BOUND TO THE BILLIONAIRE BY CONTRACT

THE SCANDAL THAT NEVER HAPPENED

Chapter 7 – The Scandal That Never Happened (Part 1)

Victor Hayes sat behind the massive mahogany desk in his luxurious office on the top floor of Hayes International. Rain beat softly against the glass windows overlooking New York City, but his attention was fixed on the photographs scattered across his desk. One by one, he studied every image with a satisfied smile.

There was Ethan Carter sitting beside a beautiful young woman in a hospital waiting room.

Another showed him buying food for her from a nearby café.

A third captured Ethan opening the door of his Rolls-Royce for the same woman.

Victor leaned back in his chair and laughed.

"So the mighty Ethan Carter finally made a mistake."

For years Ethan had been his greatest rival. Every business deal Victor tried to win ended with Ethan walking away victorious. Investors trusted Ethan more. Banks preferred Ethan. Even the media praised Ethan as the country's youngest billionaire CEO with an untarnished reputation.

Victor hated him.

Not because Ethan had ever insulted him.

But because Ethan was always one step ahead.

There had never been a scandal.

No gambling.

No drunken parties.

No affairs.

No leaked secrets.

The man was like a machine.

Until now.

The office door opened.

The photographer walked inside carrying another memory card.

"You wanted every picture I took, Mr. Hayes."

Victor smiled.

"You've done excellent work."

The man placed the memory card on the desk.

"I followed him for two days just as you instructed. He barely noticed anyone around him."

Victor inserted the card into his laptop.

More photographs filled the screen.

Ethan standing beside Olivia outside the hospital.

Ethan looking at her while she smiled through tears.

Ethan driving away with her.

Victor's smile grew wider.

"This is perfect."

The photographer nodded proudly.

"I've never seen Ethan Carter with a woman before."

"Neither has anyone else."

Victor folded his hands together.

"Tomorrow morning every newspaper in the country will have only one headline."

He imagined it clearly.

BILLIONAIRE CEO ETHAN CARTER'S SECRET AFFAIR EXPOSED.

Shareholders would panic.

Business partners would question Ethan's judgment.

The Carter family's spotless reputation would finally crack.

Victor picked up his phone and called the editor of one of the city's biggest entertainment tabloids.

"I have an exclusive story."

The editor laughed.

"What kind of story?"

"The biggest scandal of the year."

Victor emailed several photographs.

There was silence on the other end before the editor finally spoke.

"Are these real?"

"Every single one."

"When do you want us to publish?"

"First thing tomorrow morning."

"It'll be done."

Victor ended the call with a satisfied smile.

Finally.

After years of failure, he had found Ethan Carter's weakness.

Just then his assistant hurried into the office carrying a tablet.

"Sir..."

Victor didn't even look up.

"Not now."

"I think you need to see this."

"I said later."

"It's about Ethan Carter."

Victor frowned.

"What now?"

The assistant placed the tablet on the desk.

The screen displayed the official Carter Group website.

At the top was a breaking announcement.

CARTER GROUP OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCES THE ENGAGEMENT OF CEO ETHAN CARTER TO MISS OLIVIA REED. THE PRIVATE WEDDING CEREMONY WILL TAKE PLACE IN TWO DAYS.

Victor stared at the screen.

His smile slowly disappeared.

"What..."

He grabbed the tablet and read the announcement again.

Attached to it was a formal photograph of Ethan standing beside Olivia.

It was the same woman from the hospital.

The same woman in every photograph the photographer had taken.

His fingers tightened around the tablet.

"No..."

The assistant swallowed nervously.

"The woman isn't his secret lover, sir."

Victor looked up slowly.

"Then who is she?"

"She's his fiancée."

Silence filled the office.

The photographer's face turned pale.

"I... I didn't know."

Victor rose from his chair so abruptly that it slammed into the wall behind him.

His breathing became heavier.

He had already paid the tabloids.

He had already ordered the story.

But now...

Those photographs no longer exposed an affair.

Instead, they showed a billionaire standing beside the woman he was about to marry.

There was no scandal.

Only a devoted fiancé helping his future wife through her brother's illness.

Victor suddenly threw the tablet across the room.

It crashed against the wall, shattering into dozens of pieces.

The photographer flinched.

"I'm sorry, sir."

Victor closed his eyes, struggling to control his anger.

Years of planning...

Thousands of dollars...

All wasted.

Then, after several long moments, a slow smile spread across his face.

A smile that frightened everyone in the room.

"If I can't destroy Ethan..."

He picked up one of Olivia's photographs from the desk.

"...perhaps I should destroy the woman he loves."

The room fell silent.

No one spoke.

Because everyone knew that when Victor Hayes smiled like that.

