Chapter 5 – The Public Scandal
By sunrise, the video had spread across every major social media platform.
Marcus Sterling stood in the grand lobby of the Imperial Crown Hotel, pointing toward the entrance while security escorted his own wife outside.
"You're no longer welcome here."
Millions watched the clip.
Millions watched Isabella remain perfectly calm as she handed over her room key before walking away without saying another word.
The comments exploded.
"He threw his wife out?"
"Who is this woman?"
"Wait... wasn't she the one who helped build this hotel chain?"
Within hours, news outlets picked up the story.
Business channels replayed the footage beside another headline that shocked investors even more.
CEO Marcus Sterling Suspended After Emergency Board Action.
Financial analysts questioned what had happened behind closed doors.
No one knew that the board had already frozen Marcus's executive authority.
But the market sensed chaos.
The company's stock opened down twelve percent.
By noon, it had lost nearly twenty-five.
Inside the headquarters, phones rang nonstop.
Investors demanded explanations.
Regional managers requested emergency guidance.
Employees whispered in every hallway.
For the first time in eleven years, Marcus's office door remained closed.
Marcus slammed another newspaper onto his desk.
"This is temporary."
He looked around the room.
Only two executives had shown up.
The others had suddenly become "unavailable."
Cowards.
They had praised him for years.
Now none of them answered his calls.
His assistant entered nervously.
"Sir..."
"What?"
"Three international partners have postponed negotiations."
Marcus frowned.
"They're bluffing."
She hesitated.
"And... the Royal Vista Group has suspended all joint projects pending the board investigation."
Marcus's confidence cracked for only a second.
Impossible.
Those partnerships had taken years to build.
Across town, Isabella watched the financial news from her father's office.
The television displayed images of the hotel chain beside reporters analyzing the leadership crisis.
Her father muted the screen.
"You expected this?"
"I expected consequences."
"You could have stopped the video."
"I never released it."
The room fell silent.
Someone else had.
One employee.
One witness.
Someone who had watched Marcus humiliate the woman everyone thought was merely the CEO's quiet wife.
Public sympathy shifted instantly.
Employees began sharing their own stories.
Former managers revealed how Isabella had solved impossible problems behind the scenes while Marcus accepted every award.
Anonymous emails flooded reporters' inboxes.
The perfect CEO image began to crumble.
Meanwhile...
Vanessa sat in her luxury apartment refreshing her phone every few seconds.
Her name had started appearing online.
Photos.
Old interviews.
Luxury vacations.
Private dinners with Marcus.
The internet pieced everything together.
"Corporate Mistress."
"Homewrecker."
"Executive Affair."
She switched off her phone.
It wouldn't stop ringing.
Her modeling agency sent one short message.
We are suspending your contract until further notice.
Her biggest brand collaboration disappeared minutes later.
Then another.
Then another.
The glamorous life Marcus promised her was collapsing before her eyes.
Late that evening, Marcus finally reached one of the board members.
"You owe me loyalty."
The older man sighed.
"No, Marcus."
"I owed loyalty to the company."
"The company was never yours."
The call ended.
Marcus stared at the silent phone.
For the first time...
He felt completely alone.
Across the city, Isabella stood beside the window overlooking the skyline.
She felt no satisfaction.
No triumph.
Only relief.
The truth no longer needed her to defend it.
It was revealing itself.
Then the door opened.
Her father's chief legal counsel entered carrying a folder marked CONFIDENTIAL.
He looked directly at Isabella.
"There is something you need to see."
"What is it?"
"The federal financial authorities have contacted us."
He slowly opened the file.
"And they are not the only agency asking questions."
Cliffhanger
The first official investigation had begun.
But before midnight...
another government vehicle pulled into headquarters.
May you like
Its doors opened.
Agents stepped out carrying sealed evidence boxes.
