She Was Never Just the Billionaire’s Wife (Natasha and Chase) novel Chapter 21

Chapter 21 The Leak

(Natasha)

Sitting on the soft sofa in Mason’s living room, I feel a sense of peace for the first time in forever.

My adoptive parents flew back to Pennsylvania yesterday, leaving me to focus entirely on my divorce strategy.

The quiet shatters when the front door swings upen violently.

Gloria comes stomping down the hallway.

She holds her phone out in front of her, and her face is bright red with anger.

“Stay off the internet today,” Gloria orders loudly. “Give me your phone right now, Natasha.”

Frowning, I put my tea down on the coffee table.

“What happened? Did Jeffrey Bauer make a public decision about the merger?”

“No,” she says, stopping right in front of me.

“It has nothing to do with business. It’s about Chase and that awful girl.”

Before I can ask another question, Mason walks quickly into the living room.

He’s carrying his tablet and he looks absolutely furious.

“We have a major public relations problem,” Mason announces.

He sits on the edge of the coffee table facing me.

“Someone leaked photos of Chase and Sonia to the press.”

“So?” I ask, feeling confused. “Let the public see him cheating. It only helps my divorce case.”

Mason shakes his head slowly.

He looks at Gloria, sharing a dark, frustrated look.

“The story isn’t about Chase cheating,” Mason explains quietly.

“The story is about you. And it was leaked by one of Sonia’s friends. She didn’t even bother using a fake account.”

He turns the tablet around so I can see the screen.

A popular gossip website fills the display.

A side-by-side picture shows Sonia looking gorgeous and thin in a tight red dress, right next to a highly unflattering photo of me.

My face is swollen from the steroids. I look huge, exhausted, and sick.

The headline reads: Warren Global CEO Upgrades. Can You Blame Him?

My throat tightens as I reach out and scroll down the page.

Hundreds of comments fill the screen.

Strangers are tearing my appearance apart.

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They call me a whale. They say I look hideous.

Nobody is defending the pregnant wife. They’re all cheering for the beautiful young mistress.

I see a comment that tagged my personal account and which was liked by thousands of people.

Reading the words makes me feel sick.

She looks like a bloated hippo. No wonder he left her for a younger model. She doesn’t even look human.

“They’re calling me a monster,” I say, my hands shaking slightly.

“They’re idiots,” Gloria snaps, coming to sit beside me.

She rubs my shoulder in a comforting circle.

“You’re pregnant, and on top of that you were taking medication to stay alive. They don’t know the truth.”

“Sonia knows,” I reply, looking up at Mason.

“Sonia knows exactly why I look like this. She knows I’m sick, and she still let her friend do this.”

“It gets worse,” Mason says, pacing in front of the window.

“They didn’t just leak the photos. Sonia’s friend paid money to boost this specific article.”

Mason rakes a hand through his hair angrily.

“They set this whole thing up to ruin your reputation. They want the public to view you as the unattractive, bitter wife holding Chase back from his true love.”

The cruelty of their plan leaves me completely speechless.

I spent years building Warren Global’s reputation. I protected Chase from countless scandals.

Now, he stands by and allows his new girlfriend to destroy me on the internet.

“We’ll sue them,” Gloria declares, crossing her arms over her chest.

“We can prove they paid for the targeted ads. We can expose Sonia’s terrible friends to the press. Hell, I think we stand a good chance of proving most of these comments are made by bots.”

“My legal team is already drafting the papers,” Mason confirms.

“A lawsuit takes months,” I whisper.

A cold sweat breaks out on my forehead.

“The whole world is laughing at me right now.”

A weight builds up in my chest, making it very hard to breathe.

Suddenly, a sharp, hard pain rips across my lower back.

I gasp loudly, grabbing the arm of the sofa to steady myself.

“Natasha?” Gloria asks, standing up instantly. “Are you okay?”

“It’s just the stress,” I manage to gasp, squeezing my eyes shut.

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“The doctor warned me about this.”

But the pain won’t stop.

It wraps around my entire stomach, squeezing my middle much harder than the false contractions at the coffee shop.

This is entirely different. This is agonizing.

A strange, warm popping sensation happens deep inside me.

Looking down, a dark wet patch quickly spreads across the light fabric of my pants.

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