Chapter 17 - The Hit Piece Drops
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At exactly six o'clock the following morning, the article went live. The headline was as vicious and sensationalized as expected: BILLIONAIRE PHILANTHROPIST ABANDONS DYING MOTHER: THE DARK SECRET OF ARTHUR VANCE.
The piece was a masterpiece of manipulative fiction. Trent Willis had woven Julian's lies into a tragic narrative of a cold, heartless corporate titan who stepped on his own family to achieve greatness. The article included highly edited quotes from Julian, claiming I had stolen his inheritance to fund my first business venture, and painted a pathetic picture of our mother dying in poverty while I threw lavish galas in Chicago.
By nine o'clock, the article was trending across social media. My phone blew up with messages from concerned board members, corporate partners, and distant acquaintances. The stock of several companies the foundation partnered with took a minor dip in the opening hours of the market.
I sat in my office, drinking my morning coffee, reading the article with clinical detachment.
"It's everywhere," Clara said as she walked into my office, carrying a thick stack of media analytics reports. "The comments sections are a warzone. People are calling you a hypocrite, demanding you step down from the foundation."
"Let the fire burn, Clara," I said calmly, looking out the window at the city. "A fire needs oxygen to survive, and Julian is about to run out of air."
"Are you sure you're okay, Arthur?" Clara asked softly, dropping her professional demeanor for a moment to check on her friend. "Reading these lies about yourself... it can't be easy."
May you like
I turned to her and smiled genuinely.
"Ten years ago, a room full of people I loved told me I was worthless," I said. "A cheap article written by a desperate man and a sleazy reporter cannot hurt me. Make sure the car is ready at five. I have an interview to get to."
