Hell Hath no fury like a billionaire's Ex

Diane's POV 

The morning sun streamed through the kitchen windows of Joan's beach house, but it did little to warm the ice settling deep in my bones.

I sat at the kitchen table, my hands wrapped around a mug of now-cold tea, staring at the tablet before me with a mixture of disbelief and horror.

"SYNERGY SPHERE GROUP CEO'S WIFE IN CHEATING SCANDAL!" the headline screamed, accompanied by a photo of me from happier times, my smile now seeming forced and fake under the harsh light of accusation.

I couldn't believe it had come to this. Just days ago, our divorce had been a private matter, known only to our closest friends and family. But Liam, Furious over the court's ruling on our prenup, he decided to play dirty and take the battle public —and the tabloids were his weapon of choice.

The tabloids were having a field day. Every day seemed to bring new story, each article more outrageous than the last.

I was painted as a scheming gold-digger, a manipulative villain who married him for his money. The irony? Liam was the cheater, the liar, the one trying to leave me with nothing. But the truth didn't sell newspapers. Lies did. And now they were calling me the unfaithful one.

But this latest article... This was a new low. They were accusing me of infidelity, implying that was the real reason for our divorce. The story was completely fabricated, of course, but that didn't stop the nausea feeling in my stomach as I read through each word.

"Diane?" Joan's voice broke through my thoughts. She stood in the doorway, concern etched on her face. "Are you okay? You've been staring at that tablet for an hour."

I looked up at her, feeling the sting of tears in my eyes. "They're saying I cheated on him, Joan. They're saying that's why we're getting divorced."

Joan's face hardened as she quickly pcame to sit beside me, taking the tablet to read the article herself. As she did, I could see the anger building in her eyes.

"This is defamation," she said finally, her voice tight with controlled fury. "We can sue them for this."

I shook my head, feeling suddenly exhausted. "What's the point? They'll just print a tiny retraction on page 50 and keep spinning their lies. I can't... I can't take this anymore, Joan. They're making me look like some kind of monster. How can they print these lies?"

Joan reached out and squeezed my hand. "I know it's hard, Diane, but we need to stay strong. Remember what I said - we don't engage with the media. Let them talk. We'll do our talking in court." All you have to do is take a deep breath and relax, if not for anything, for the sake of your health.

I nodded, trying to draw strength from her words. But as the days went on and the stories got wilder, I found it harder and harder to stay silent.

Every trip to the grocery store, every walk on the beach, felt like running a challenge. I could feel eyes on me, hear the whispers behind my back.

Joan was my rock through it all. She screened my calls, filtered my emails, and did her best to create a santuary of calm around me. But she couldn't shield me from everything.

One morning, as I scrolled through yet another vicious article on my phone, something inside me snapped. Before I could think better of it, I was dialing Liam's number.

He answered on the third ring. "Diane," he said, his voice cool and composed. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"How could you, Liam?" I hissed, my voice shaking with fury. "How could you stoop so low? These lies, these stories - do you have any idea what you're doing?"

There was a pause, and then I heard something that made my blood run cold: Liam was laughing.

"Oh, Diane," he said, his voice dripping with condescension. "You still don't get it, do you? This is just the beginning. I told you I'd ruin you if you didn't agree to my terms. You should have listened."

I felt like I'd been slapped. "You're despicable," I whispered.

"No," Liam replied, his voice hardening. "I'm a businessman. And right now, you're bad for business. So either you sign the agreement and walk away quietly, or I'll make sure there's nothing left of your reputation to salvage. Your choice."

The line went dead. I stood there, phone still pressed to my ear, feeling as if the ground had dropped out from under me.

"Diane?" Joan's voice came from behind me.

 "What happened?"

I turned to her, my eyes wide with shock. "It was Liam. He... he said this is just the beginning. That he's going to ruin me if I don't agree to his terms."

Joan's face set in a grim line. "He admitted to being behind the stories?"

I nodded, still dazed.

"Good," Joan said, a determined glint in her eye. "That's exactly what we needed. Diane, I know this is hard, but we're going to get through this. Liam just made a huge mistake, and we're going to use it to our advantage."

As Joan began outlining our next steps, I felt a tiny flutter in my belly - one of the babies moving. I placed a hand over the spot, drawing comfort from the reminder of what I was fighting for.

Liam might think he had the upper hand, but I was done being a victim. Who does he really think he is? He thinks he can break me after everything? He's certainly must be mistaken.

I know I might not have control over how he had painted me to the world and media, but one thing is certain, I am going to take my own pound of flesh.

He would never see this coming. He wants to play dirty right, he would see dirty.

So let Liam and the tabloids do their worst. In the end, the truth would come out. And when it did, I would be ready.