Chapter 74

Chapter 74
That morning, the air felt staler than usual. Elena sat in the living room of her apartment, hugging her knees as she stared at the muted television screen. The business news scrolled quickly below, like a knife that kept slicing slowly into her sanity.

Stocks in a company owned by Elena Queen fell 3.4 percent this morning. The mall owned by Elena Queen, also in the city center, was reportedly empty of visitors. Analysts expect this to be an ongoing effect of the scandal that broke last week.

Her cell phone rang. It was Tamara.

Elena immediately picked up the phone.

"Elena, it's bad!"

"I know, Tamara," she said quickly.

"Yes, but... honey, you should see this morning's report. It's not just the central mall, our branches in Italy and Thailand are also dropping in turnover. They're asking—should we stop operations for a while?"

Elena closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Don't panic... let's hold off for now. Let's set up a conference call this afternoon, and I'll explain myself."

"Okay. But you have to be strong, El. This isn't just about your name anymore. It's about thousands of our employees who are starting to fear whether or not they'll get paid tomorrow."

Tamara's voice trailed off, then the line went dead. Elena put the phone on the table, staring blankly out the window. The sky was overcast. Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

Her housekeeper peeked through the surveillance screen and came over to Elena. "Mrs. Elena, we have a visitor from abroad. His name is Mr. Malcolm Reeve. He says... old business partner."

Elena straightened up. "Malcolm?"

She stood up, quickly smoothed her hair, and walked to the door. As soon as the door opened, there stood a tall, middle-aged man in a dark blue suit, immaculately groomed, with a serious face—Mr. Malcolm Reeve, CEO of the Canadian company Reeve Capital.

"Hello, Queen Elena," he said with a small smile. "You look much thinner than the last time we met."

Elena smiled bitterly. "Yeah, skinny from being reported as a bitch all day."

Malcolm came in, looked around for a while, and then sat down on the sofa. "I flew straight in from Toronto last night. The news was too wild. I know you. You're not the person they're accusing you of being."

"You're one of the few people who still believes," Elena said, her eyes starting to turn red.

Malcolm looked at her straight on. "El, you remember when I first invested in your company? I didn't see you as just a businesswoman. I saw you as a leader. You had vision, courage, and pride. That's what I supported. And now, all of that is being crushed by the media, but I know you won't bow down."

Elena looked down. "I'm tired, actually. Tired of having to explain, tired of having to toughen up in front of everyone, even in front of my four children. All of this seems to be built to destroy me from within."

"I know. And that's why I'm here," Malcolm said. "But listen, we need to talk about the state of the company right now. I've gotten a report from my team. This stock drop isn't just because of that video. It's because you're not showing up as a leader anymore."

"I tried," Elena whispered. "But every time I speak up, they say I'm a hypocrite. Even scientific clarifications are accused of being staged. They only see one side."

Malcolm leaned back. "Because you're still playing on their stage. Now, you have to make your own stage."

Elena furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"

"We have a press conference. But not a defensive conference. Not a clarification. But a declaration. I'll stand beside you. We show the financial statements, the restructuring plan. We show the company's success in numbers."

Elena gave Malcolm a long look. "You want to help me?"

"Yes. Because if I back out now, that means I'm a loser too. And I didn't invest trillions of dollars to be a loser," Malcolm replied firmly.

Suddenly, Elena's cell phone rang again. This time it was from the CEO of the Japanese branch.

"Hello, Elena-san. We're getting pressure from local investors. Is there any official statement we can hold on to? They're asking if the board is collapsing."

Elena stood up, glancing at Malcolm. She didn't hesitate anymore.

"Tell them... we will be holding a press conference. And I will speak. Myself."

The connection was cut.

Malcolm stood up, patting her shoulder. "That's the Elena I know."

Elena smiled slightly. "Thanks, Mal. But one thing, yes..."

"What's that?"

"When this is all over... I'm going to find out who spread that fake video. And he... will know what it feels like to be slowly destroyed."

Malcolm gave a small chuckle. "That's my Queen."



The door closed softly after Malcolm's departure. Elena still stood in the center of her living room, looking at the door with mixed feelings. She still felt the warmth of the presence of someone who truly believed in her. But she also felt the weight of a burden that had not disappeared, even though it had been shared.

Not long after, small footsteps could be heard coming from the direction of the private elevator. The doors opened, and two little girls ran in. Olivia and Katty, dressed in their school uniforms, carried bags that seemed heavier than usual—not because of books, but because of the weight of emotions.

"Mommy!" exclaimed Katty, immediately hugging Elena's waist tightly.

Olivia followed, slower, calmer—but her face was red, eyes puffy. Elena immediately knelt down, embracing them both in her arms.

"What's wrong, honey? Why are you...?" Elena's voice was choked.

Katty began to cry harder. "They said... Mommy is a slut. They said Mommy sold herself to own the company. They... they laugh at us and keep humiliating us..."

Olivia wiped away her own tears before looking directly into her mother's eyes. "I... I tried to fight them, Mom. But..." Olivia looked down.

Elena felt her world crumble again. This time it was more painful. This wasn't about reputation, stocks, or investors. This was about her children. Their innocence had to suffer the consequences of the cruel slander of the adult world.

Elena hugged them both tighter. "Sorry... Mommy's sorry, Olivia... Katty... Mommy couldn't protect you."

Elena's tears broke out, muffled between her daughters' hair. She shivered, not because she was cold, but because she was broken.

Olivia pulled her mother's face, then wiped her tears with her tiny hands. "Mommy, don't apologize. Mommy is not wrong. They were wrong. Those crazy people... they don't know who Mommy really is."

Elena smiled through her tears. "But you're victims, baby..."

Katty interrupted, "I don't care! I love Mommy! I want to hug Mommy all the time!"

Elena kissed both of their heads. "Mommy promises... Mommy will fix all of this. Mommy will show the world that Mommy is not like that."

Olivia looked at her mother sternly. "And I promise... I won't cry at school anymore. I'll fight them."

"So will I!" Katty held up her little hand.

A small laugh broke out between sobs. For the first time in many days, there was honest warmth, which was not full of strategy or calculation.

Elena took both her children's hands.

She really wanted this drama to end. She didn't want her children to feel uncomfortable with this news.

"God... please, give me guidance. I don'
t mind if my business empire is destroyed, but don't destroy my good name," Elena said silently.

Continued...