Falling for Her Fake Fiancé

A Counterattack of Hearts

Chapter 22: A Counterattack of Hearts

Damian wasn’t a man who lost control often.

But tonight, there was a dangerous calm in his eyes — the kind that came just before a storm.

He made one call. Then another.

Names Leila didn’t recognize.

Words like background check, intel sweep, and containment plan floated in the air like smoke.

By the time he ended the last call, she was watching him — quiet, unsure.

“You didn’t have to do that,” she said gently.

He looked over at her, eyes dark and focused. “Yes, I did. You’re not alone in this anymore.”

The next morning, Jayden called the burner phone.

Leila answered, Damian by her side.

“I take it you’ve thought about my offer?” Jayden’s voice crackled over the line.

“I’m not paying you anything,” Leila said firmly.

A pause.

Then a dry chuckle.

“You’ve changed. Got some bite now. Good for you.”

“This isn’t a negotiation, Jayden. You go to the press, and I’ll bury you in legal hell.”

“You think your shiny boyfriend scares me?” he sneered. “He doesn’t know who you really are, Leila. But I do. And I’ll make the world see it too.”

Suddenly, Damian took the phone.

“Actually,” he said, voice cold and measured, “I know exactly who she is. And I don’t scare easily.”

A long silence.

“I suggest you think carefully about your next move,” Damian continued. “Because you’re not just threatening my fiancée. You’re threatening a Cole. And I have resources you can’t even begin to imagine.”

Another pause. Then a slow exhale from Jayden.

“I see,” he said. “Well then… this just got interesting.”

Click.

The line went dead.

By noon, Damian’s private security team had a full dossier on Jayden Carter.

Multiple aliases. Minor offenses. Gaps in employment. Suspicious deposits.

But it wasn’t the records that worried Damian — it was the pattern.

“Blackmail,” he muttered. “He’s done this before.”

“He’s not going to stop,” Leila said quietly. “He’s not just in this for money anymore. He wants to ruin me.”

Damian turned to her, his eyes steady. “Then we don’t wait for him to make the next move. We expose the truth before he can twist it.”

Leila’s breath caught. “You want me to go public?”

“I want you to take your power back.”

Later that week, Leila agreed to sit down for an exclusive interview — not with a tabloid, but with Real Talks, a respected podcast known for honest conversations with public figures.

She told her story. The real one.

Her troubled teenage years. The mistakes. The regrets. The healing.

“I’m not proud of everything I’ve done,” she said to the mic, her voice steady. “But I’m proud of who I’ve become. I won’t let anyone use my past to define my future.”

The episode went viral within hours.

And across town…

Jayden watched the clip on his phone, his smirk slowly fading.

“Smart move,” he muttered. “But this isn’t over.”

He tossed his phone aside.

Because while Leila was learning to fight with truth…

Jayden was ready to burn everything down.