Chapter 74 The Fallout
Alexander walked around the corner.
Found her.
Sitting on the couch. Laptop open. Screen glowing.
Scrolling.
Her face was white. Jaw tight. Eyes red.
Click. Scroll. Read.
Click. Scroll. Read.
"Elena—"
She didn't look up. Just kept scrolling.
"There's more," she said. Voice flat. "Three blogs now. Maybe four. I lost count."
"Elena, stop—"
"Look at this one." She turned the laptop toward him. "'Former classmate says she was always chasing rich guys.' Do you remember anyone saying that about me? Because I don't remember chasing anyone."
"It's lies—"
"This comment says the DNA test was probably faked. That I knew someone who could forge it." She scrolled again. "This one says your parents should sue for custody. Take Leo away from the 'manipulative gold digger.'"
"Stop reading—"
"I can't." Her voice broke. "I keep thinking I'll find one that's on my side. One person who doesn't think I'm—"
Her hand trembled on the trackpad.
Click. Scroll. Read.
More comments loading.
She trapped him with a baby.
Three years and she never told him? Suspicious.
Poor Alexander. He doesn't even see he's being used.
Alexander closed the laptop.
Elena stared at the space where the screen had been.
"There are more on my phone," she whispered. "Someone from the office sent it to me. Said they were 'concerned.' Then someone else. Then someone else. Six messages. All the same article. Like they wanted to make sure I saw it. Make sure I knew."
"Who sent them?"
"Does it matter?" She looked up at him finally. Her eyes were devastated. "They all think the same thing. That I'm a liar. A user. That I trapped you."
"They're wrong—"
"Are they?" She stood abruptly. Started pacing. "Because let's look at the facts. I didn't tell you about Leo for three years. I got a job at your company. I got close to you. The DNA test happened and suddenly we're together and you're walking away from your family and—"
"That's not what happened—"
"But it LOOKS like that! To everyone reading this, to everyone who doesn't know us, it looks exactly like what they're saying!"
"People who know you know better—"
"People who know me?" She laughed. Sharp. Broken. "You mean Mrs. Chen? My three-year-old son? That's my support system, Alexander. Everyone else is reading these articles and believing every word."
She wrapped her arms around herself.
"Someone commented that I was probably sleeping with multiple men three years ago. That I picked you because you had the most money. That the DNA test was—" Her voice cracked. "They said I probably bribed the lab."
"That's insane—"
"Is it? Because I'm poor and you're rich and isn't that exactly what poor people do? Use rich people? Isn't that the story everyone wants to believe?"
Alexander tried to pull her close.
She pushed him away.
"Don't. Don't comfort me when this is—" She gestured helplessly. "This is exactly what your mother predicted. What Viviana wanted. I'm the villain. Manipulator. The woman who destroyed your family for money."
"You didn't destroy anything—"
"Your parents think I did. Your sister thought I did, before she changed her mind. And now thousands of strangers think I did too."
She sat back down. Picked up her phone.
"Don't," Alexander said.
"I have to see how bad it is."
"You don't—"
She was already scrolling through messages.
Her face went paler.
"Someone sent it to the preschool parents' Facebook group."
"What?"
"The community center. Where Leo goes to school. Someone posted it asking if anyone knew 'this woman' because her son goes there." Her hand shook. "Seventeen comments already. Most saying they hope the school 'looks into this' because I might be a 'bad influence.'"
"They can't—"
"They can. They are." She set down the phone like it burned her. "Leo hasn't even been there a week and I'm already the scandal mom. The one everyone whispers about."
From down the hall, a small voice: "Mama?"
Elena's entire body went rigid.
She stood. Wiped her face quickly. "Go back to bed baby."
"Why are you crying?"
"I'm not crying—"
Footsteps padded closer.
Leo appeared in dinosaur pajamas, clutching Ellyphant. Hair sticking up. Eyes sleepy and concerned.
He looked at his mother. Then at Alexander.
"Why is everyone sad?"
Elena crouched down. Forced a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "We're not sad. Just talking about grown-up things."
"What kind of things?"
"Boring things. Nothing for you to worry about."
Leo stepped closer. Touched her face.
"Your smile looks broken."
The words hit like a physical blow.
Elena's careful composure crumbled.
"I'm fine, baby. Really."
"But your eyes are leaking."
"Just—just tired. That's all."
Leo looked at Alexander. "Is Mama sad because of the grown-up things?"
"A little bit, yeah."
"Can we fix it?"
"We're trying."
"How?"
Alexander knelt down beside Elena. "By being together. By remembering that we're a family. And families stick together even when things are hard."
"Are things hard right now?"
"Yeah, buddy. They are."
"Because of the grown-up things?"
"Because some people are saying mean things about your mama. Things that aren't true."
Leo frowned. "Why would people say mean things if they're not true?"
"That's a very good question."
"That's dumb. Lying is bad. Miss Sarah says so."
"Miss Sarah is right."
Leo looked at Elena. "Don't be sad, Mama. People who lie are just being dumb. You should ignore them."
