Eleanor’s POV
The motorho humd around , a tinny, insulated sound that did nothing to block out the roaring in my ears.
I was vaguely aware of Mira’s voice, sharp and indignant, as she filled in Ben and Liam on the sordid details of my family.
"...and they’ve been leaching off her for years! That sister is a professional victim, and the ex is a walking red flag..."
My entire world had shrunk to the glowing screen in my hand, a portal to my own public execution. How could I possibly turn this around? Yes, I’d dragged Dickson out.
But only after he’d shown up uninvited, refusing to leave, and harrassing . The public didn’t see the constant belittling, the way I’d shrunk myself to fit into the tiny box they demanded I live in.
And Priscilla. Still demanding that she needs my blood for her fake incurable illness.
A sharp tap on my shoulder jolted from the spiral.
"Eleanor. Hey. You in there?" Roxy’s voice cut through the fog. "I’ve been calling your na. You’ve been staring at that phone for ten straight minutes."
I looked up, blinking.
"I’m just trying to figure out how to clear my na," I murmured, my voice sounding distant to my own ears.
Roxy let out a low whistle. "Gonna be tough. They’ve got ’proof,’ even if it’s fake. You know how it is—lies travel halfway around the world before the truth even gets its boots on."
"I think I have to confront them directly," I said, the idea forming even as it terrified .
Roxy raised an eyebrow. "You sure that’s smart? Going head-to-head with the family Mira just described as... what was it? ’Emotional vampires and a walking landfill of red flags’? That could blow up in your face and make everything worse."
"Do you have a better idea that doesn’t involve violence?" I asked.
Roxy opened her mouth, then snapped it shut with a grimace. "You just rejected my best idea without even saying it."
Mira turned fully toward , her expression shifting from outrage to strategic calculation. "Roxy’s right, a public confrontation is too risky. But what if you confronted them privately?" She leaned in, her eyes gleaming. "Get them to admit the truth on a recording."
"They’ll just deny it," I said, a cold resolve settling in my chest. "I’m done playing defense. I want to confront them publicly. But first, I’m going to deal with Dickson." I am done thinking that i can have peace when they exist. "I won’t let them keep doing this and getting away with it. Since they brought this to the internet, I won’t be holding back."
***
A few minutes later, I was sitting on a stool, my back straight. Mira set up a tripod with her phone, giving a thumbs-up before starting the live stream. The viewer count began to climb almost instantly.
I took a deep breath and looked directly into the cara. "Hello, everyone. I’m Eleanor Moore, and I’m going to cut to the chase. What my family and Dickson have been saying about is a lie."
My voice was steadier than I felt. "I’m about to post proof that Dickson is my ex. Our chats from two years ago, when we were in a relationship. The sa year he got his job at Vexxon Tech because I helped him get hired." I could see the chat scrolling wildly.
"He manipulated for years, using my ideas to climb the corporate ladder. At the ti, I didn’t mind because I loved him—or I thought I did. But the relationship turned sour, and his true colors showed."
I shifted, my gaze hardening. "As for my family, I’ve never understood why they’ve hated for as long as I can rember. But I never expected them to launch a public campaign to destroy my na."
I leaned forward slightly. "And about the club videos? Since when is it a cri to go out? Why am I being shad as if I’m the only person who’s ever been to one?"
I took a final, steadying breath, the legal terms Mira had coached on coming to the forefront. "I will not be judged and insulted based on their lies. Therefore, I am announcing my intention to sue my family for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. And I will be suing Dickson for intellectual property theft, especially for the stolen ideas that earned him his promotion to Senior Manager. Thank you for listening."
Mira cut the stream. The silence that followed was deafening.
I let out a shaky breath, my shoulders slumping. "Did I... did I do alright?"
Mira was beaming. "You were perfect. Better than I imagined. I thought you might cry, but you held it together. You’re changing, Eleanor."
