Chapter 22
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Julian moved faster than he had in years, crossing the courtyard in a matter of seconds. He reached Victoria, aggressively ripping her hand away from Lily's wrist and pushing his daughter securely behind his own body. He stood like an impenetrable fortress between the woman who had fractured their past and the child who was his entire future.
"If you ever lay a hand on her again, I will have you arrested for assault," Julian roared, his voice echoing off the brick walls of the school building. Several parents and teachers turned to stare at the escalating commotion.
Victoria stumbled back, rubbing her hand, her eyes flashing with venom. "I have a legal right to see my daughter! You are alienating her from me!"
"You surrendered your rights when you abandoned her to chase a lifestyle you couldn't afford," Julian countered coldly. "Get off this property before I call school security."
Victoria glared at him, a spiteful smirk slowly forming on her lips. "This isn't over, Julian. You can't protect her forever." She turned and walked elegantly away, completely ignoring the horrified stares of the onlookers.
The next morning, the fallout from the confrontation erupted, but not in the way Julian anticipated. He walked into his corporate office, only to be ambushed by his lead public relations director.
"Julian, you need to see this," the director said frantically, handing him a tablet.
On the screen was a highly sensationalized article published by a major financial news outlet, heavily funded by Arthur Sterling's media conglomerate. The headline read: Unstable CEO: Julian Vance's Public Altercation Raises Concerns Over Corporate Leadership.
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The article featured a deceptively cropped, grainy photograph of Julian aggressively grabbing Victoria’s hand away from Lily, completely omitting the context that Victoria had assaulted the child first. The text framed Julian as a violent, erratic man, questioning his mental stability and his fitness to lead a multi-million dollar corporation.
"Sterling is using the incident at the school to destroy my public reputation," Julian realized, his stomach churning with disgust. "He wants the board of directors to lose faith in me."
