Chapter 14: A Proposal Under Fire
1749 Words
A Deal With the Devil
The next morning, Alodia sat in Miranda’s office, heart pounding as she prepared to tell her lawyer the insane decision she had made the night before.
“Marriage?” Miranda’s sharp voice cut through the silence. She arched an eyebrow and leaned back in her chair, fingers tapping against her desk. “Tell me you’re joking.”
Alodia inhaled deeply. “I’m serious.”
Miranda let out a dry chuckle. “And you think a rushed marriage to a man you were having an affair with will convince the judge that you’re the better parent?”
Jasper, seated beside Alodia, spoke up. “We’re not rushing this just for the case.” His voice was steady, unwavering. “We love each other.”
Miranda gave him an unimpressed look. “I don’t doubt your feelings, Mr. Blake, but love isn’t what wins custody battles. Strategy does.”
Alodia met Miranda’s gaze. “And this is strategy. If I can prove that my relationship isn’t some reckless fling, but something real, it could stabilize my image.”
Miranda sighed, rubbing her temples. “Fine. But you realize Raegan won’t just sit back and watch you tie the knot with your affair partner, right?”
Alodia clenched her fists. “I don’t care what Raegan thinks anymore.”
Miranda smirked. “Well, that’s convenient, because he asked for a private meeting.”
Alodia stiffened. “What?”
“He wants to negotiate,” Miranda said, sliding a message across the desk. “Alone.”
Jasper immediately scoffed. “No way. He’s trying to manipulate her.”
Alodia hesitated. “What does he want?”
Miranda’s expression darkened. “To offer you a deal. But I don’t trust him.”
Alodia swallowed hard. “I need to hear him out.”
Jasper tensed beside her. “Alodia—”
She turned to him, placing a hand on his. “I need to do this, Jasper.”
His jaw clenched, but after a long pause, he nodded.
Miranda sighed. “Alright, but I’m putting a time limit on this meeting. If you’re not out in thirty minutes, I’m barging in.”
Alodia exhaled. “Deal.”
---
Raegan’s Ultimatum
Alodia sat across from Raegan in a private conference room at the courthouse. He looked as sharp as ever, his dark eyes unreadable.
“You wanted to talk,” she said, folding her arms.
Raegan leaned forward, clasping his hands together. “Drop the custody case, Alodia. Let me take the kids.”
Her stomach twisted. “No.”
His jaw tightened. “You don’t have to fight me on this.”
Alodia laughed bitterly. “You’re trying to take my children away, and you think I won’t fight?”
Raegan exhaled sharply. “I’m giving you an option. If you back down now, I won’t drag this through the mud.”
Alodia’s hands clenched. “You already have.”
Raegan’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Then let’s cut a deal.”
She frowned. “What kind of deal?”
Raegan’s gaze darkened. “If you agree to joint custody and sign a legal agreement stating that Jasper will have no parental role in our children’s lives, I’ll drop my petition for full custody.”
Alodia’s breath caught.
“No,” she said immediately.
Raegan’s eyes flashed. “Think about it, Alodia. You keep joint custody, and you get to be with Jasper without a fight. But if you refuse?” He leaned forward. “I’ll make sure you lose everything.”
Her hands trembled under the table.
“You’re using our children to punish me,” she whispered.
Raegan’s expression remained cold. “I’m protecting them.”
Alodia’s stomach churned. Could she risk losing?
She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. Then she looked up at him.
“No deal.”
Raegan’s jaw ticked.
“You’re making a mistake,” he warned.
Alodia stood. “No, Raegan. You are.”
She walked out, her heart racing.
And she knew, without a doubt—the war had just begun.
---
Escalation
Alodia stormed out of the conference room, her pulse pounding like war drums in her chest. Raegan’s words echoed in her mind.
"I’ll make sure you lose everything."
He wasn’t bluffing. She knew him too well. He would drag her through the mud, make her look like an unfit mother, use every resource at his disposal to paint her as reckless, unstable, selfish.
But she wasn’t backing down.
Not this time.
Jasper was waiting for her outside the courthouse doors, his expression darkening when he saw her face. “What did he say?”
She swallowed hard. “He offered a deal—joint custody in exchange for legally ensuring you have no role in my children’s lives.”
Jasper’s jaw clenched. “That bastard.”
Alodia nodded, exhaling sharply. “I told him no.”
Jasper reached for her hand. “Are you sure?”
She looked up at him, her resolve solidifying. “Yes.”
His thumb grazed her knuckles. “Then we fight.”
She nodded, gripping his hand tightly. “We fight.”
---
A Public Showdown
The next morning, Alodia woke to the sound of her phone buzzing.
