Chapter 5 - The Ambush
The media storm began the next morning.
THE BILLIONAIRE’S SECRET BABY! EX-WIFE CRASHES WEDDING!
The headlines were splashed across every tabloid in the city. Chloe’s PR machine was working in overdrive. Anonymous sources—clearly Chloe and Julian’s team—painted Elena as a deranged, jealous woman who had deliberately hidden her pregnancy, putting the baby’s health at risk, just to ruin Julian’s big day.
Paparazzi swarmed Clara’s townhouse, shouting questions every time the curtains twitched.
Inside, Elena sat at the dining table, feeding Leo his bottle. She remained entirely unfazed.
“They’re trying to bait you into making a public statement,” Clara warned, pacing the floor. “They want you to look hysterical on camera.”
“Let them spin their wheels,” Elena replied calmly, wiping a drop of milk from Leo’s chin. “Arthur is handling it.”
At precisely 2:00 PM, Arthur Vance held a press conference on the steps of the New York Supreme Court. The media flocked to him, expecting a tearful defense of the poor, scorned ex-wife.
Instead, Arthur dropped a nuclear bomb.
“My client, Ms. Elena Vance, is a devoted mother who separated from her husband due to his repeated, documented infidelities,” Arthur announced into the microphones, his voice booming across the plaza. “She did not hide her pregnancy. She simply chose to protect her child from a toxic environment. We have complied with Mr. Sterling’s request for a DNA test, which confirms he is the father. However, we have also filed a counter-suit.”
The flashes of the cameras went into overdrive. “What kind of suit? Custody?” a reporter shouted.
“We are seeking sole legal and physical custody,” Arthur declared. “Furthermore, we have submitted a formal petition to the Sterling Board of Directors. Due to evidence of severe financial misconduct and embezzlement involving Mr. Sterling and his current fiancé, Chloe Mercer, we are requesting that Mr. Sterling be immediately suspended as CEO, and the voting proxy of his heir be transferred to Ms. Vance.”
The crowd erupted into absolute chaos.
Watching the broadcast from his penthouse office, Julian threw his scotch glass at the television, shattering the flat screen.
“She knows!” Julian roared, turning to Chloe, who was sitting on the sofa, her face deathly pale. “How does she know about the foundation funds?!”
Chloe’s hands were shaking. “I… I don't know. We used encrypted servers.”
“She downloaded the burner phone, you idiot!” Julian screamed, pacing the room like a caged animal. “She played the quiet, submissive wife while she was robbing us blind of our secrets!”
For the first time since the wedding, Chloe looked truly terrified. “Julian, if the board sees those ledgers, we won't just lose the company. We’ll go to federal prison.”
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“I have to stop her,” Julian muttered, his eyes wide with panic. “I have to buy her off. Whatever she wants.”
But Julian was about to learn a harsh lesson: a woman fighting for her child’s future cannot be bought.
