Chapter 86

Chapter 86

In the afternoon, Elena, Nathan, and the children returned to the apartment. The children had already gone up to their rooms.

Nathan closed the door and took off his tie as he took a deep breath.

"Wife, would you like some hot tea?" he asked as he headed for the kitchen.

"Sure," Elena replied from the living room. She slipped off her shoes and sat on the sofa. "I think my neck is a little sore..."

Before Nathan could make it to the kitchen, the television automatically turned on—a smart feature that instantly brought up the breaking news from the local channel.

Breaking news! A shocking scandalous video has been widely circulated for the past hour. It is strongly suspected that the woman in the video is Elena—the famous designer, Queen Elisabeth.

Nathan immediately stopped walking. Elena looked quickly at the screen.

The two-minute video showed a naked woman riding the body of a middle-aged man identified as William Hargrave, 55, Elena's former business partner at the German branch. The scene took place in a luxury hotel in Berlin, allegedly filmed secretly but clearly showing the woman's face.

Elena's eyes widened. "What the hell is this?"

Her face immediately turned pale as blurry footage of the video appeared on the screen. Although it was censored, the body shape, hair, and expression of the woman in the video—all resembled her. It was too obvious to be called a coincidence.

"No, it's not me... it's not me..." she hissed, voice barely above a whisper.

Nathan walked over, bending down to be level with Elena's face. "Elena, calm down. It's a fabrication. Believe me."

But the news continued.

The impact? Shares in several branches of Queen Elena's company immediately plummeted 19 percent on the European market. Asian markets followed suit. Investors pulled out. The head office in New York issued a statement that they were investigating the veracity of the video. And in many major cities, mall branches were again protested—calling for boycotts and permanent closures.

Elena clutched her chest, her breathing becoming ragged. She tried to speak, but her voice was choked.

Nathan stood up immediately, turning off the television quickly.

"Elena! Hey, look at me. Calm down, catch your breath. Don't panic, okay?"

But Elena's body was shaking. Her eyes were blank, her hands gripping the cushions on the sofa. Then without warning, her body wavered, falling to the side.

"Elena!"

Nathan caught her before she hit the floor.

"Elena?! Honey?! Can you hear me?"

There was no response. Elena was already unconscious.

Nathan picked her up and carried her into the room, lowering her carefully onto the bed. His heart was racing. He grabbed his cell phone, preparing to call the paramedics, but just then, Elena started to regain consciousness, moaning softly.

"El... can you hear me?" whispered Nathan, holding his wife's hand.

"I..." Elena opened her eyes slowly, tears in her eyes. "Nathan... all this will destroy what I’ve built..."

"No," Nathan shook his head quickly. "We'll fight back. I'm going to make sure everyone who spread that video is prosecuted!"

Elena's tears welled up. "I don’t think I’ve ever even met that person. That video is too real, Husband. His face is clear. It'll be strong evidence that I can't prove otherwise."

Nathan gripped Elena's hand tighter. "We'll find out who's behind this. You have many enemies, my wife. And I'm sure this isn't a coincidence after you've built a successful business empire."

Elena closed her eyes. "The company could collapse. All my years of hard work will..."

Nathan stood up, ruffling his hair in frustration. "Wife, you need to calm down, okay?"

Nathan picked up his cell phone, calling his personal assistant.

"Get a digital forensics team ready tonight. Send them to the house. I want that video taken apart—edits, metadata, who uploaded it first. I want to know everything before sunrise."

His voice was cold and sharp. It was as if his protective instincts had been fully activated.

Then he turned to Elena, who was still lying weakly on the bed.

"I promise, whoever dares to bring you down will be made to regret it."

Elena opened her eyes, looking at her husband who stood like a fortress. Although her mind was foggy, she knew one thing—she was not alone.

But their enemy now was not just scandal... not just Damian and not just Isabella.

\---

The apartment door rang three times.

Nathan turned his head quickly toward the door, while Elena, who was still sitting weakly on the edge of the bed, immediately felt her chest getting tight. Her voice was still hoarse as she whispered, "Who's here at this time of night?"

Nathan walked over to the intercom and pressed the display button. Damian Lancaster's face instantly appeared on the small screen, standing with a woman—Isabella—and an old man with a briefcase who looked like a lawyer.

"He dares to come here?!" growled Nathan.

"Just open it," Elena whispered. "I want to hear his bullshit for myself."

Nathan opened the door slowly, standing firmly on the threshold, not letting anyone in.

Damian gave a small, polite bow of his head. "Mr. Nathan. We don't want to make a fuss. I just wanted to hand this over officially." He held up a folder of legal documents.

"You should be ashamed to show up here after all you've done," Nathan muttered sharply.

Isabella interrupted, "We're just enforcing rights. Damian has legal rights to his own flesh and blood."

Elena appeared behind Nathan, her face pale but her gaze sharp. "Speaking of rights, why didn’t you even want them in the first place, Damian?"

Damian stepped forward, handing Elena a document. "Time changes things. And now I just want to fix everything—for Alva."

Elena pushed the folder to the floor. "You think I’d let you pick it up after you threw us away like trash?"

Damian’s lawyer immediately bent down to pick up the fallen folder. "Mrs. Elena, we are appealing for custody of the child named Alva. Based on the DNA test results and the conditions listed in this document—"

"Enough!" Elena stepped forward, and without thinking, slapped Damian hard. The sound of the slap echoed in the living room.

Isabella was stunned. "What a slut—!"

Isabella raised her hand to retaliate, but before it could touch Elena, Nathan had already made his move.

Nathan gripped Isabella’s wrist firmly. "Touch my wife one more time, and I’ll make sure your hand is unusable."

Isabella stiffened, enduring the pain, but not daring to resist.

Damian pulled Isabella’s arm. "That's it. We don’t need to make a scene here."

Elena looked at Damian straight on. "You want my son? You wait in court. But don’t ever think I’ll stay silent. And if you think you can use money and power to destroy me, you're sadly mistaken."

Nathan nodded. "Now get out. Before I call security."

Damian took the folder back from his lawyer's hand. "See you in court. And Elena... you won’t win this time."

Nathan closed the door as Damian turned around. The sound of a key turning twice.

Silence fell over the room. Elena stood still, then sighed softly, "We have to outrun them. I’ll call my lawyer tomorrow."

Nathan pulled Elena into his arms. "We'll fight them together. They think they're smart, but they forget you’re no ordinary woman."

Elena gave a small nod. In Nathan's arms, even as the world outside began to burn away everything she’d built.

Continued...