Chapter 76 CONTROVERSY
POV: ELISABETH
“Several reports continued to appear in the newspapers, along with notifications on my phone. I increased the TV volume upon hearing Patrick's name:
“The renowned and youngest CEO, Patrick Morgan, a businessman and owner of Seattle's most respected publisher, SoundStory Press, became embroiled in controversy that divided opinions. An intimate photo surfaced showing him with his ex-wife, skirts lifted, depicting an act clearly not consensual. Miss Heloise Forbs gave statements to the press to clarify the events, shocking the public with her words:
'Patrick has always been domineering and possessive; unfortunately, his obsession with me didn't end after our separation. He tried to take control of the Forbs industry, forcing me to unlink my name to protect my dear brothers.' She paused, crying, waving her hand to hold back tears. 'My brother Celdric and I went to SoundStory Press to confront Patrick Morgan, who took advantage of our older brother Forbs's fragile mental health to persuade him to transfer 50% of his shares to him, forcing a merger of the companies.'
“'But ma'am, what would be the purpose of such actions taken by a businessman so respected by all?' asked a journalist, clearly favoring her in his questions.
'Control. I refused to resume our marriage. It wasn't a healthy relationship, and after our loss, the pain was unbearable. I couldn't see myself with him anymore.' Heloise sobbed. 'I'm sorry, it's very hard to talk about this.'
“Could you tell us what happened that day?” asked the journalist, turning the microphone to her.
'Well, we had a friendly meeting to discuss our brother's conditions, who has been facing serious mental health issues. Unfortunately, we requested the cancellation of the acquisition of parts of the company, and Morgan was adamant, refusing to give up the purchase.' Celdric stood by her side, his hand in a cast, handing a tissue to his sister, who thanked him. 'Eventually, he assaulted Celdric, breaking his finger, as you can see.' Celdric raised his hand, and several flashes of photos were aimed at him, causing more excitement and a barrage of questions from reporters.
“Please, one at a time,” she politely requested, adjusting her posture.
“And what happened next?” asked another reporter.
“I tried to calm things down and advised Celdric to go to the hospital, staying alone with Mr. Morgan,” replied Heloise, sighing and wiping the corners of her eyes.
Here's the translated text into American English, with fluid and easy-to-understand language, corrected punctuation, and past tense agreement:
“Did you not find it risky to be alone with him after the assault on your brother?” the reporter continued.
“Actually, I was naive. I thought I could touch his heart considering the years we spent together and our history,” she sobbed, more tears welling up on her face. “Forgive me, I can't hold back!”
She threatened to leave the stage, but the reporters were relentless and full of questions.
“Miss Heloise, tell us what happened. What led to that photo? Who took the photograph?” Another younger reporter eagerly questioned.
Returning to the microphone, with her brother supporting her, she sighed dramatically and began to speak:
“The conversation didn't go as I would have liked. Morgan made his advances without accepting no for an answer. I tried to escape his clutches, but he grabbed me forcefully, throwing me onto the table and lifting my skirt.” Heloise kept her eyes fixed on the camera, as if she wanted someone to hear this. “He has always loved me and desired me; he never hid that. I know he has intimate photos of me in his possession.”
“Photos of her.” I covered my mouth in shock, wide-eyed, looking at the closet where I had found Patrick's memory box. With tears in my eyes, I continued listening to her statement.
“I managed to break free, but Morgan clung to my neck, squeezing while lifting my skirt even higher. Luckily, an employee happened to pass by and captured the moment, then promptly alerted the security.” Heloise collapsed in front of the cameras.
Shaking in desperation, I tried to call Patrick, but his phone went straight to voicemail. No signs or messages appeared. He wasn't getting back to me!
“Did I misjudge him?” I clenched the TV remote while crying, watching several sensational news reports emerge.
Most of the authors contacted me, demanding immediate termination of their contracts. I opened the company emails and received a flood of resignation letters and requests for contract cancellations from suppliers, writers, and extras, among others. Surprisingly, CineArts Press, formerly Planet Films de Cuba, sent us supportive emails, stating they wouldn't terminate their partnership with us.
Protests were happening outside the publishing house, demanding a formal statement from Mr. Morgan about the incident. Many flowers were sent to the Forbs industry in support of Heloise, who claimed to have fallen into deep depression over the incident, afraid to leave her house and be caught by him seeking revenge.
“Come on, Patrick, where are you? Your legacy is crumbling.” I paced back and forth, trying to think of a solution.
I went through the house looking for Greg and found him nervously watching the news reports.
“Greg, we need to sort this out!” I spoke loudly, startling him.
“We're at a standstill until Patrick returns,” he replied, visibly nervous.
“And where is Morgan? Why hasn't he come back yet? What's more important to him than the publishing house?” I shouted, feeling anger consume me. “Did he really do that to her? Is that the kind of man I'm getting involved with?”
“NO!” Greg shouted, rising and throwing the remote forcefully against the wall. “Don't jump to conclusions, Elisabeth. You don't know what actually happened; you have no idea who Heloise Forbs really is.”
“Well, apparently I don't know who Patrick Morgan is either. So, explain to me, Who are they?” I placed my hands on my hips, staring at him firmly, waiting for an answer.
“Damn it...” Greg turned and poured himself whiskey to drink. “Wait for him to arrive, and everything will be clarified.”
“And in the meantime, are we going to let the publishing house sink?” I clenched my fists, nervous, and approached him, taking the glass from his hand.
“Do you have a better idea?” Greg stared at me, arms crossed.
“Patrick said Heloise's family has a history of mental health issues, where they create stories and believe in them. She publicly admitted that Forbs' brother has mental health problems. Let's issue a statement using that against her while he's not back.” I turned off the drink, feeling it burn my throat. “I'll prepare an internal announcement for all suppliers, clients, writers, and collaborators, saying the same thing, and try to reverse this situation. The loyal and grateful ones will stay.”
“Well, Morgan wasn't wrong about you.” Greg smiled, tipping the bottle by the neck. “You're a natural entrepreneur. Where do we start?”