Chapter 4 - The Smear Campaign
The headline on the front page of Seattle’s biggest digital tabloid was trending worldwide within an hour:
"SECRET MRS. EVERHART OR CORPORATE SPY? EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS SHOW CLAIRE BENNETT'S SHADY PAST."
Beneath the headline were grainy, high-resolution photographs taken five years ago. They showed Claire standing outside a federal courthouse in Chicago, accompanied by two armed agents, holding a briefcase.
The article claimed that before marrying Nathaniel Everhart, Claire Bennett had been an undercover federal informant who specialized in bringing down high-net-worth tech companies—and suggested she was currently spying on Everhart Global from the inside.
"Lucas," Claire muttered, staring at the screen. "He had a contingency plan."
Nathaniel took the phone from her hand, scanning the article in seconds. His expression darkened instantly. "He's trying to create doubt among the board members before tomorrow's meeting. If the board thinks you're a threat to the company's stock, they'll demand an independent investigation and freeze your voting rights."
"He's panicking," Claire analyzed coolly, her mind switching entirely into strategic mode. "He knows the financial audit will destroy him tomorrow, so he's trying to destroy my credibility tonight."
"It won't work," Nathaniel said coldly, pulling out his personal phone to call his communications director.
"No, Nate, wait," Claire stopped him, placing her hand over his phone. "If you suppress the story, it looks like a cover-up. The board will get even more paranoid."
"So what do you suggest?"
"Let the story run," Claire said, a sharp, confident glint returning to her gray eyes. "Lucas thinks he exposed my past. He doesn't realize he just walked straight into my trap."
"What trap?"
"Five years ago in Chicago, I wasn't just an informant," Claire revealed quietly. "I was working directly under the Department of Justice to dismantle a fifty-million-dollar money-laundering ring run by Grant Vale—Madison’s father."
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Nathaniel raised an eyebrow, a slow, dangerous smile creeping onto his lips. "You knew who Madison was the moment she stepped into that ballroom."
"I knew everything about her," Claire replied. "And more importantly, I know exactly where her father buried his stolen money. Lucas didn't just leak my past—he linked himself directly to the same financial crime ring I was hired to destroy."