I nodded, but the composure was a fragile shell. Inside, I was shattered. The urge to cry was a physical pressure behind my eyes, but I had swallowed it down throughout the entire broadcast.
It was heartbreaking. These were people I had once cherished, people I had allowed to walk all over for years. And they were the sa people who had co back to stab in the back and bla for bleeding. What did I ever do to deserve such cruelty?
Mira held her phone out so I could see the flood of reactions. The internet was, as expected, tearing itself apart. So comnts were cautiously supportive: "Maybe we shouldn’t jump to conclusions," and "She seems sincere." But they were drowned out by a tidal wave of vitriol.
Who does she think she is? She got HIM a job at Vexxon? Please.
More like she begged him to get her a job and he said no.
Bet she slept her way in and is bitter he moved on.
My stomach churned. "The proof is all on my laptop," I said, my voice tight. "The designs, the code, our ssages where he’s literally asking to do his work for him. But it’s at your apartnt."
"No problem," Mira said firmly. "We’ll go get it. And you’re not giving it to so middle manager. You’re taking it straight to the CEOs."
I shook my head, a bitter laugh escaping . "The triplets? They won’t want to get involved in this ss. It’ll go to their legal departnt, to people under them."
"It’s better to give it to them instead. Would they be that cruel to ignore it? You work for them. And more importantly, you’re their mate."
"They don’t believe that, and that reminds . You didn’t tell that its going to be very painful to reject a bond."
Mira’s expression shifted. "You never told you tried to reject the bond."
"It happened last night. The pain... it was unbearable."
"Did they feel it too?" she asked, her voice dropping.
I nodded, wrapping my arms around myself. "I saw it on their faces. I had to take the words back."
A knowing look dawned on Mira’s face. "Then they have to believe it, Eleanor. If they felt the rejection pain, then the bond is real. There’s no denying that. This shouldn’t involve just you. This is about their mate being publicly slandered. They can’t ignore that."
Mira stood up. "Then let’s go. No ti to waste." I followed her out of the motor ho, my mind a whirlwind.
As we stepped out into the hazy afternoon, a part of hoped the brothers had already seen the news. They’d be disappointed, of course.
My ruined reputation was now a potential stain on their pristine company. Maybe this would be the final push they needed. They could tell to leave, to get out of their lives for good.
I could go back to so semblance of a normal life—just focus on being a racer and maybe, finally, unravel the mystery of my own lineage without the complication of three infuriating mates.
We flagged down a taxi and slid into the back seat. I stared out the window as the Serpent’s Kiss faded behind us, wondering if I was driving toward a solution and final expulsion from the Vexxon world.
***
The final file finished copying to the flash drive with a soft click. Just as I closed the laptop, the low, aggressive rumble of multiple car engines filtered through the window.
Mira rushed to the curtain, peeking through the slit. "What the heck?" she whispered, her voice tense.
I snapped the laptop shut, clutching it to my chest as I joined her. My blood ran cold. A small convoy of expensive, intimidating cars was lined up right outside the apartnt building.
"Who are they?" Mira breathed.
"Start a live stream," I told her, my voice surprisingly steady. "Right now. They won’t try anything stupid if the world is watching."
Mira fumbled for her phone, her fingers flying across the screen. "Live in three, two..."
We took a deep breath and stepped out of the apartnt, descending the stairs to face them. The second our feet hit the pavent, the door of the lead car swung open.
I wasn’t surprised, but a fresh wave of anger and betrayal still hit . Dickson stepped out, his face arranged in a mask of wounded righteousness. And there was Priscilla, clinging to his arm, her face pale and eyes wide with fake fragility.
I held the laptop tighter. "What are you doing here, Dickson?"
He offered that sickeningly fake, patient smile I knew so well. "Eleanor, you’ve made so very serious, very public accusations. I’m just here to clear this up and get my proof." He stretched his hand out, his gaze fixed on the laptop. "I kindly ask you to hand it over."
Reviews
All reviews (0)