Lennox's POV
I wake up to sirens.
Not police sirens. Phone sirens. Notification after notification exploding from my cell phone on the nightstand.
It takes me three seconds to remember where I am. Caden's cabin. His arms wrapped around me. My head on his chest. We fell asleep after deciding to meet the kidnappers at midnight—after hours of planning and arguing and finally just holding each other because the world was ending and at least we had this.
Now Caden's arms tighten around me as his phone starts screaming too.
"What the hell?" He reaches for his phone, squinting at the screen.
Then he goes completely still.
"Caden?" I grab my own phone. "What's—"
The screen is filled with notifications. Twitter. Instagram. Facebook. News alerts. Text messages from numbers I don't even know.
They all say the same thing:
BILLIONAIRE'S FAKE ENGAGEMENT EXPOSED
My hands shake as I open the first link.
It's a video. Posted by Victoria Ashford two hours ago. Already has three million views.
I press play.
The video shows Caden and me in the hospital hallway last night. Kissing. Desperate and passionate and completely real. The camera angle is hidden—probably filmed from a doorway or around a corner.
Victoria's voice narrates over the footage: "This is Caden Rivers and Lennox Gray. The 'reunited couple' everyone's been celebrating. Except their engagement is a complete lie. A business arrangement to manipulate my father's company into a merger. Caden told me himself—he's using Lennox's desperation to make me jealous. And now they're caught. Together. Playing their sick games while pretending to be in love."
The video cuts to documents. Our contract. The one Caden and I signed in his office.
How did Victoria get that?
"Duration: Six weeks," Victoria reads dramatically. "Compensation: Medical expenses for Marion Gray. Requirements: Maintain appearance of romantic relationship. This isn't love, Willowbrook. This is fraud. Manipulation. And I have proof."
The video ends with Victoria's tear-stained face. "I loved him. I trusted him. And this is how he repays me—by using a mentally unstable woman to destroy everything we built. Caden Rivers isn't the hero you think he is. He's a liar. And tonight, at the town hall emergency meeting, I'm going to prove it."
The screen goes black.
I can't breathe. Can't think. Can't—
"She stole our contract," Caden says, his voice deadly calm. "She broke into my office and stole private documents."
"Caden." My voice comes out as a whisper. "Three million people just watched that video. Three million people think we're frauds. Think you're a manipulator. Think I'm—" I can't even say it.
Mentally unstable. Victoria called me mentally unstable on camera. To millions of people.
Caden's phone rings. He answers on speaker.
"Mr. Rivers, this is disaster management." His lawyer's voice is sharp. "Victoria Ashford's video went viral in under an hour. Every major news outlet is picking it up. Your investors are panicking. Three have already threatened to pull out. Victoria's father called—he's canceling the merger effective immediately. And the town council just scheduled an emergency meeting for tonight at seven PM. They're demanding you appear and 'explain yourself to the community.'"
"Let them demand," Caden says coldly.
"Sir, with respect, you can't ignore this. The entire town is gathering. Press from Portland is driving in. This is a public execution, and Victoria has the ammunition. She has your contract, witness statements claiming you admitted the engagement was fake, and Marcus Chen is already in Willowbrook with a camera crew ready to film Lennox's 'mental breakdown' for everyone to see."
My stomach turns. Marcus is here.
"There has to be something we can do," I say desperately. "Some way to prove Victoria's lying—"
"She's not lying," the lawyer interrupts. "That's the problem. The contract is real. The fake engagement was real. You can't fight the truth, Miss Gray. You can only control the narrative."
Caden stands, pacing like a caged animal. "Then we control it. We tell our side."
"Your side where you admit to manipulating a business merger?" The lawyer's voice drips skepticism. "Where you confirm you used Miss Gray's family emergency as leverage for a fake relationship? Sir, that makes you look worse, not better."
"I don't care how I look!" Caden explodes. "I care about protecting Lennox from being destroyed by lies!"
The lawyer pauses. "Then you need to decide, Mr. Rivers. Your company or your relationship. Because saving both is impossible at this point."
He hangs up.
Caden stares at his phone like it's a bomb. Outside the cabin, I hear cars pulling up. Voices shouting. A helicopter overhead—news choppers circling.
They found us.
