Chapter 88

Chapter 88
The sound of a car door closing loudly boomed in the hotel's basement parking lot. Damian pushed Isabella into the back seat of their black SUV. His face was red, his eyes blazing wildly.

"Shut up! Don’t open your mouth, not one word!" he hissed, his breath catching.

Isabella staggered into the car, her feet dragging on the floor. As soon as the door closed, Damian entered from the other side, sitting next to her and immediately closing the glass partition between them and the driver.

"I’ll ask you again, ISABELLA—IS THIS TRUE?!"

Isabella twisted her body, her face still wet with tears. "Damian... I can explain..."

"EXPLAIN?!" Damian shouted so loudly that the window shook. "The whole world saw that video! That’s your face! Your body! In a hotel bed with a fucking stranger! You... You’ve ruined my reputation!"

Isabella grabbed Damian’s arm. "Please, listen to me first. I’m doing this for you... for our company. We need investors, Damian! You know that! They wouldn’t give me money unless I gave them something more!"

Damian hissed harshly, shifted his body away, and hit the back of the seat with his fist. "So your solution is to SELL YOURSELF?! Do you think I’m that desperate?!"

Isabella shook her head hard, sobbing. "It’s not like that. I... I thought if they were happy, they’d sign the contract. We could rise again. I just... I didn’t know the video would get out!"

Damian gave her a disgusted look.

"You think I can sit in a boardroom, meeting clients, investors, the media... with everyone knowing my wife slept with investors?!"

The atmosphere in the car tensed. Damian didn’t blink. Then suddenly, he jumped at Isabella, his hands clinging to his wife’s neck.

"I’M DESTROYED BECAUSE OF YOU!" he screamed, gripping harder.

Isabella struggled in panic. "Dami—Damian! Help! Let go—"

But Damian didn’t stop. His eyes were blank, full of anger. His hands continued to squeeze.

Isabella clawed at her husband’s arm, trying to catch her breath, but the strangled sounds coming from her throat grew louder.

"I’ve been publicly humiliated... you think I can forgive that?!" whispered Damian through gritted teeth. "You’re NOT my wife anymore! You’re poison! You’re disgusting."

Isabella’s nails were no longer clawing. Her hands fell limply to her sides. Her eyes were half open. Her face paled.

Only then did Damian stop. His breathing was labored, his chest rising and falling uncontrollably. He stared at the woman he had once called love, now slumped unconscious in the car seat.

It took a full five seconds before he realized what he had just done.

"Isabella?" he murmured softly, patting his wife’s cheek.

There was no response.

"Isabella?!"

Damian panicked. He grabbed Isabella’s shoulders, shaking her. But she remained silent, her body like a wet rag.

"FUCK!"

He opened the car door roughly, got out, and ran to the other side, pulling the door open and calling out again. "Isabella, wake up! I SAID WAKE UP!"

Damian pulled out his cell phone, about to call someone—anyone. But his hands were shaking, his mind a mess. In an instant, the whole world he was trying to master collapsed like a tower of cards.

There was no sound. Only the roar of the car’s air conditioner and the faint buzzing from outside. He stared at Isabella for a long time. Then, with a heavy sigh, he lowered his head, leaning his back against the car door, his blank gaze fixed on the ceiling.

Damian Lancaster—the ambitious man, the cold-blooded businessman—now only looked like a remnant of his former self. Humiliated in front of the world, slapped by reality, and now dealing with the destruction he helped create himself.

"AH! SHIT!"

\---

Afternoon sunlight slipped in through the white curtains of the apartment’s living room. Elena sat back on the sofa, a cup of hot tea in her hand. Her gaze was fixed on the large television screen on the wall, where the latest news from international business channels was being shown.

^After the video scandal that sparked huge controversy last week, Lancaster Group’s shares have now plunged another 35% on the New York and London exchanges. A number of major investors pulled out after it was revealed that the woman in the video was not Elena Elisabeth, but Isabella Monroe, the wife of Lancaster’s own CEO.^

Elena let out a long breath, then smiled a little. Not a triumphant smile, but more like a deep sense of relief.

"Finally...," she whispered softly, leaning her head against the back of the sofa.

Nathan came in from the kitchen, carrying a plate of snacks. "Did you see the news?"

Elena nodded slowly. "Yes. It’s hard to believe after all the pressure, all the hate from the public... the truth finally came out."

Nathan sat beside her, taking her hand. "You deserve justice, Elena. And today, the world finally saw who was really wrong."

Elena smiled sadly. "It’s funny... a month ago they wanted to burn everything I built. Today they turn around, as if they were always on my side."

As if to answer her thoughts, the television screen displayed the comment sections of various social media that were flooded with apologies.

^We misjudged Queen Elena, forgive us.
Elena is a symbol of female power, sorry for our prejudice.
Boycott canceled! Reopen Queen outlets in our city!^

Nathan pointed at the screen. "Look at that. They realize you’re not the culprit. The public can be cruel, but sometimes they also know how to apologize."

Before Elena could reply, her phone vibrated. Tamara’s name appeared on the screen. Elena picked it up quickly.

"Tamara, what’s wrong?"

"El, you’re not going to believe this. Your company’s shares in Tokyo are up 22% since this morning. Paris is following suit. Even the mall in the city center that asked for the branch to close yesterday contacted us today and asked for the reopening of your store as soon as possible," Tamara said excitedly.

Elena paused for a moment, incredulous. "Seriously?"

"I’m serious, El. Even some celebrities in Asia are starting to show support for your products again. Many of them have apologized for joining the boycott campaign."

Elena looked at Nathan, then back at the phone. "Tamara... thank you. Thank you for sticking by my side through the storm!"

"I know who you are, El. And now everyone else does too."

The call ended. Elena lowered her phone slowly, staring out the window for a moment.

"I thought it was over," she said softly. "It’s only the beginning."

Nathan touched her shoulder gently. "A new beginning. With your good name back, and your enemies starting to get hit with their own karma."

The television screen switched back to the breaking news.

^Isabella Monroe reportedly lost consciousness in her husband’s private car after a violent argument. Damian Lancaster has yet to make an official statement.^

Elena squinted. "What exactly happened between them?"

Nathan shook his head slowly. "I don’t know. But it looks like they’re on their way out, and not because we took them down."

Elena nodded. "The truth does take time. But when it comes, it comes with a power that cannot be denied."

For the first time in weeks, Elena’s smile was no longer a bitter smile. It was the smile of a woman who had survived, stood up, and shown herself again.

Calmly, she leaned against Nathan’s shoulder.

"We have a trial for Alva the day after tomorrow," she said.

Nathan kissed her forehead briefly. "And we’ll win that, too."

Elena closed her eyes for a moment. Today might not be the end of the struggle, but it was a turning point. She knew the storm wasn’t over. But she also knew—she was no longer alone in facing it.

To be continued...