Chapter 214

Chapter 214

The next morning came too quietly.

Ryan was curled up between Liam and me, his soft snores the only sound breaking the silence. The penthouse, high above the chaos below, felt like a glass sanctuary. But even in sanctuary, shadows could seep through the cracks.

I checked my phone the moment the sun peeked through the blinds.

16 new messages.
5 missed calls.
3 voicemails from Gabrielle.

I tensed.

Liam stirred beside me, instinctively pulling me closer. “What is it?”

I held up the phone. “Gabrielle’s been trying to reach us.”

He was already sitting up before I hit play.

The first voicemail clicked to life.

> “Christabel. Liam. We have a problem. Maeve leaked something to the press—something big. Call me the second you get this.”

My blood ran cold. Liam snatched the phone from me, dialing her immediately. She picked up on the first ring.

“Tell me you’ve seen the news,” Gabrielle said, no greeting, just panic.

“No. What happened?” Liam demanded.

“She gave the tabloids footage—edited, cut together from months ago. It makes it look like Christabel was still involved with Peris. There’s a timestamp that places it during your engagement.”

“What?” I gasped. “That’s a lie!”

“I know it is,” Gabrielle said. “But the footage is convincing. And more than that—she included a fake email chain where Christabel supposedly negotiated a payout from Peris to fake a relationship with Liam. The media is eating it up.”

Liam’s expression darkened into something unrecognizable. “They think Christabel used me.”

“They think she manipulated you, played the twins against each other, and framed Maeve,” Gabrielle said. “It’s a hit piece. A coordinated one. And it’s going viral.”

I couldn’t speak. My throat had closed up.

“Send me the files,” Liam snapped. “We’ll sue every single outlet that ran it.”

“I’ve already started damage control. But Maeve isn’t acting alone anymore.”

My heart sank. “Who’s helping her?”

Gabrielle hesitated. “I think… Victor leaked the internal Rockwell PR memos. The ones about your relationship timeline.”

Liam froze. “Victor?”

“I checked his access logs. He’s been feeding someone—possibly Maeve—information for weeks. Internal updates, company expenditures, even Ryan’s security detail.”

I could barely breathe.

“Why would he do this?” I whispered.

Gabrielle sighed. “Maybe he wants the company back. Maybe he never forgave Liam. Maybe Maeve offered him something we don’t know about. Either way, he’s not on your side anymore.”

Silence hung like a noose.

Liam ended the call and looked at me, his jaw tight. “We fight back.”

I shook my head slowly, still processing. “Liam, this is… this is slander. People are going to believe it.”

“Only until I give them a better story.”

—

By noon, the internet was on fire.

#ChristabelScandal
#RockwellDeception
#PerisAffair

My name was everywhere—for the wrong reasons.

Liam’s PR team scrambled to issue statements. Gabrielle worked through legal channels to file defamation claims. But the fire was spreading.

And then, it got worse.

A video surfaced.

A grainy, silent clip. Christabel—me—stepping out of Peris’s office. He followed moments later, smiling. The timestamp? A week before the engagement party.

It was from six months ago, before Peris revealed his true colors.

The narrative being painted?

Christabel played both brothers. Manipulated Liam to get back at Peris. And now, she’s trying to ruin Maeve’s career.

It was poison. And the public drank it.

Liam threw his phone across the room.

“They’re rewriting the story,” he growled. “Making you the villain. Making us the scandal.”

“I didn’t even know that footage existed,” I whispered, sinking onto the couch. “I was dropping off paperwork. Nothing happened.”

“You don’t owe me an explanation,” he said, kneeling in front of me. “I know who you are.”

Tears threatened to spill. “But the world doesn’t.”

“I’ll show them,” he promised.

—

That afternoon, Liam called a press conference.

Not his legal team.

Not his publicist.

Him.

I watched from the penthouse as the cameras clicked and flashed, as reporters shouted questions. Liam stood tall, unshakable in his charcoal suit and silver tie.

He raised his hand. The crowd fell silent.

“I’ve remained silent long enough,” he said, voice even but sharp as a blade. “Today, I speak not as the CEO of Rockwell Enterprises—but as a man, a father, and a fiancé.”

He paused. The air buzzed.

“There have been rumors. Fabrications. Lies. Meant to destroy the woman I love. I’m here to tell you all—Christabel Lockhart is not a liar. She is not a gold digger. She is not the villain in this story. She is the woman who saved me, who gave my son a mother, and who stood by me through betrayal and sabotage.”

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

Liam continued, eyes steady. “The video footage released was edited. The email chain is forged. My legal team has confirmed both. Peris Davenport and Maeve Thorn are responsible for the smear campaign. And let me be clear—this is war.”

His final words echoed like thunder.

This is war.

He walked off the stage without answering a single question.

—

Back at the penthouse, I met him at the door. Speechless.

“You did that for me,” I whispered.

He stepped forward, cupping my cheek. “No. I did that for us.”

I threw my arms around him, burying my face in his chest.

But just as peace began to settle—

Liam’s phone buzzed.

A single message.

From Victor.

“You shouldn’t have done that. I’m not finished.”