Chapter 9 - An Unwanted Headline

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The illusion of safety shattered over morning coffee.

Ellie was sitting at the massive marble kitchen island, eating toast, when Jack walked in and tossed a tabloid newspaper onto the counter. The bold, black headline took up half the page:

THE SECRET WIFE: CHICAGO’S MOST ELIGIBLE BILLIONAIRE WEDS MAID AFTER HEROIC GALA SHOOTING.

Below the headline was a blurry, zoomed-in photo of Ellie bleeding on the carpet, and another of Jack aggressively threatening the paramedics.

“How did they get this?” Ellie gasped, dropping her toast. “I thought you owned the press.”

“I own the major papers,” Jack said, his jaw clenched so tight a muscle ticked in his cheek. “This is a gutter tabloid. Someone paid them a lot of money to run this story. They dug up your background. They know you were a maid at the Langford Hotel. They know about Leo.”

Ellie’s stomach plummeted. “If they know about Leo, then the Volkovs know.”

“Exactly.” Jack poured a cup of black coffee, his movements rigid with contained fury. “The Volkovs leaked this. They’re trying to force you out into the open. If the press is hounding you, it disrupts my security perimeter.”

“So what do we do?” she asked, her hands shaking slightly.

Jack looked at her, his storm-gray eyes scanning her pale face. “We lean into it. If we hide, it looks like a lie. If we act like a happily married couple, the press gets bored, and the Volkovs realize they can’t use the media to flush you out.”

“Act like a married couple?” Ellie repeated, her heart hammering against her ribs. “How?”

“By giving them a show.” Jack pulled a velvet box from his jacket pocket and slid it across the marble counter.

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Ellie opened it. Inside sat a breathtaking, flawless emerald-cut diamond ring that looked like it cost more than her entire neighborhood block.

“Put it on, Ellie,” Jack said softly. “Tomorrow night, we’re going to a charity dinner. And you’re going to smile for the cameras.”