Chapter 4 - The Counter-Attack
Julian Vance was not a man who accepted defeat quietly. Blocked from his main corporate accounts and facing immense public backlash, he decided to strike back using the only weapon he had left: psychological warfare.
The next morning, an exclusive interview aired on a major tabloid network. Julian sat on a plush leather sofa, looking somber and deeply wronged. He claimed that the viral video was heavily edited and out of context. He spun a fabricated narrative, alleging that Leo had behavioral issues and had tried to attack his elderly mother, and that he had merely intervened to protect his family.
"I love Evelyn, and I wanted to love her son," Julian said on screen, squeezing out a fraudulent tear. "But the Sterling family has hidden deep, dark secrets. That child is not who they say he is. I believe Evelyn is using that boy as a front to launder money through offshore accounts."
The interview exploded across social media, dividing public opinion. The Facebook comment sections turned into a battlefield of speculation. The Vance PR machine was working overtime to shift the blame onto Evelyn.
Within an hour of the broadcast, federal investigators arrived at the Sterling Global headquarters with a search warrant. Julian had used his political connections to trigger an emergency audit of the Sterling family's financial records.
Marcus rushed into Evelyn's office, his face pale. "They're seizing our servers, Evelyn. Julian planted falsified documents in our system three months ago when we were setting up the joint venture accounts. He planned this as a fallback option in case you ever tried to leave him."
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Evelyn stood up, her jaw clenched. "He wants to play dirty? Fine. Let's show him what happens when you try to trap a cornered lioness."
She called a press conference for that very afternoon, refusing to hide behind a PR team. When she stood before the wall of flashing cameras, she didn't look like a victim. She looked like an executioner.
