Tania paced back and forth in her lavish living room, her mind racing with frantic thoughts. She hadn’t slept properly in days, and the mounting pressure of everything falling apart gnawed at her nerves. Ella’s boys, Leo and Liam, were the only remaining cards she had to play. If she could get her hands on them, she could still hold power over Ella and Ethan.
Pulling out her phone, she scrolled through her contacts and found Fred’s name. Fred was a man with connections, someone she had used before to take care of problems. She tapped his number, biting her lip as she waited for him to answer.
“Fred, it’s me,” she said sharply when he picked up. “I need you to find someone for me two boys. Their names are Leo and Liam. Trace their location and bring them to me.”
Fred hesitated on the other end, his voice cautious. “Kidnapping kids? That’s risky business, Tania.”
“I don’t care,” she snapped, her patience thinning. “I’m paying you to do a job. Find them and bring them to me. They’re important.”
“Fine,” Fred replied, though there was an edge to his tone. “But it’s going to cost you.”
Tania rolled her eyes. “Money is the least of your concerns. Just get it done.”
She ended the call and tossed her phone onto the couch. Frustration boiled inside her, and she cursed under her breath. She needed to contact Fabian. He was the only other person she could rely on, even if their relationship had soured after everything that had happened. He had gone silent, and that only made her more anxious. She couldn’t afford for him to disappear now not when she still had leverage over him.
Tania dialed Fabian’s number but, as expected, there was no answer. She slammed the phone down in frustration and stared at it for a moment, her mind racing. Then she decided to send him a text, her fingers flying across the screen:
“If you don’t respond, I’ll have Grace killed. Don’t test me, Fabian.”
She sent the message, hoping that the threat would get a reaction out of him. But deep down, a wave of panic was starting to rise. Fabian had always been unpredictable, and if he decided to turn against her, she was on her own.
Tania sank down onto the couch, her hands trembling slightly as she stared at her phone, waiting for any sign of a response. Nothing. Just the eerie silence of her penthouse. The ticking of the clock felt like a countdown her time was running out, and she knew it.
Her mind wandered back to that night with Fabian, the one mistake that could unravel everything. They hadn’t used protection, and now… now there was a possibility that she could be pregnant. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. It had been weeks since she last saw her period, but with everything going on, she hadn’t even noticed.
“Shit,” she muttered under her breath, clutching her stomach in a moment of dread. This was the last thing she needed, a pregnancy, especially with all the chaos surrounding her. But she pushed the thought aside. She had more immediate concerns. She would deal with the pregnancy later.
For now, she had to focus on getting those boys. They were her last hope of holding onto any semblance of control.
Tania’s fingers hovered over the screen as a new idea formed in her mind. If she couldn’t get to the boys immediately, she could still spin the narrative in her favor and strike at Ella from another angle. She needed to control the public perception, and that meant dragging Ethan and Ella’s names through the mud.
Opening a fresh document, she started drafting a scandalous story to release to the press. Tania was no stranger to manipulating the media, and she knew just how to craft the narrative in a way that would ignite a firestorm of rumors. She began typing feverishly:
“Billionaire Ethan Divorces Wife Over Rekindled Romance with Ex-Wife Ella”
Sources reveal that Ethan , the billionaire businesman , has filed for divorce from his wife, Tania. The reason? The unexpected return of his former flame, Ella, who has recently been spotted reconnecting with the billionaire. Insiders claim that Ethan has been distant from his current family, especially his wife and their child, Grace, in favor of pursuing this rekindled romance. Many are already calling Ella a homewrecker, accusing her of disrupting the peace in the Stanton household. The question remains: Is Ethan willing to abandon his family for a woman from his past?
Tania paused, a wicked smile forming on her lips. This would stir the pot perfectly. She continued typing, adding more inflammatory details about Ella’s supposed manipulation:
“Ella has been seen frequenting high-profile events, strategically positioning herself back in Ethan’s life, all while knowing that he has a young child with Tania. Some sources close to the situation even speculate that Ella is orchestrating this entire situation to win back Ethan and his fortune, regardless of the collateral damage it may cause. This has left Tania in a vulnerable position, with friends expressing concern for her well-being as she navigates this heartbreaking betrayal.”
Tania’s heart raced with satisfaction as she imagined the chaos this story would cause. The public would eat it up. She added a few more lines about how Ethan had been spotted meeting with divorce lawyers and how rumors of his unhappiness in his marriage had been circulating for months.
Before she sent the draft to her trusted journalist contact, she made sure to emphasize the “insider sources” that supported these wild claims, fully aware that the media would latch onto any juicy story truth or not. She hit send, knowing it was only a matter of time before the headlines blew up and Ethan would be left scrambling to deal with the fallout.
Meanwhile, across town, Ethan sat in his office, sifting through documents regarding the funds Tania had embezzled. He was close to recovering the stolen money, but the stress of managing the fallout from Tania’s deceit had already taken its toll on his business and personal life. He rubbed his temples, feeling the weight of it all pressing down on him.
Just as he was about to sign off on the final report, his phone buzzed with multiple notifications. Frowning, he picked it up and saw the latest headline flash across the screen.
“Billionaire Ethan Leaving His Wife for Ex-Wife Ella: Scandalous Love Triangle Exposed!”
Ethan’s stomach dropped as he read the sensationalized article, his blood boiling at the sight of Ella’s name being dragged into the mess yet again. The story painted her as a conniving homewrecker, and him as an irresponsible man abandoning his family for an old flame. It was all lies. His marriage to Tania was already on the rocks, and the last thing he needed was for the world to think he was betraying his child for a relationship that hadn’t even rekindled.
He clenched his jaw, knowing immediately that this was Tania’s doing. She was playing dirty, and the timing couldn’t be worse. His company was still dealing with the ripple effects of the previous article Ella had released, which had inadvertently brought unwanted attention to his company. The media frenzy back then had caused stockholders to panic, and now this new story threatened to do even more damage. His reputation was being shredded before his eyes.
Slamming his fist on the desk, Ethan paced the room, his frustration growing with every step. Tania was using every trick in the book to paint herself as the victim, and he was furious that Ella was being dragged into the chaos. She had been through enough.
He grabbed his phone and dialed his PR team.
“We need to shut this down now,” he barked as soon as they picked up. “I don’t care what it takes, issue a statement refuting this garbage. Make it clear that Tania’s the one who’s been lying and that I’m not leaving my family for anyone, especially not Ella. Do it fast.”
As he hung up, Ethan collapsed into his chair, running a hand through his hair in frustration. His mind raced with thoughts of how this new scandal could affect his business deals, especially since he was on the brink of securing a major contract. Investors hated drama, and Tania knew exactly how to press his buttons by involving Ella.
His phone buzzed again. This time, it was a text from Ella.
“What the hell is this new story about us?”
Ethan stared at the message, his heart heavy. He knew Ella was probably fuming, and he couldn’t blame her. With all the chaos Tania had caused, this was just one more complication neither of them needed.
Taking a deep breath, he texted back:
“I’m handling it. I’m sorry she’s dragging you into this again. I’ll fix it, I promise.”
But even as he hit send, Ethan felt the sinking realization that fixing this mess was going to be far more difficult than he’d hoped.