Chapter 5 - The Leak
"Who's there?" Ethan shouted, his corporate voice returning instantly as he swung around, his balance faltering slightly. He caught himself on the edge of the heavy mahogany desk, his eyes scanning the darkness of the balcony.
A dark figure scrambled over the stone railing, dropping down onto the trellis below. By the time Ethan reached the window, dragging his left leg slightly, the courtyard below was empty, save for the rustling of the wet ivy leaves.
"They were watching us," Maya whispered, her hands flying to her mouth. "They took a picture of you standing."
Ethan’s face was grim. He didn't look at the balcony; he looked at Maya, his expression a mix of calculation and profound regret. "They didn't just take a picture of me standing, Maya. They took a picture of us. Together. In the middle of the night."
The consequences were realized within six hours.
By 8:00 AM, the financial tabloids and mainstream media outlets were flooded with a single, high-resolution photograph. It showed Ethan Cole, the supposedly paralyzed billionaire, standing tall in his private library, his face inches from his young housemaid, Maya. The headlines were savage: THE COLE CON: IS THE TECH TYCOON FEIGNING FRAUD? AND WHO IS THE SECRET LOVER IN THE SHADOWS?
The estate was immediately surrounded by news vans and paparazzi drones buzzing like angry hornets outside the high iron gates. Inside, the grand foyer was a war zone.
Vanessa’s father, Arthur Vance—a heavy-set man with cold, calculating eyes—had arrived with three corporate lawyers. Vanessa stood beside him, her arms crossed, a triumphant smile plastered across her face.
"You played us for fools, Ethan," Arthur Vance boomed, tossing the morning paper onto the marble floor. "The board is in an uproar. You’ve lied about your medical condition to manipulate stock prices, and you're sleeping with the kitchen staff while engaged to my daughter!"
Ethan sat in his wheelchair at the base of the grand staircase, his face a mask of absolute calm. Maya stood several paces behind him, holding Leo tightly against her chest. The toddler was frightened by the loud voices, burying his face in his mother's neck.
"The photograph is an invasion of privacy on my secure property," Ethan said, his voice cutting through the noise like a scalpel. "And my medical status is a private matter. The board has no legal grounds to remove me based on a tabloid leak."
"They do if the leak includes a formal complaint of corporate fraud and hostile work environment signed by your own fiancée," Vanessa stepped forward, her eyes flashing with pure malice as she looked past Ethan to Maya. "I told you, Maya. I told you the fall would be hard. You and your little mistake are going to be the face of the biggest corporate scandal of the decade."
May you like
"Leave her out of this, Vanessa," Ethan said, his tone dropping into a register that made even Arthur Vance blink. "This is between us."
"It was between us," Vanessa spat. "Until you chose a servant over me. Father, call the emergency board meeting. Let's strip him of his voting rights before the market closes."