Someone's life was about to change forever

Victor slowly lowered himself back into his chair, his eyes never leaving Olivia's photograph. The office remained silent. His assistant and the photographer stood motionless, afraid to speak.

After several moments, Victor broke the silence.

"Cancel the article."

The photographer looked confused.

"But sir, the newspapers have already started preparing tomorrow's edition."

Victor's cold eyes met his.

"I said cancel it."

The photographer quickly nodded and rushed out to make the calls.

Within minutes, the editor called back.

"Mr. Hayes, what's going on? You said this was an affair."

Victor's voice was calm again.

"It isn't."

"So those photos are useless?"

"They're useless for now."

The editor sighed in disappointment.

"That's unfortunate. It would have sold millions of copies."

Victor ended the call without another word.

His assistant cautiously stepped forward.

"Sir... should we forget about Olivia Reed?"

Victor laughed quietly.

"Forget about her?"

He picked up another photograph of Olivia leaving the hospital.

"On the contrary..."

He placed it carefully on the desk.

"She's now the most important person in Ethan Carter's life."

The assistant frowned.

"I don't understand."

Victor stood and walked toward the window.

"For years I've tried attacking Ethan directly. Every attempt failed because he has no weakness."

He turned around.

"But everyone has someone they want to protect."

His eyes settled on Olivia's smiling face.

"And I think I've just found Ethan's."

The assistant finally understood.

"You want to use Miss Reed against him."

Victor smiled.

"Exactly."

He walked back to his desk.

"I don't want lies."

The assistant looked surprised.

"No lies?"

Victor shook his head.

"No. Lies are too easy to expose."

He tapped the photograph with one finger.

"I want the truth."

"The truth?"

"I want to know everything about Olivia Reed."

He began counting on his fingers.

"Where she grew up."

"Every school she attended."

"Every job she's ever had."

"Every friend."

"Every enemy."

"Every debt."

"Every mistake."

The assistant wrote everything down.

"If she has even the smallest secret..."

Victor's smile returned.

"...I'll make sure the whole country knows."

Across the city, Olivia had no idea her life was already under investigation.

She sat beside Mason's hospital bed, helping him finish his dinner.

"This soup is terrible," Mason complained.

Olivia laughed.

"You've complained about hospital food since you were ten."

"Because it's always terrible."

She smiled as she peeled an orange for him.

The room felt lighter than it had in weeks.

The surgery had been successful.

For the first time in a long while, they could laugh together without fear.

A gentle knock sounded at the door.

Daniel stepped inside.

"Miss Reed."

She stood immediately.

"Is everything alright?"

"Mr. Carter asked me to bring you this."

He handed her an elegant white box.

Olivia opened it carefully.

Inside was a pair of simple pearl earrings and a handwritten note.

For the wedding. They match your dress. Ethan

She stared at the note for several seconds.

Mason leaned closer.

"Did he really write that?"

She nodded.

A smile spread across Mason's face.

"I think your husband is nicer than you admit."

Olivia smiled despite herself.

"He isn't my husband yet."

"But he will be."

She gently closed the box.

"Yes..."

"...he will."

Meanwhile, Ethan stood inside the grand ballroom where the wedding would take place.

Workers hurried around arranging flowers, polishing crystal glasses, and preparing the stage.

William Carter joined him.

"Everything is ready."

Ethan nodded.

"The security?"

"Twice the usual number."

William noticed the seriousness on Ethan's face.

"Something is bothering you."

Ethan remained silent for a moment.

"I've had the feeling someone has been watching us."

His grandfather looked at him carefully.

"You think it's business related?"

"I don't know."

"But I don't ignore instincts."

William placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Then trust them."

Ethan turned to his head of security.

"Double the guards tomorrow."

"Yes, sir."

"And no one gets near Olivia without clearance."

The guard nodded immediately.

"It will be done."

Late that night, Victor received a phone call from one of his investigators.

"We've started looking into Olivia Reed."

Victor sat forward.

"How long?"

"A few days."

"I want everything."

"We'll dig as deep as necessary."

Victor ended the call and looked out over the city.

"Enjoy your wedding, Ethan."

He smiled coldly.

"Because once it's over..."

"...the real game begins."

At that very moment, Olivia stood by the hospital window watching the lights of New York shimmer beneath the night sky. Tomorrow would be the rehearsal. The day after that, she would marry a man she barely knew.

She gently touched the pearl earrings still resting in their box.

For the first time since signing the contract, she wondered if there was more to Ethan Carter than the cold billionaire everyone feared

She didn't realize that while she was beginning to understand her future husband

Someone else had already decided to make her the key to bringing him down

Outside, the rain stopped, leaving the city unusually quiet.

It was the calm before a storm neither Ethan nor Olivia saw coming.