Chapter 3 - The Counter-Offensive
By 8:00 AM the next morning, the tabloids were already buzzing. Photos of Claire Whitlock holding the scissors and Hannah kneeling on the floor had leaked. The headlines were brutal: “Carver Empire in Turmoil: Fiancée Humiliates Pregnant Maid.”
Inside the boardroom of Carver Enterprises, the atmosphere was hostile. Daniel sat at the head of the long mahogany table, his face expressionless as his uncle, Thomas Carver, slammed a newspaper down.
"This is a disaster, Daniel!" Thomas roared. "The stock is sliding! The Whitlocks are pulling their shares, and they are threatening a massive lawsuit for breach of promise. All because of a servant girl? You need to issue a public apology to Claire, reinstate the engagement, and fire the maid!"
Several board members nodded in agreement. They cared only about profit, not humanity.
Daniel calmly leaned back in his leather chair. He let the silence stretch until the room became uncomfortably quiet.
"Are you finished, Thomas?" Daniel asked smoothly.
He opened a sleek leather folder in front of him and slid a stack of documents across the table.
"Those are the financial audits of the Whitlock Group for the past three fiscal years," Daniel announced. "For the past six months, Claire’s father has been embezzling from their charity foundations to cover up their massive real estate losses. The Whitlocks didn't want a merger; they wanted a bailout."
The board members eagerly grabbed the documents, their expressions shifting from anger to shock as they scanned the damning evidence.
"Furthermore," Daniel continued, his voice cold and commanding, "the woman you are calling a 'servant girl' is the legal mother of my unborn child—the sole heir to the Carver legacy under my father’s trust. I did not break the engagement over a whim. I broke it because Claire Whitlock assaulted the mother of my child."
Thomas’s jaw dropped. "You... you had a child with a maid?"
"I chose a woman of character, dignity, and strength to carry my legacy," Daniel corrected him sharply. "Unlike the vultures this family usually associates with. Today, Carver Enterprises will buy out the remaining Whitlock shares at a fifty percent discount. If they protest, these financial records go straight to the federal prosecutors."
Daniel stood up, buttoning his suit jacket. "The press conference is at noon. I suggest you all watch."
Meanwhile, back at the estate, Hannah was being tended to by a high-end stylist Daniel had personally hired. Her jagged, ruined hair was transformed into a chic, elegant pixie cut that highlighted her high cheekbones and soft, expressive eyes.
She was dressed in a flowy, emerald-green silk dress that elegantly draped over her pregnant belly. When she looked in the mirror, she barely recognized herself. She didn't look like a victim. She looked like a woman reborn.
A knock on the door revealed Daniel. He stood in the doorway, momentarily breathless as he looked at her.
"You look beautiful, Hannah," he said softly, walking over to offer his arm.
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"I'm terrified, Daniel," she admitted, her hand trembling as she placed it on his forearm. "The whole world is going to judge us."
"Let them judge," Daniel said, his eyes filled with an warmth she had never seen before. "As long as we are standing together, they cannot touch us."
