Chapter 9: Rumors Begin (Part 1)
615 Words
The morning after the charity gala, Ava woke to the sound of her phone vibrating nonstop.
She frowned and reached for it on the bedside table.
Twenty-three missed calls.
Fifty-seven unread messages.
Hundreds of social media notifications.
"What happened?" she whispered.
Her heart began to race.
The first message was from her college friend, Mia.
"Ava! Is this really you? Call me immediately!"
The second message came from an unknown number.
"Gold digger."
The third.
"You're famous now."
Confused, Ava opened a news app.
Her eyes widened.
There, on the front page, was a photograph of her dancing with Ethan Blackwood at the charity gala.
The headline read:
RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE SECRETLY MARRIES MYSTERY WOMAN. WHO IS MRS. BLACKWOOD?
She scrolled down.
Another article appeared.
A COMMON GIRL CAPTURES ETHAN BLACKWOOD'S HEART.
Then another.
LOVE OR BUSINESS? INSIDE THE BLACKWOOD MARRIAGE.
Dozens of stories.
Hundreds of comments.
Thousands of opinions.
Most of them came from people who had never met her.
"She's obviously after his money."
"There's no way Ethan Blackwood married someone like her for love."
"She must have trapped him."
"This marriage won't last six months."
Ava felt a sharp pain in her chest.
She locked the phone and placed it face down on the bed.
A gentle knock sounded at her door.
"Mrs. Blackwood?"
It was Sophia.
"Mr. Blackwood is waiting for you in the dining room."
"I'll be there."
Ten minutes later, Ava entered the dining room.
Ethan was already eating breakfast while reading a financial newspaper, as though nothing unusual had happened.
"You've seen the news," he said without looking up.
"It feels like the whole country knows who I am."
"They do."
"And you're acting like it's normal."
"For me, it is."
Ava sat across from him.
"They're calling me a gold digger."
Ethan folded the newspaper.
"Does it bother you?"
"Shouldn't it bother me?"
"It should."
His answer surprised her.
"But if you react to every rumor, you'll never have peace."
She lowered her eyes.
"I've never had strangers judge my life before."
Ethan remained silent for a moment.
"When I became CEO at twenty-six, every newspaper predicted I would destroy Blackwood Group."
"They were wrong."
"They usually are."
His calm confidence eased her anxiety, if only a little.
Before either of them could continue, Sophia hurried into the room.
"Sir."
"What is it?"
"The board of directors has called an emergency meeting."
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
"So soon?"
"They're demanding an explanation about your marriage."
Ava looked at him.
"Because of me?"
"Because they fear change," Ethan replied.
He stood, buttoning his suit jacket.
"Come with me."
"To the meeting?"
"They need to meet Mrs. Blackwood."
Her eyes widened.
"I don't belong in a boardroom."
"You belong wherever I say you belong."
His words sounded commanding, but there was something reassuring beneath them.
An hour later, their car stopped outside the towering Blackwood Group headquarters.
Employees lined the entrance.
The moment Ethan and Ava stepped out together, conversations stopped.
Every eye followed them.
Some smiled politely.
Others whispered behind their hands.
Ava caught fragments of their conversations.
"Is that really her?"
"She doesn't look like someone from a wealthy family."
"I heard she was just an ordinary student."
"They say she married him for money."
The whispers spread through the lobby like wildfire.
Rumors traveled faster than truth.
Ava kept her head high, refusing to let anyone see how deeply the words hurt.
Ethan noticed.
Without saying a word, he gently reached for her hand.
The whispers grew even louder.
Someone discreetly took another photo.
Within minutes, it would be online.
And by the end of the day...
The rumors surrounding Mrs. Blackwood would become even more dangerous.
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