Chapter 17 - The Smear Campaign
David was like a cornered rat; the more desperate he became, the dirtier he fought.
Facing impending criminal charges from the SEC, his PR team launched a vile, last-ditch smear campaign against Maya to try and win in the court of public opinion. Blind items began appearing in tabloid magazines, suggesting Maya had been unfaithful, that she was unstable, and that she had orchestrated the scene at the restaurant to extort him.
Victoria Sterling marched into Maya’s office at Olympus, slamming a tabloid on her desk.
"We are filing a defamation suit immediately," Victoria declared, her eyes blazing. "I will bankrupt his publicist."
Maya looked at the trashy headline: BILLIONAIRE'S WIFE FAKES ABUSE FOR PAYOUT?
She didn't cry. She didn't panic. The old Maya would have hidden under the covers, terrified of what people thought.
"No," Maya said calmly, tossing the magazine into the trash can. "A defamation suit takes months. It keeps the rumor alive in the press. We don't hide, Victoria. We drag it into the light."
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"What do you have in mind?" Victoria asked, raising an intrigued eyebrow.
"Book me an interview. Prime time. Live television," Maya said, her voice turning to steel. "Let him try to call me a liar when I am looking directly into the camera."
