Chapter 13 - Blood in the Water
The public retaliation was swifter and dirtier than I anticipated. By noon the following day, a coordinated tabloid blitz hit the internet. A viral blog titled The Heartless Heiress published selectively edited photos from the day Leo was born, claiming that I had staged my medical emergency to deny a loving father his rights. Paid bots swarmed my foundation's social media pages, demanding corporate boycotts and calling for my resignation as COO.
Victoria Foster had even gone live on an internet talk show, weeping crocodile tears as she claimed her family had been driven into poverty by the "ruthless Brooks monopoly."
"They took my son's company! They threw his clothes into the street!" Victoria wailed on screen, holding up a blurry photograph of Dominic holding Leo on the day of his birth. "My boy made one mistake during a stressful week, and this billionaire princess used her father's private security to destroy our lives!"
Sitting in the executive boardroom of Brooks Tower, Julian Hayes watched the video feed on the wall-mounted screen before clicking the remote to mute it.
"It’s amateurish," Julian said, his voice flat with distaste. "Whoever is backing Dominic didn't just stumble into this. Blackwood Capital is run by Victor Vance—David Vance's estranged brother. Victor has held a grudge against your family ever since your father bought out his shipping terminals in Rotterdam ten years ago."
My father stood by the panoramic window, his hands clasped behind his back, watching the rain beat against the glass. "Victor Vance is a scavenger. He knows he can't beat Brooks Global in an open market, so he's trying to use Dominic as a blunt weapon to damage our brand and force a settlement on our deep-water port leases."
"They're using my son as leverage," I said, my voice cold and lethal. "They think because I'm a mother, I'll fold under public scrutiny. They think I'll write Dominic a five-million-dollar check just to make the headlines go away."
"What do you want to do, Audrey?" Julian asked, turning to me. His eyes held complete confidence in my abilities. He wasn't offering to fight my battle; he was offering to stand beside me while I waged it.
"I want to end this once and for all," I said, standing up. "Dominic thinks he can play the public relations game because he thinks the public loves an underdog. But the public loves the truth even more. Marcus!"
Marcus stepped forward from the door, his earpiece glowing faintly blue. "Yes, Miss Audrey?"
"Release the full, unedited security footage from the hospital curb," I commanded. "The surveillance cameras at the maternity entrance captured every single second of that morning. The audio recorded Dominic telling me to take the bus with thirty-two surgical staples in my stomach. The video shows him tossing the diaper bag into the trunk and speeding off toward Carbone while his newborn son shivered in the cold."
Marcus gave a sharp nod. "The high-definition files are already formatted and watermarked with legal timestamps, ma'am."
"And what about Blackwood Capital?" my father asked, a proud gleam entering his eyes.
"Julian," I said, looking at the maritime heir. "Didn't you say Hayes Maritime held forty percent of the debt notes on Blackwood's dry docks in Savannah?"
Julian's lips curved into a dangerous, slow smile. "Due for refinancing this Friday at midnight, actually."
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"Call the loan, Julian," I said smoothly. "Foreclose on their docks. Strip Victor Vance of his liquidity before he can even pay his legal retainers. Let's show these scavengers what happens when they try to use a Brooks child as a pawn."
Julian picked up his phone without hesitation. "Consider it done."