Miranda’s name flashed on the screen.
Her gut twisted.
“Hello?”
Miranda’s voice was sharp. “Turn on the news.”
Alodia grabbed the remote and flicked on the TV. The morning show played a headline that sent a chill down her spine.
"ACTOR JASPER BLAKE EXPOSED: LOVE AFFAIR WITH MARRIED WOMAN DURING HIS OWN MARRIAGE!"
Her breath hitched as images flooded the screen—pictures of her and Jasper together, some taken years ago, some recent. A video of them kissing outside his penthouse played on repeat.
The news anchor’s voice was emotionless.
"Sources confirm that Jasper Blake carried on an affair with Alodia Rivera while both were still legally married. The scandal has erupted just as Rivera battles her ex-husband for custody of their two children. Critics question whether her relationship choices make her an unfit mother."
Alodia’s stomach dropped.
“This was Raegan,” she whispered.
Jasper cursed under his breath. “Of course it was.”
Alodia’s hands trembled as she turned back to Miranda. “What do we do?”
Miranda sighed. “Damage control.”
Jasper clenched his fists. “We make a statement.”
Miranda scoffed. “And say what? ‘Yes, we had an affair, but please don’t think Alodia is a bad mother’?” She shook her head. “The public loves scandals, and Raegan is feeding them exactly what they want.”
Alodia swallowed hard. “So what now?”
Miranda hesitated. “If we want to win this, we have to shift the narrative. Make Raegan look worse than you.”
Alodia frowned. “How?”
Miranda leaned forward, her voice calm but lethal.
“We expose him.”
---
Turning the Tables
Alodia stood in front of the press conference podium, cameras flashing in her face. Jasper stood beside her, a silent pillar of strength.
Miranda’s voice echoed in her mind.
"Make them listen to your story. Control the narrative before Raegan does."
She took a deep breath and spoke into the microphone.
“I never wanted my personal life to be the subject of public scrutiny, but I can no longer stay silent.”
The reporters leaned in.
“My ex-husband has painted a one-sided picture to the world. He wants you to believe I abandoned my children for a reckless affair. But the truth?” Her voice trembled slightly. “I spent years in a loveless, manipulative marriage. One where I was emotionally and mentally abused.”
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
“I tried to hold on for my children, but Raegan controlled every aspect of my life. He didn’t want a wife. He wanted ownership.”
A reporter shot up. “Are you saying Raegan Rivera was abusive?”
Alodia exhaled. “I’m saying that the man trying to take my children away is not the man he pretends to be.”
Another reporter raised their hand. “And what about Jasper Blake? Do you regret the affair?”
Jasper took the microphone. His voice was steady. “I regret the timing, but I will never regret loving Alodia.”
More camera flashes. More murmurs.
Alodia looked directly at the cameras. “Raegan is trying to paint me as a villain because he’s afraid of the truth.” Her eyes burned with unshed tears. “But I won’t be silenced anymore.”
Then she turned and walked away, Jasper following closely behind.
And just like that…
The battle lines were redrawn.
---
An Unexpected Betrayal
Later that night, Alodia sat in Jasper’s penthouse, exhausted.
Jasper handed her a glass of wine, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “You were incredible today.”
She exhaled. “It’s not over yet.”
Jasper smirked. “No, but we’re winning.”
Just as she started to relax, her phone rang.
Miranda.
Alodia picked up, but Miranda’s voice was urgent.
“You need to get to my office. Now.”
Alodia sat up. “What happened?”
Miranda hesitated. Then she said the words that made Alodia’s blood run cold.
“Raegan just filed for an emergency custody hearing.”
Jasper cursed.
Alodia’s hands went numb. “On what grounds?”
Miranda’s voice was grim.
“He has proof that you left your children alone overnight to be with Jasper.”
Alodia’s stomach twisted violently. “That’s not true!”
“I know,” Miranda said. “But he has a witness.”
Alodia’s breath caught. “Who?”
Silence.
Then Miranda said the name that shattered her world.
"Veronica Cruz."
The former nanny.
The one person she thought was on her side.
Alodia’s vision blurred.
Jasper clenched his fists. “That snake. Raegan must have paid her off.”
Alodia struggled to breathe. If Raegan won this, he could take her kids immediately.
Her voice was barely a whisper.
“What do we do now?”
Miranda exhaled sharply. “We fight harder.”
Jasper reached for Alodia’s hand. “We’re not letting him win.”
Alodia swallowed past the lump in her throat.
She wasn’t just fighting for herself anymore.
She was fighting for her children.
For their future.
For justice.
And she wouldn’t lose.
Not to Raegan.
Not to anyone.
- Writer
