Chapter 16
Security moved toward Cameron, but the damage was done. Every camera in the room swung toward Izzy and Alex.
"Is it true?" a reporter shouted. "Was the engagement fake?"
Alex stepped forward, but Izzy grabbed his arm. "Don't. Let me handle this."
"Izzy...."
"Trust me."
She walked down the stairs, directly toward Cameron and the cameras. The room went silent.
"Yes," she said clearly. "It started as a business arrangement."
The ballroom erupted. Reporters shouted over each other. Guests gasped. Cameras flashed like lightning.
Cameron's smile widened. "There you have it. The grieving widower hired a woman to play his girlfriend."
"I wasn't finished," Izzy said, voice cutting through the noise. "Alex hired me because he was drowning. The media was destroying him, his business partners were circling like sharks, and he couldn't function under the scrutiny. He needed someone to stand beside him so he could do his actual job: running a foundation that helps thousands of people."
She looked directly at the cameras. "Was it unconventional? Yes. Was it dishonest? Initially. But here's what Cameron and the rest of you don't know: somewhere between the photo shoots and the board meetings and the media training, it became real."
Alex stared at her from the stage.
"I fell in love with a man who donated anonymously to employees' medical bills. Who memorized the names of every staff member's children? Who spent nights reviewing grant applications instead of sleeping because he wanted to make sure every dollar went to someone who needed it." Her voice strengthened. "Cameron, you want to expose a fraud? Expose yourself. Tell them how Vivienne Dane paid you twenty thousand dollars to sabotage our relationship."
Cameron's smile faltered. "That's a lie..."
"I have the bank records," Sophie called out, holding up her phone. "Wired to Cameron's account three weeks ago. The same day he texted Izzy wanting to 'talk.'"
The cameras turned on Cameron.
"Tell them how Vivienne orchestrated this whole thing," Izzy continued. "How she planted evidence, bribed employees, tried to destroy the foundation from the inside. How she systematically abused her own sister until Lila couldn't tell reality from manipulation."
"You can't prove that," Cameron said, but his voice was shaking.
"We have a signed confession. Sealed, but we'll release it if you don't leave right now."
A reporter jumped in. "Ms. Dane confessed to abusing Lila Blackwood?"
"She confessed to fraud, manipulation, and violating medical privacy laws," Sophie said. "Rachel Chen, former foundation employee, has agreed to testify. We have recordings, emails, and bank statements showing a pattern of systematic abuse spanning eighteen months."
The reporters immediately pivoted. "Where is Vivienne Dane now?"
"Do you have evidence that Lila's death was connected to the abuse?"
"Will there be criminal charges?"
Julian appeared beside Izzy. "There will be a full investigation. We're cooperating with authorities to ensure everyone responsible for Lila's suffering is held accountable."
"Including Alex?" a reporter asked.
"Alex just confessed to his failures publicly," Julian said. "He owned his part in Lila's unhappiness. But there's a difference between being an absent husband and systematically destroying someone's mental health for financial gain. Vivienne did the latter."
Cameron tried to back toward the door, but reporters blocked his path.
"Mr. Parker, how much were you paid?"
"Did you know about the abuse?"
"Are you working with Vivienne Dane?"
Cameron's face went red. "I want a lawyer."
"That's not a denial," a reporter noted.
Security finally reached Cameron, escorting him out through a side entrance. The reporters followed like a school of piranhas.
The ballroom descended into chaos. Guests talked over each other. Phones lit up as people called friends, posted to social media, and texted their lawyers.
Alex descended the stairs, moving straight to Izzy. "What just happened?"
"I think we just started a war," she said.
"You told them you love me."
"I know."
"On camera. In front of five hundred people."
"I noticed."
"Did you mean it?"
Izzy looked at him, at this brilliant, broken, impossibly stubborn man who'd somehow become the center of her entire world in sixty days.
"Yes," she said. "I meant it."
Alex kissed her. Right there, in front of the cameras and the reporters and the entire ballroom.
When they broke apart, the crowd was applauding.
"Well," Sophie said, appearing beside them with two champagne flutes, "that's one way to control the narrative."
By midnight, the story had exploded across every news outlet.
"Foundation CEO's Fake Romance Becomes Real Love Story"
"Vivienne Dane Accused of Abusing Sister Before Suicide"
"Whistleblower Exposes Systematic Manipulation of Lila Blackwood"
Izzy scrolled through her phone in Alex's apartment, still wearing the four-thousand-dollar dress. Alex sat beside her, bow tie undone, reading the same articles.
"Vivienne's lawyer released a statement," he said. "Denying everything, calling it a conspiracy to tarnish her reputation."
"She signed a confession."
"Which we can't release without opening ourselves to a civil suit. The agreement specified it stays sealed unless she violates the terms again."
"Showing up at the gala violated the terms."
