Chapter 5 - THE PRESS CONFERENCE WRECKAGE
Viral Hook: “Live on national TV, the billionaire takes the stage. But instead of apologizing, he drops a bombshell that sends the stock market into a tailspin and exposes his fiancée’s darkest secret.”
The gates of Ashford House were swarming with reporters, paparazzi, and camera crews. The news of a secret Ashford heir had spread like wildfire across social media, trending worldwide within minutes. Rumors of a dramatic split between Nolan and Celeste were circulating, with stock prices of Ashford Conglomerate fluctuating wildly.
Inside a black SUV parked near the side entrance, Mae held Nora tightly in her lap. She looked out the tinted window at the chaos with sheer terror.
“Nolan, you don’t have to do this,” Mae pleaded, her hand trembling as she touched his arm. “If you lose your company because of us, I’ll never forgive myself. We can run away. We can go back to Ohio.”
Nolan turned to her, his expression softer than it had been all day. He reached over, placing his large, warm hand over hers. “Mae. For four years, you protected our daughter alone. You faced threats, poverty, and fear because of me. It’s my turn to protect you. I am not running anymore. And I am not letting Richard or Celeste win.”
He leaned forward and kissed Nora’s forehead. “Wait for me here. I’ll be right back.”
Nolan stepped out of the vehicle. His private security team immediately formed a protective barrier around him as he walked toward the podium that had been hastily set up near the main gates. Flashbulbs went off like a wall of lightning. Shouted questions filled the air, deafening and chaotic.
“Mr. Ashford! Is it true you have a secret child with your maid?” “Is the engagement with Celeste Wainwright off?” “Are you stepping down as CEO?”
Nolan stood behind the microphones. He raised his hand, and a heavy, expectant silence fell over the crowd.
“Thank you all for coming,” Nolan began, his voice calm, steady, and commanding. “I will make this brief. Today, a series of personal truths came to light. It is true that I have a daughter. Her name is Nora, and she is the light of my life. She is indeed my biological child, and from this day forward, she will bear the Ashford name.”
A collective gasp went through the reporters.
“Furthermore,” Nolan continued, his eyes scanning the cameras, knowing Celeste and Richard were watching the live broadcast. “My engagement to Celeste Wainwright is officially terminated. Not because of my daughter’s arrival, but because today, I discovered a sickening truth. Four years ago, Celeste Wainwright and my stepbrother, Richard Ashford, conspired to threaten, blackmail, and silence the mother of my child, forcing her into hiding to secure their own financial interests.”
The crowd erupted into chaos. Reporters were shouting, cameras were flashing frantically.
“I have already handed over the digital evidence, including signed confessions, threat transcripts, and medical blackmail records, to the federal prosecutors,” Nolan announced, raising his voice slightly over the noise. “As for the Ashford Conglomerate... let my stepbrother claim the shares. Let him try to run the company. Because what he doesn't know, and what Celeste’s father’s foundation forgot, is that the 'founding four families' clause in my father’s will has a loophole.”
Nolan smiled, a cold, triumphant expression.
“The clause states I must marry a woman of equal social standing from a founding family. What my father’s will didn't specify was which generation. My mother, Eleanor Ashford, was the sole heir to the Ashford estate before she married my father. She left her personal wealth—including fifty-one percent of the voting shares of the holding company—not to me, but in a trust for my firstborn child.”
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Nolan leaned closer to the microphone.
“My stepbrother Richard doesn't control the company. My daughter, Nora Ashford, does. And as her legal guardian, I will continue to run this empire. Celeste, Richard... I’ll see you in court.”
