Chapter 6 - THE MEDIA FIRESTORM
The digital screen on Marcus’s tablet flashed with breaking news alerts from every major news network across the country.
STERLING EMPIRE ROCKED: IS TECH TYCOON NOLAN STERLING HIDING AN ILLEGITIMATE CHILD?
Photos of Mae holding Nora at the front gates, captured by the estate’s own security feed, were already plastered across social media feeds, generating millions of views per minute. Commentators were speculating wildly about extortion, secret mistresses, and corporate sabotage.
Nolan didn't flinch. His mind, conditioned to handle billion-dollar crises in real-time, instantly shifted into strategic counter-offensive mode.
"Marcus," Nolan said, his voice cold, steady, and razor-sharp. "Trace the IP address of the data leak. Ensure Miss Vance’s breach of her non-disclosure agreement is met with an immediate, multi-million-dollar lawsuit for corporate espionage and defamation. Freeze all her accounts by morning."
"Done, sir," Marcus nodded, typing furiously on his device. "Legal is already filing the injunctions."
Nolan turned back to Mae, who was staring at the tablet screen in sheer horror. The very nightmare she had tried to prevent was now unfolding in front of the entire world. The fortress she had built was gone, blown wide open by Celeste’s vindictive betrayal.
"They're going to come for us," Mae whispered, her hands shaking as she pulled a blanket tighter around the sleeping Nora. "The reporters, the photographers, the lawyers... they won't leave us alone."
"Let them come," Nolan said, walking over and placing a firm, reassuring hand on Mae’s shoulder. "For four years, you carried the burden alone, Mae. You protected her in the dark. But now, you are standing in my world. And no one touches my family."
He reached down, gently lifting Nora into his arms. The little girl stirred slightly, burying her face into the lapel of Nolan’s jacket, completely unaware that her quiet existence had just triggered a global earthquake.
Mae looked up at Nolan, seeing a side of him she had never imagined during that brief night four years ago. He wasn't just a cold, calculating billionaire anymore. He was a father protecting his blood.
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"What do we do now?" Mae asked softly.
"We don't hide," Nolan replied, his jaw set in a hard, unbreakable line. "We take control of the narrative. Call a press conference for nine o'clock tomorrow morning at Sterling Tower."
