Chapter 9: Vivienne's Next Move
1140 Words
The peace lasted exactly 6 hours.
We were at breakfast. Damien making coffee. Me trying to eat toast without throwing up.
When Selena burst in.
"Mr. Cole," she said, out of breath. "You need to see this. Now."
She held up her tablet.
On screen: A news site.
BREAKING: GOLD DIGGER EXPOSED - AVA COLE'S BANK RECORDS LEAKED
My blood turned to ice.
Damien grabbed the tablet. His jaw went tight.
"What is this?"
Photos of my bank statements.
From 3 years ago.
Deposits: $500. $200. $1200.
Withdrawals: Rent. Groceries. Student loans.
And one highlighted in red:
*"Payment Received: $50,000 - D. Cole"*
From the night in Vegas.
The caption: _"Billionaire pays waitress 50k for one night. Now she's pregnant with his heir."_
"That wasn't—" I started. "Damien, that was for the medical bills. My mom—"
"I know," he cut me off. Voice deadly calm. "Vivienne did this."
He threw the tablet on the counter. It cracked.
---
By 9AM, #GoldDiggerAva was trending.
By 10AM, my old clients were pulling contracts.
By 11AM, Vivienne called an "emergency press conference."
"She wants a public execution," Damien said, pacing. "She’s going to spin this as you seducing me for money."
"Then we go," I said, standing up. "And we tell the truth."
"The truth?" Damien stopped. "Ava, the truth looks bad."
"The truth is my mom had cancer," I said, voice shaking. "And I took that money because I was desperate. And I paid every cent back 6 months later. With interest."
Damien stared at me.
"You paid it back?"
"Yes," I whispered. "I didn’t want to owe you. Even before we got married."
Something in his eyes shifted.
"Okay," he said. "Then we tell them that."
---
The press room was worse than before.
Cameras. Shouting.
"Ms. Cole! Did you sleep with him for money?"
"Is the baby a cash grab?"
"Were you planning this all along?"
Vivienne stood at a separate podium. Red suit. Fake sympathy face.
"I’m so sorry this came out," she said. "As a woman, I believe in transparency. And as a board member, I believe shareholders deserve to know who they’re in business with."
Damien stepped up. Pulled me with him.
"My wife owes no one an explanation," he said. "But she’s going to give one anyway."
He looked at me. Nodded.
I stepped to the mic. Hands shaking.
"3 years ago, my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer," I said. My voice cracked. "Her insurance didn’t cover treatment.
I was 22. I had $400 in my bank account."
Murmurs.
"I met Damien in Vegas. We had a one-night mistake. He offered to help. $50,000. I took it."
More gasps.
"And 6 months later, I paid it back. Every dollar. Plus interest. Because I’m not a gold digger. I’m a daughter who was trying to save her mom."
I pulled out my phone. Held up screenshots.
"Here are the transfer records. Paid in full. December 2023."
Silence.
Then one reporter: "Why didn’t you tell anyone?"
"Because it’s not anyone’s business," I said. "Except mine. And Damien’s. And now yours, apparently."
Damien’s hand found the small of my back.
Vivienne smiled. "How convenient. Bank records that only surfaced today?"
"Check them," Damien said coldly. "With your lawyers. With the FBI. I don’t care. They’re real."
He turned to leave. Pulled me with him.
"One more question!" someone shouted. "Mr. Cole, did you pay her to marry you?"
Damien stopped. Turned around slowly.
"No," he said. "I married her because when I looked at her, I didn’t see a transaction.
I saw the only person in this room who’s not afraid to tell the truth."
He looked at me.
"And I’m not letting anyone take that from her. Or from us."
We walked out.
---
Back in the car, I broke down.
"I didn’t want anyone to know about my mom," I sobbed. "She died 2 years ago. This is all she would have left."
Damien pulled me into his lap. Right there in the backseat.
"I know," he murmured, rubbing my back. "I’m so sorry, Ava. I should have protected you from this."
"You did," I cried into his shirt. "You stood up there with me."
He kissed my hair. "Always."
When I stopped shaking, he handed me water.
"So," he said quietly. "Your mom."
"Yeah?"
"What was she like?"
I smiled through tears. "Stubborn. Funny. She would have loved you. Hated you at first. Then loved you."
"Sounds like someone else I know," he said, thumb brushing my cheek.
---
That night, the internet flipped.
#TeamAva started trending.
People posted: "She paid it back??" "Leave her alone!" "Vivienne is evil"
But Vivienne wasn’t done.
At midnight, another leak.
Photos.
Me. 22 years old. In a club in Vegas.
Drunk. Laughing. Arm around a guy who wasn’t Damien.
Caption: _"Before she was Mrs. Cole, she was like this. Classy."_
Damien saw it first.
He didn’t say anything. Just came and sat on the bed next to me.
"Have you seen it?" he asked.
"Yeah," I said. "That was my 21st birthday. That’s my cousin Jake."
He nodded. "I know."
"You believe me?"
"Ava," he said, taking my hand. "I believe you. That’s the problem. No one else will."
He pulled me down to lay with him.
"Let them talk," he whispered. "We know the truth."
But the truth didn’t stop the board from calling another meeting.
Or stop sponsors from dropping Cole Corp.
Or stop Vivienne from smiling.
---
At 2AM, I couldn’t sleep.
I found Damien in his office. Staring at the wall of screens. All of them showing hate comments about me.
"Turn it off," I said.
"I need to see what we’re dealing with," he said.
"We’re dealing with a bully," I said. "And bullies only win if you let them."
He turned to me.
"What do you want to do?"
"I want to fight back," I said. "Not with lawyers. With me."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Tomorrow," I said. "I want to go to the company. Meet the employees. Let them see me. Not the headlines."
Damien was quiet for a long time.
"That’s risky," he said.
"So is doing nothing," I said.
He stood up. Came to me.
"You’re really something, you know that?"
"I’ve been told," I joked.
He cupped my face.
"Okay," he said. "We fight. Together."
He kissed me. Hard. Like he was angry. Like he was scared. Like he needed to.
When we pulled apart, he rested his forehead on mine.
"Vivienne wants to break us," he said.
"She won’t," I said.
His phone buzzed. Unknown number.
Message: Enjoy tonight. Tomorrow I take everything. -V
Damien showed me.
I looked at him.
"Let her try," I said.
He nodded.
"Let her try."
Outside, the city was still talking.
Inside, we were done hiding.
- Writer
