Chapter 16: The Headline
Andy's POV
The morning starts like any other until I see the headlines.
My phone buzzes first a text from my assistant: You need to see this. Now. Then another from my lawyer, just a link and three words: Call me immediately.
I'm still in my kitchen, barely awake, when the doorbell rings. The delivery boy looks nervous, shifting from foot to foot as he hands me the stack of newspapers. "Sorry, sir. They said you'd want to see them right away."
The moment he's gone, I spread them across my granite counter. Every major paper in the city, and they all tell the same story.
"The Serial Bride: Society's Most Shocking Marriage Scam"
"Seventeen Husbands, One Woman: The Wedding Con That Fooled Everyone"
"Love for Hire: Inside the Professional Marriage Industry"
Laura's photo dominates every front page. Not the candid shots from last night's disaster at the gala these are professional wedding photos, clearly leaked from somewhere. In one, she's radiant in ivory silk, her smile perfect but somehow hollow. In another, she's laughing at something off-camera, her hand resting on yet another stranger's arm.
The worst part isn't the headlines. It's the timeline they've constructed seventeen marriages over eight years, complete with dates, locations, and dollar amounts. They've done their homework, tracking down marriage certificates, divorce decrees, even quotes from some of her former "husbands."
"She was professional, I'll give her that. Never crossed any lines, never pretended it was real. Just did her job and left when the contract was up." Anonymous source
"I actually liked her. She was kind, funny even. If I'd been looking for something real, I might have asked her to stay." Another anonymous source
My coffee has gone cold, but I keep drinking it anyway, my hands steady despite the chaos in my head. This is Marcus's work meticulous, thorough, designed for maximum damage.
The front door opens, and Laura walks in using the key I gave her weeks ago. She's wearing yesterday's dress, wrinkled now, her makeup smudged. She must have spent the night walking, or sitting in her car, or hiding somewhere trying to process what happened at the gala.
"Andy?" Her voice is small, uncertain. "I saw the photographers outside. They're everywhere."
I look up from the papers, and the expression on her face nearly breaks me. She's already seen them the headlines, the photos, the timeline of her life laid bare for the world to judge.
"How bad is it?" she asks, though we both know the answer.
Instead of responding, I slide the papers toward her. She approaches slowly, like she's walking toward her own execution. Her fingers tremble as she picks up the first one.
"Oh God." The newspaper falls from her hands, scattering across the floor. "They have everything. How did they get" She stops, her face going pale. "The photographer. At the gala.
Marcus planned this."
"Laura"
"No." She backs away from me, her eyes wild. "You don't understand. This isn't just about me anymore. They're going to dig into you, into us. They'll find out about your inheritance clause, about why you really needed to get married."
She's right, of course. I've been thinking the same thing since I opened the first paper. Marcus isn't just destroying Laura he's destroying both of us.
"I have to go," she says, already moving toward the door. "I have to disappear before this gets worse."
"Stop." I catch her arm gently, feeling her pulse racing under my fingers. "Running won't fix this."
"It's what I do, Andy. It's what I'm good at." Her laugh is bitter, broken. "I reinvent myself, become someone new. Let Laura Castillo die in the headlines and start over somewhere else."
"Is that what you want?"
She looks at me then, really looks at me, and I see something I've never seen before surrender. "What I want doesn't matter. Look at these photos, these headlines. I'm a scandal now. A joke. Anyone who associates with me will be dragged down too."
"I don't care about the scandal."
"You should." She pulls away from me, putting distance between us. "Your business, your reputation, your family's legacy I'll destroy all of it just by existing in your life."
My phone rings before I can respond. The caller ID makes my blood run cold: Marcus.
"Don't answer it," Laura whispers, but I'm already swiping to accept.
"Marcus."
"Andy!" His voice is cheerful, almost sing-song. "I trust you've seen the morning papers? Quite the story, don't you think?"
"What do you want?"
"Want? I've already got what I want. Laura's finished in this city hell, in this country. And you?
Well, let's just say your inheritance problems are about to get a lot more complicated."
Laura is watching me, her face pale, her hands clenched into fists. She can hear every word.
"You see," Marcus continues, "I've been doing some research into your grandfather's will.
Fascinating document. All those clauses about moral character and family honor. I wonder what the estate lawyers will think when they see their golden boy married to a professional bride?"
The threat is clear. Even if I go through with the marriage, Marcus will challenge the inheritance on moral grounds. He's not just destroying Laura he's destroying everything my grandfather built.
"You're a piece of work, Marcus."
"I'm a businessman. And right now, business is very good."
He hangs up, leaving me staring at the phone in my hand. Laura is already moving toward the door again, but this time I don't try to stop her.
"Where will you go?" I ask instead.
She pauses, her hand on the doorknob. "Does it matter? By tomorrow, there'll be a new scandal for people to obsess over. Give it a week, and Laura Castillo will be yesterday's news."
"And us?"
She turns back to me, and the look in her eyes is devastating. "There was never really an us, was there? Just two people using each other to solve their problems."
Before I can argue, before I can tell her she's wrong, she's gone. The door closes behind her with a soft click, and I'm alone with the newspapers scattered across my kitchen floor.
My phone buzzes again. This time it's a text from an unknown number: Checkmate, Andy.