Elena pulled him into a fierce hug.
"You're very smart, you know that?"
"I know mama. Mrs. Chen says so."
"Can you do me a favor?"
"What?"
"Go back to bed. Dream about dinosaurs. And tomorrow we'll have pancakes for breakfast."
"The kind with the smiley faces?"
"Any face you want."
"Okay." He hugged her back. Then hugged Alexander. "Goodnight, Dad."
"Goodnight, buddy."
"Don't let Mama be sad anymore. Her broken smile makes my tummy hurt."
"I'll do my best."
Leo padded back down the hall.
Elena and Alexander stayed crouched on the floor.
When they heard his door close, Elena finally broke.
"He knows something's wrong."
"He's a smart kid."
"He shouldn't have to know. He's three. He should be worried about dinosaurs and playground equipment, not—" She gestured toward the closed laptop. "Not this."
Alexander helped her up. Led her to the couch.
"Tomorrow someone at school is going to say something. Or a parent will pull their kid away from him. Or—"
"We'll handle it."
"How? How do we handle everyone thinking I'm a gold digger who trapped you? How do I walk into that preschool knowing all those parents have read that article?"
"You hold your head up. You know the truth."
"The truth doesn't matter anymore. The story matters. And the story says I'm a manipulative liar."
Alexander's phone—still in his pocket, still off—buzzed anyway as it powered back on automatically.
He pulled it out.
Seventeen new messages.
He scanned them.
Victoria: Another blog picked it up. It's going mainstream.
Unknown: You've been played, Thorne. Wake up.
David: Call me. Now.
Another notification. Not a message.
A news alert.
New York Times Social Diary: Thorne Family Drama Escalates
His stomach dropped.
"What?" Elena asked. "What is it?"
He showed her.
She read. Went white.
"The Times. It's in the actual Times."
"Just the social column—"
"That doesn't matter! It's the New York Times! It's not gossip blogs anymore, Alexander. It's real news. It's—"
Her phone buzzed.
She looked.
Her face went from white to gray.
"What?"
She turned the phone toward him.
An email. From the community center.
Subject: Urgent Meeting Request
Dear Ms. Moreno,
Several parents have raised concerns about recent media attention involving your family. We'd like to schedule a meeting to discuss this matter and ensure the best environment for all our students.
Please contact the office to arrange a convenient time.
Regards,
Susan Palmer
Director
Elena set down the phone.
"They're going to kick him out."
"They might just want to talk—"
"They want to protect their reputation. Can't have the scandal mom's kid in their program. What if I'm actually dangerous? What if I'm really a gold digger who'd do anything for money?"
"Elena—"
"This is what Viviana wanted. Not just to hurt me. To hurt Leo. To take away everything we've built. His school. His stability. His—"
She stopped.
Looked at Alexander.
"You need to distance yourself from me."
"What?"
"Publicly. Make a statement. Say you're reconsidering. Say the allegations have merit and you're looking into them. Something that makes you look like the victim, not the fool."
"Absolutely not—"
"Your family will take you back. The board will forgive you. You can say I manipulated you and—"
"Stop."
"It's the smart play—"
"I don't care about the smart play!" His voice rose. "I care about you. About Leo. The family we're building."
"There is no family if I destroy your entire life!"
"You're not destroying anything. They are. Viviana, Felicia, whoever else wrote these lies. They're the ones destroying things."
"And I'm the weapon they're using." Her voice dropped. "Maybe they're right. Maybe I am bad for you. For Leo and I are just—"
"Don't finish that sentence."
"Why not? Everyone else is thinking it."
"I'm not everyone else."
They stared at each other.
Elena's phone buzzed again.
Another notification.
She looked.
Her face crumpled.
"What now?"
She showed him.
A Facebook post. From someone she went to high school with.
Just saw that Elena Moreno is all over the news. Can't say I'm surprised. She always was friendly with guys who had money.
Guess it finally paid off.
Thirty-two likes already.
Comments agreeing.
I remember her! Total social climber.
My boyfriend said she hit on him at a party once. Desperate much?
Feel bad for that Thorne guy. He has no idea what he got into.
Alexander took the phone. Blocked the app. Handed it back.
"No more. No more articles. No more comments. No more emails. We're done for tonight."
"But—"
"Done." He pulled her close. "Tomorrow we fight. Tonight just breathe elena."
"I don't know how to breathe when the whole world thinks I'm a liar."
"Then we learn together."
His phone lit up one more time.
Another news alert.
BREAKING: Thorne Empire Stock Drops 5% Amid Family Scandal
He turned off the phone completely.
Pulled Elena closer.
Held her while she shook.
While the articles spread. Comments multiplied.
While strangers who'd never met her decided who she was. What she deserved. Whether she was worthy of love or just using someone for money.
And somewhere across town, Viviana smiled at her laptop.
Felicia poured champagne.
Christopher Sterling stared at the article longer than he meant to.
Across town, Richard Thorne felt something close to satisfaction.
And Victoria?
Victoria was already planning the war.
And Elena Moreno was losing.
Badly.