"Technically, she left when asked. Our lawyers say it's a gray area." Alex tossed his phone aside. "She's going to fight this."
"Let her. Rachel's going public tomorrow. Once her story's out, the media will do our job for us."
"And Cameron?"
"Arrested for trespassing and disorderly conduct. Sophie's pressing charges for harassment and attempted fraud." Izzy smiled grimly. "He picked the wrong woman to mess with."
Alex pulled her close. "You were incredible tonight. The way you turned the entire thing around..."
"I just told the truth."
"You saved me. Again."
"We saved each other." Izzy rested her head on his shoulder. "What happens now?"
"Now we figure out what a real relationship looks like. Without contracts or deadlines or media strategies."
"Sounds terrifying."
"Absolutely." Alex kissed the top of her head. "But I'd rather be terrified with you than safe without you."
Izzy's phone buzzed. A text from her landlord: *Saw the news. Guess you can afford rent now. Want to re-sign the lease?*
She laughed. "My landlord thinks I'm rich."
"You're engaged to a billionaire. Technically, you are."
"About that." Izzy sat up. "The engagement. Do we keep it or...?"
"What do you want?"
"I want to know you're asking because you want to, not because it's convenient or because the media expects it."
Alex took her hand, slid off the ring—the same ring he'd given her two months ago in his office. Then he got down on one knee.
"Izzy Morrison. You're the most stubborn, brilliant, impossible woman I've ever met. You walked into my life when I was drowning and refused to let me go under. You called me on my mistakes, pushed me to be better, and somehow made me believe I deserved a second chance." His voice was steady. "I'm not asking you to save me. I'm asking you to build something with me. Something real, messy, complicated, and worth fighting for. Will you marry me? For real this time?"
Izzy felt tears streaming down her face. "You're doing this in a four-thousand-dollar dress I'm too scared to sit down in."
"Is that a yes?"
"Of course it's a yes, you idiot."
He slid the ring back on her finger. This time, it meant something completely different.
The next morning, Rachel Chen held a press conference.
She stood in front of a dozen cameras, hands shaking but voice clear, and told the world what Vivienne Dane had done to Lila Blackwood.
The emails. The fabricated evidence. The bribed therapist. The systematic isolation and manipulation.
By noon, three more former employees had come forward with similar stories. By evening, the district attorney's office announced an investigation into possible criminal charges.
Vivienne's lawyer issued another denial. But the public had already decided.
Social media exploded with support for Lila, outrage at Vivienne, and surprising sympathy for Alex.
"People are calling him brave," Sophie reported, scrolling through Twitter. "For admitting his failures publicly. For holding himself accountable."
"He is brave," Izzy said.
They were in Alex's office, watching the news coverage. Julian sat in the corner, quiet but present.
"The foundation's donation page crashed," Sophie continued. "Too many people are trying to contribute at once. We've raised two million dollars in twelve hours."
"Lila would've loved that," Julian said softly. "All this chaos resulting in actual good."
Alex looked at his brother. "You staying in New York?"
"For a while. Thought I'd stick around, make sure you don't screw this up." Julian nodded at Izzy. "She seems like one of the good ones. Try not to lose her."
"I'm trying."
"Try harder."
Izzy's phone buzzed. Unknown number. She almost ignored it, then saw the preview: *This is Vivienne. We need to talk.*
She showed Alex.
"Don't respond," he said immediately.
"What if she's ready to confess publicly? End this quietly?"
"She's never done anything quietly in her life."
But Izzy was already typing: *One conversation. My lawyer is present. Public location.*
The response came instantly: *Tomorrow. 2 pm. The Conservatory Garden. Come alone or I won't show.*
"She wants to meet," Izzy said.
"Absolutely not."
"Alex—"
"She's dangerous. She's desperate. I'm not letting you anywhere near her."
"She can't do anything in a public park in broad daylight."
"You don't know what she's capable of."
Julian stood up. "Then I'll go with her. Stay out of sight, but close enough to intervene if needed."
"Julian—"
"I spent two years letting you handle everything alone," Julian said. "Let me help now."
Alex looked between them, jaw tight. Finally, he nodded. "You wear a wire. Sophie monitors it remotely. First sign of trouble, we call the police."
"Deal," Izzy said.
The Conservatory Garden was peaceful at 2 pm. Tourists wandered the pathways, taking photos of the flowers.
Vivienne sat on a bench near the fountain, wearing sunglasses despite the overcast sky.
Izzy approached slowly. Julian was somewhere behind her, invisible but present. The wire was taped under her shirt, transmitting everything to Sophie's laptop three blocks away.
"You came," Vivienne said.
"You asked me to."
"I wasn't sure you would. After everything."
Izzy sat down, leaving space between them. "What do you want, Vivienne?"
Vivienne was quiet for a long moment. When she spoke, her voice was different. Smaller. "To tell you I'm sorry."