THE DISABLED HEIRESS, MY EX-HUSBAND WOULD PAY DEARLY.

At that moment she leaned back into the couch, exhaling softly, her thoughts running through names and faces connected to James. How many more shares were floating around in the hands of his people? How many could she trace and reclaim before James made his next move? The questions lingered, but before she could plan her next step, the sharp vibration of her phone against the table broke her concentration.

Then Cora glanced toward it lazily at first, but her eyes sharpened when she saw the name flashing on the screen.

It was Malisa, then her brows knitted in slight confusion. Malisa never called at this hour. In fact, Melissa rarely called at all unless something urgent was happening or she wants to gossip. For her to call now unannounced, unprompted meant something was wrong or perhaps she wants to gossip.

At that moment Curiosity and unease stirred together in Cora's chest as she reached for the phone and swiped to answer. "Malisa?" she said cautiously.

The response that came through nearly made her sit upright. Malisa's voice was fast, sharp, almost trembling with urgency. "Cora, have you seen the news?!"

The tone alone set off alarms in Cora's mind. "What news?" she asked quickly, her frown deepening.

Melissa's breathing sounded rushed, like she had been pacing or panicking. "Don't tell me you haven't checked. It's everywhere online, on social media, people are already talking about it."

Hearing what Malisa was saying Cora's grip tightened on the phone. "Malisa," she said firmly, forcing her voice to stay calm despite the rising tension in her chest, "what news are you talking about?"

At that moment, Malisa's voice on the phone was trembling with urgency as she said, "Cora, please, put on the TV right now. Just… just see it for yourself."

Cora's brows furrowed tightly. Her chest tightened at the tone of Melissa's voice, it wasn't just worry, it was alarm. Then without saying a word, she rose from the couch, her movements sharp and fast. Her bare feet padded across the cool floor as she snatched the remote from the table.

"Malisa, what are you talking about?" she asked again, even as her thumb pressed down on the power button.

"You'll understand when you see it," Malisa replied hurriedly. "Just… turn it on."

The screen lit up, and instantly, Cora's stomach dropped.

Every major news channel not gossip blogs, not cheap rumor mills, but actual reputable stations was running the same headline:

"Samuel's Secret Lover? Exclusive Photos Leak Sparks Public Frenzy!"

Immediately Cora's jaw clenched. Her eyes narrowed as the broadcast switched to a montage of blurry images. The faces were deliberately blurred, but the outlines were clear enough for anyone who knew her to recognize. One shot was from the restaurant earlier, the faint smile. Another was from the parking lot when he said Samuel the first time, And it was undeniably her.

Her heart began to pound, not from embarrassment but from rage.

Her grip tightened around the remote until her knuckles turned white. "What the hell is this?" she hissed into the phone, her voice low but trembling with anger. "Malisa… how did they even get their hands on this picture?"

On the other end, Malisa's words stumbled out in a rush. "I–I don't know, Cora. I swear, I don't know! It's everywhere right now social media, headlines, people sharing it nonstop. And it's not just the usual gossip, either. This is huge. Samuel's fans… they're furious. They're calling you all sorts of names. A gold digger. A snitch"

At that moment, Cora's anger boiled over. Her voice was sharp, laced with disbelief and fury as she stormed toward the television even more.

"I'm not going to take this rubbish!" she shouted, her free hand gesturing wildly as though Malisa were right there in front of her. "Do they think I'm going to sit back and watch while they plaster fake stories about me all over national TV? These stations are publishing lies, lies, Malisa! Are they trying to sabotage me? Are they deliberately trying to drag my name through the mud? What is going on with these people?!"

Malisa's voice on the other end was calm, though the tension in her tone was unmistakable. "Cora, listen to me. I know you're upset, but you have to treat this with caution."

"Caution?" Cora scoffed, pacing the room as the images of the blurred photographs looped again on the screen. "They're calling me Samuel's secret lover! They're twisting everything!"

"Yes, and reacting right now will only make it worse," Malisa pressed, her tone firm but not unkind. "Don't forget about the estate project. That deal is still on the table. One wrong move, even something as small as an angry statement, could slow everything down, or worse, destroy it completely. Do you understand how fragile things are right now? We cannot let this escalate."

At that moment Cora stopped pacing, her breath ragged, fists clenched at her sides. The estate project was huge a cornerstone for everything she'd been working toward. Malisa's warning wasn't exaggerated. If the public backlash grew, if the media circus got louder, their investors could start pulling out.

Malisa continued quickly, sensing Cora's silence. "Samuel's manager already called me. He's very clear on this, nobody says anything. Not Samuel, not you. Not a single word. We treat it like it's nothing. A rumor. Let it fade. If we stay quiet, people will lose interest. A week or two from now, this will be old news, that's what he said."

Cora glanced at the TV again, her jaw tightening as the headline scrolled across the bottom of the screen: 'Samuel's Mystery Girlfriend – Secret Romance Exposed?' The blurred outline of her face was obvious to anyone who knew her, and it made her blood boil even more the more she looks at it.

Malisa's voice softened slightly, trying to pull Cora back from the edge. "You need to stay out of sight for a while. Don't give them anything else to talk about. Trust me, Samuel's been through this before. Rumors like this aren't new to him. He knows how to handle the noise."