THE SCANDAL
1359 Words
DAISY POV
My phone wouldn’t stop buzzing.
One after another, notifications lit up my screen like fireworks.
I ignored them and kept typing on my laptop, eyes burning from lack of sleep.
It was four in the morning, and Alexander’s penthouse looked like a war room.
There were papers everywhere. Empty coffee cups.
Elena was gone.
The pregnancy?
Fake.
All of it.
She had played him perfectly.
Just three hours after storming out of the office yesterday, she emptied two company accounts, transferring millions to offshore shells before anyone noticed.
Then she grabbed confidential files from the secure server using the access codes Alexander had trusted her with during one of their “romantic” weekends. Client lists. Merger plans.
Everything is worth billions.
And then she vanished.
I rubbed my eyes and glanced at Alexander. He stood at the windows again, his phone pressed to his ear,
“Find her. I don’t care what it costs. She’s not getting away with this.”
My heart hurt for him, but another part of me felt relieved.
No baby.
No Elena tying him down forever.
Then guilt hit me hard.
He was bleeding money and reputation, and here I was thinking about myself.
I had stayed all night.
Of course, I did.
When the first news alert hit at midnight, I had to cancel his entire morning schedule, call the crisis PR team, and started damage control.
Alexander had looked at me with those tired gray eyes begging me not to leave.
So I didn’t.
Now the sun was creeping up over the city, and the headlines were brutal.
BILLIONAIRE FOOLED BY FAKE PREGNANCY SCAM!
Alexander King’s Mistress Cleans Out Millions – Is This the End of King Tech?
Playboy CEO Taken Down by Gold Digger
I refreshed the browser again.
There were photos of Elena everywhere, some smiling beside him at galas. Side-by-side shots of her designer bags.
The Comment sections were pure poison. People call him weak. Stupid. Saying he deserved it for treating women like toys.
“Daisy.” His voice pulled me back.
He looked wrecked, his tie was gone, shirt wrinkled, his hair was messy from running his hands through it all night. Still the most handsome man I had ever seen.
“Any luck tracing the files?”
I shook my head.
“The IT team says she routed them through three countries. It’ll take days. But I backed up the most important ones yesterday afternoon. We won’t lose the Tanaka merger.”
He stared at me for a long beat.
“You did that on your own?”
“I figured something felt off after she left. I made copies of everything she might have touched.” My cheeks warmed.
I didn’t tell him I’d done it because I couldn’t stand watching him get hurt again.
Not by her.
Alexander walked over and dropped onto the couch beside me.
Close enough that our knees almost touched.
“You’re incredible. Most people would’ve gone home hours ago. Thank you so much. Daisy.”
“ I really can't do anything without you”
I tried to smile, but it wobbled. My plus-size body ached from sitting so long.
My skirt was wrinkled, blouse untucked.
I probably looked a mess, but he didn’t seem to notice. Or care.
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “The board is calling an emergency meeting in two hours. The media is camped outside the building. My phone won’t stop ringing.”
“I already prepared a statement,” I said, sliding the tablet over.
“ Just say something short and Strong. You take responsibility for trusting the wrong person, but you’re moving forward. No details about the files, that should stay internal. I also lined up three interviews with friendly outlets for later today.”
He read it quickly, then looked up. Something soft flickered in his eyes.
“How did I get so lucky to have you?”
My stupid heart soared and crashed in the same second.
Lucky. Like I was a good luck charm. Not a woman he could love. The reliable one.
Before I could answer, his phone rang again.
It was his lawyer.
I stood up to give him space and walked to the kitchen.
My legs felt heavy. I made more coffee, strong and black the way he liked it, and heated up some leftover pizza from last night.
When I brought it back, he was pacing again.
“Take this,” I said, handing him the mug.
“Eat something too.
He took it, fingers brushing mine. That tiny touch sent warmth up my arm.
“You should eat too. You’ve been running on fumes.”
“I’m fine.” I sat back down and forced myself to take a slice.
The cheese was cold and greasy, but it helped settle my stomach.
The next hours flew by in a blur.
We worked fast.
I coordinated with security to sneak him out a back entrance.
We rode to the office in silence.
I checked the news again.
It was worse.
At the building, I walked in front of him like a shield. Cameras flashed. Reporters shouted questions.
“Mr. King! Is it true she faked the pregnancy for money?”
“Did you sleep with her to keep her quiet?”
Alexander’s face stayed stone.
I kept my head high even though my heart raced and my curvy hips felt too big under all those lenses.
Inside the elevator, he let out a long breath.
“You didn’t have to do that,” he said quietly.
“Yes, I did.”
The board meeting was brutal.
When one old board member suggested he step down temporarily, Alexander shut it down cold.
“Absolutely not. This company is mine. And we’re going to come out stronger.”
After the meeting, we escaped back to his office.
Alexander sank into his chair and stared at nothing.
I brought him water and painkillers for the headache he wouldn’t admit to.
“The PR team says the story will die down in a week if we keep control of the narrative. I’ve got three more things for you to sign.”
He watched me as I set the papers down.
For a second I thought he might say something real.
Instead, he stood up and walked to the window.
The silence stretched.
My feet hurt.
My back hurt.
My heart hurt most of all.
Finally, he spoke, voice low and rough.
“Elena played me. I let her in. Gave her access. Trusted her.”
“She was convincing,” I said softly. “Anyone could’ve..”
“No.” He cut me off.
“I should’ve known better. Women like her… they see the money, the power. That’s all.”
I swallowed hard.
Women like her. Did he put me in some other box? The safe one? The invisible plus-size assistant who would never betray him?
He turned around. His eyes met mine, tired but intense.
“Never trust another woman.”
The words landed like a punch to my gut.
I stood there frozen, professional smile glued on even as tears burned behind my eyes.
He didn’t mean me.
He couldn’t.
I nodded slowly. “I understand.”
He walked over and squeezed my shoulder again
“Go home, Daisy. Get some rest. You’ve done enough.”
“I can stay….”
“Go.” His voice gentled.
“That’s an order.”
I gathered my things with shaking hands.
In the elevator down.
I let the tears fall.
The city blurred past as the driver took me home.
My tiny apartment felt even smaller after his penthouse.
I kicked off my shoes, collapsed on the couch, and stared at the ceiling.
He noticed my loyalty.
He saw me working through the night.
But it still wasn’t enough.
I felt stupid
My phone buzzed. A text from him.
Alexander: Thank you. . Get some sleep.
I stared at it until the screen went dark.
Then I cried harder.
Because even after everything he still didn’t see me as more than his loyal assistant.
- Writer
