Chapter 4 - THE THREATVictoria didn't go away quietly. The daughter of a shipping magnate, she knew how to play dirty. Within forty-eight hours, she had leaked a falsified version of the story to the press: The Maid Who Seduced the Billionaire to Sabotage the Wedding.
The media swarmed the gates of the Caldwell estate. Reporters, cameras, and drones hovered like vultures. Ethan was in damage control, his lawyers screaming about NDAs and defamation, but the damage was done.
Rosa was humiliated. Her history, her degree, her past life—all twisted into a narrative of greed. She wanted to leave, to take Lily and run back to the anonymity of the city, but Ethan blocked the doors.
"You aren't leaving," he told her, locking the front gates. "They want a scandal? I’ll give them a war. But you stay here, where I can protect you."
"Protect me?" Rosa laughed, a bitter, hollow sound. "You’re the source of the fire, Ethan! Every moment I spend in this house is a reminder of what you took from me."
Lily woke up, hearing the shouting. She walked into the hall, clutching her rabbit. "Are you two fighting?" she asked, her voice small and wavering.
Ethan knelt down, his expression softening instantly. "No, sweetheart. We’re just... talking."
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"You’re lying," Lily said with a wisdom far beyond her years. "Mama’s heart hurts when you’re here."
The bluntness of her words hit Ethan harder than a physical blow. He realized then that he couldn't just throw money at the situation. He had to win back the only two people who had ever meant anything to him.
