CHAPTER 5
I didn’t tell Ethan about the text. I didn’t want to worry him more than he already was. He was already beating himself up over Vanessa, already replaying every moment of their relationship in his head, looking for the signs he had missed.
The next morning, I met with my legal team and my PR team at the office. We went over the video, frame by frame, making sure it was clear, making sure there was no way the Mitchells could twist it. My lawyer, Sarah, leaned back in her chair, a satisfied smile on her face.
“This is bulletproof,” she said. “It shows everything. Vanessa spraying you, her comments, her parents laughing, the guests mocking you. When we release this, the Mitchells won’t have a leg to stand on. We can sue them for defamation, for assault, for intentional infliction of emotional distress. We’ll ruin them.”
I nodded.
“Good. But we wait another 48 hours. Let the story get bigger. Let them keep lying. The bigger their lie, the harder they fall.”
My PR head, Mark, agreed.
“Right now, the narrative is ‘rich controlling mom ruins son’s engagement.’ In 48 hours, it’ll be ‘gold-digging fiancée humiliates billionaire mom and lies about it.’ The public loves a good comeuppance story. This will go viral in the best way for us.”
The meeting ended, and I went back to my desk, trying to focus on work. But my mind kept drifting back to the text. To the hatred in Vanessa’s eyes when she left the party. To George Mitchell’s furious face when I terminated their contracts.
I called Tom.
“I want extra security on me and Ethan. 24/7. The Mitchells are angry. I don’t trust them not to do something stupid.”
“Already on it,” Tom said. “I’ve got two guys on Ethan, two on you. They’ll stay close. We’re also looking into the text. It came from a burner phone, but we’re tracing it.”
“Good,” I said. “Thank you.”
That afternoon, Ethan came to my office. He looked tired, his eyes red-rimmed, his hair messy. He sat down across from me, letting out a long sigh.
“Vanessa called me three times this morning,” he said. “I didn’t answer. She left a voicemail. Said she was sorry. Said she made a mistake. Said she loved me. Then she sent a text saying if I didn’t take her back, she’d regret it for the rest of my life.”
I frowned.
“Threatening you?”
“Sounds like it,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “I just… I can’t believe I ever loved her. How did I not see how cruel she is?”
“Because she was good at hiding it,” I said gently. “She showed you what she wanted you to see. The rest of it, she kept hidden until she thought no one important was watching.”
He nodded, then looked up at me, his eyes serious.
“I want to make this right, Mom. I want to help you take them down. Whatever you need.”
I smiled at him.
“Just stay close to your security detail, okay? They’re desperate. I don’t want them hurting you to get to me.”
He agreed, but I could see he didn’t think the Mitchells would actually go that far. I hoped he was right. But I had been in business too long to underestimate desperate people.
That night, I was sitting at the kitchen table, going over some company reports, when my doorbell rang. I checked the security camera first. It was a woman, maybe in her mid-twenties, holding a manila envelope. She looked nervous, shifting from foot to foot.
I didn’t recognize her. I pressed the intercom.
“Who is it?”
“Ms. Carter?” she said, her voice shaky. “My name is Lila. I used to work for the Mitchells. I have information you need to see. Please, it’s important.”
I hesitated, then buzzed her in. Tom was outside, so I knew I was safe. Lila stepped inside, looking around nervously, then handed me the envelope.
“Vanessa Mitchell is not who she says she is,” she said. “She and her parents have been planning this for over a year. They targeted Ethan specifically because of your money. They were going to get Vanessa married to him, then slowly take over Carter Industries. They had a whole plan.”
I opened the envelope, pulling out the papers inside. Bank statements. Emails. Text message screenshots. All of it proving what Lila was saying. There were emails between George Mitchell and his business partners, talking about how they would use Ethan to get access to Carter’s assets. There were texts from Vanessa to her mother, laughing about how easy Ethan was to manipulate, talking about how she would never have to work a day in her life once they were married.
My blood ran cold.
“How did you get these?”
“I was Patricia’s assistant,” Lila said. “I heard them talking. I knew what they were doing was wrong. When I saw what happened at the party, and then saw them lying about you online… I couldn’t stay silent. They’re bad people, Ms. Carter. Really bad. They’re not going to stop just because the engagement is over. They’re going to try to ruin you. They’re already talking about filing a lawsuit against you for emotional distress. They’re going to ask for fifty million dollars.”
I stared at the papers in my hand, my mind racing. This was worse than I thought. The Mitchells weren’t just angry. They were calculating. They had planned this from the start.
“Thank you,” I said to Lila. “This is very important. You did the right thing coming here.”
She nodded, then hesitated.
“Can you… can you make sure they don’t find out I gave this to you? They’ll ruin me if they find out.”
“Of course,” I said. “I’ll make sure you’re protected. And if you need a new job, I have plenty of openings here. Good pay, good benefits. You’d be welcome.”
Tears filled her eyes.
“Thank you. Thank you so much.”
After Lila left, I called Sarah and Tom, telling them what I had. Sarah was thrilled.
“This changes everything. With this evidence, we don’t just get to countersue. We can file criminal charges for conspiracy, for fraud. They’ll be lucky if they don’t end up in jail.”
Tom agreed.
“This also confirms they’re dangerous. I’ll increase security. We’ll be ready for whatever they throw at us.”
I hung up the phone, staring at the papers on the table.
May you like
The Mitchells had declared war.
And I was going to make sure they lost.