"Caden." I grab his arm. "Maybe your lawyer is right. Maybe you should—"
"Don't." He turns to face me, his golden eyes blazing. "Don't you dare tell me to choose my company over you."
"But you've worked so hard! Built everything! I can't let you lose it all because of me—"
"You think I give a damn about money?" Caden grips my shoulders. "I built an empire to forget you and it didn't work. Every dollar, every success, every achievement meant nothing because you weren't there. I'm not losing you again, Lennox. Not for business. Not for reputation. Not for anything."
Tears blur my vision. "What do we do?"
He cups my face, his thumb brushing my cheek. "We fight. Together. We go to that town hall meeting tonight and we tell the truth. All of it. Vivian's manipulation. Marcus's theft. Victoria's conspiracy. Everything."
"They won't believe us," I whisper. "Victoria has proof. We just have words."
"Then we make them listen." Caden's jaw clenches. "I didn't spend ten years building power to roll over now. But Lennox—" His eyes search mine. "This gets ugly. They'll attack you. Question your mental health. Dig up every mistake you've ever made. Are you ready for that?"
Am I?
Everything in me screams to run. To hide. To protect myself like I've been doing for ten years.
But running is how I lost Caden the first time.
Fighting is how I get to keep him.
"I'm ready," I say firmly. "No more secrets. No more running. We tell the truth and face whatever comes."
Caden's expression shifts—pride and love and fierce determination. "Then let's go to war."
He kisses me hard and fast, then grabs his keys. "We need to get back to town. Gather evidence. Find Jamie and Marion—" He freezes. "God, Marion and Jamie. With everything happening, are they—"
His phone rings again. Unknown number.
Caden answers, and we both hear the voice on the other end.
"Hello, Caden. Hello, Lennox." A voice I don't recognize. Distorted. Mechanical. "I assume you've seen Victoria's video? Beautiful work, wasn't it? But that's just the opening act."
My blood runs cold. "Who is this?"
"Someone who's been waiting a very long time for this moment. Someone who wants to watch both of you suffer before you're destroyed completely. Check your email, Caden. I sent you a gift. Open it. Now."
The line goes dead.
Caden's hands shake as he opens his email. A new message. Subject line: THE REAL TRUTH.
Inside are photos. Dozens of them.
Photos of Caden and me. Throughout the weeks. Intimate moments we thought were private. Him holding me after a nightmare. Me kissing his cheek in the kitchen. Us dancing in his living room to music only we could hear.
Someone has been watching us. Inside the mansion. Inside our private spaces.
"There are cameras," I breathe. "Someone put cameras in your house."
The email continues:
"You thought Victoria was your enemy? She's just a pawn. You thought Vivian was the mastermind? She's just a tool. The real architect of your destruction has been watching for years, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. And tonight, at the town hall, everyone will learn the truth: Caden Rivers isn't the self-made billionaire hero. He's a fraud who built his empire on stolen money, illegal deals, and a foundation of lies. I have the evidence. I have the witnesses. I have everything. See you at seven PM. Don't be late. —The One Who Really Owns You"
Below the message: bank records. Corporate documents. Legal papers with Caden's signature.
All showing illegal activities. Fraud. Embezzlement. Bribery.
My hands shake so badly I drop the phone. "Caden, what is this? These documents—"
"They're fake," he says immediately. "They have to be fake. I've never—"
"But they have your signature. Your company seals. Your—"
"They're FAKE!" His voice breaks. "Lennox, you have to believe me. I built Rivers Tech legally. Everything I did was clean. These documents are forgeries designed to—"
"To destroy you," I finish quietly. "Someone's been planning this for years. Watching us. Manipulating us. Victoria, Vivian, Marcus—they were all just pieces on a chess board."
Caden's face goes pale. "Who has this kind of power? This much patience? This much hate?"
My phone buzzes.
A text from the distorted number:
"Want to know who I am? Come to town hall tonight. Front row seats reserved for the guests of honor. And Lennox? Bring tissues. You're going to need them when you learn what your precious Caden has really been hiding. Some secrets are worth destroying empires for. —Your Biggest Fan"
I look at Caden. He looks at me.
And we both realize the same terrifying truth.
This was never about Victoria's jealousy or Vivian's control.
This was about someone else entirely.
Someone who's been orchestrating everything from the shadows.
Someone who wants to watch us burn.
And in four hours, we're going to meet them face to face.