By noon, the scandal had a headline.
By two o’clock, it had a narrative.
By four, it had a villain.
Elena.
She didn’t see it coming.
She was in the sitting room when her phone began vibrating nonstop on the glass coffee table. One notification. Then ten. Then thirty. The screen lit up with her name in bold.
VALE HEIRESS IN TROUBLE?
MISTRESS CLAIMS ADRIAN VALE’S CHILD
IS THE CONTRACT WIFE A COVER?
Her breath thinned.
Across the room, the television was already on. The housekeeper must have turned it there. The volume was low—but the captions told the story loudly enough.
A glamorous reporter stood in front of Vale Tower.
“Sources close to the situation claim that Adrian Vale’s alleged mistress, Marissa Cole, has medical confirmation of pregnancy. The bigger question now—did the
