she'd been.

If you've got money and don't spend it, you're a d*mn idiot. Not only was she going to spend it—she was going to enjoy every cent.

Back in the hospital, Nathan's phone buzzed with a message from the bank. Two hundred thousand had just been deducted. From a beauty spa.

Elena used to refuse to spend a dime on herself. The cards he gave her? She used them to buy gifts for his business partners' wives, keeping his network smooth.

She was always sharp in social settings—knew how to handle people, always knew what to say. Not like Camille. She hated those scenes. All she ever wanted was quiet time alone with him.

But today... Elena had spent two hundred thousand on a spa membership.

Something felt off. Nathan dialed her again. A robotic voice said, "The number you are trying to reach is unavailable."

He texted her on WhatsApp. No response.

Victoria walked in, still rubbing her back. "Didn't Elena go to buy the necklace? She finished and didn't come back? Not taking care of you anymore?"

Nathan had always been particular about his care. He didn't like strangers around him—not even housekeepers. Especially when it came to meals.

He liked everything just so. Nathan flung his phone aside, annoyed. "We had a fight."

"A fight? So she's just... not coming back to take care of you?"