The Rose He Killed novel Chapter 60

Chapter 54: The Evil Plan

Jade pov

I watched her work, sipping my wine and imagining tomorrow’s headlines Bella’s shocked face when she realized her secret was out. The paparazzi swarmed her hotel. The news trucks are camping outside her office. Tom’s confused tears when he couldn’t understand why strangers were taking his picture.

That last thought should have bothered me. He was just a child, after all, innocent in all of this. But he was also Bella’s weapon, her hold over Caleb, the reason she’d come back and destroyed everything I’d built.

If he got hurt in the crossfire, that was Bella’s fault for using him as a pawn.

“Done,” Lane said, setting down her phone with a satisfied smile. “The story goes live in one hour. I suggest we get comfortable and watch the chaos unfold.”

We settled on the couch, refreshing City Pulse’s website every few minutes. At exactly 11 PM, the headline appeared:

BREAKING: Billionaire Caleb Black’s Secret Love Child – CEO Bella Hart Hid Heir for Years

Below it was a photo of Tom at the aquarium, his grey eyes clearly visible, positioned next to a photo of Caleb for comparison. The resemblance was undeniable, even to strangers.

The article was everything we’d hoped for and more. It painted Bella as a manipulative ex-wife who’d kept Caleb’s son from him out of spite, who’d built her empire while denying a father his rights, who’d only revealed the child’s existence when it became advantageous to her business interests.

“It’s perfect,” I breathed, reading through the anonymous quotes that Lane had crafted. “She sounds like a

monster.”

“Because she is one,” Lane said. “Now we wait for it to spread.”

We didn’t have to wait long. Within minutes, the story was picked up by three other gossip sites. Within an hour, it was trending on social media. By midnight, legitimate, news outlets were running stories with headlines like “Black Heir Scandal” and “CEO Accused of Parental Alienation.”

My phone started ringing. Friends I hadn’t heard from in months, suddenly eager to gossip about Bella’s downfall. Business associates asking if the rumors were true. Even a reporter from the Silverton Times requested an interview with “anyone close to the family.”

I ignored them all, just watching the story explode across the internet like a wildfire.

“She’s going to know it was us,” I said, feeling the first stirring of unease.

“Let her know,” Lane said dismissively. “What can she do? Sue us for telling the truth? Everything in that article is factual. She did hide the child. She did keep him from Caleb. We just made sure the world found

out.”

“Caleb will be furious,” I said, thinking of the cold rage in his eyes when he’d had me escorted from his office.

“Caleb will be focused on damage control,” Lane corrected. “And on protecting his son from the media

1.3

Chapter 54 The Evil Plan

+25 Points

circus we just created. He won’t have time to worry about who leaked the story. He’ll be too busy trying to keep Tom safe from the paparazzi.”

She was right. This wasn’t just about humiliating Bella anymore. We’d exposed a three-year-old child to public scrutiny, made him the center of a scandal he couldn’t possibly understand. The paparazzi would hunt him now, trying to get photos, trying to confirm the story, trying to get reactions from all the players involved.

“Bella’s going to lock down that hotel like a fortress,” I said.

“Good,” Lane said. “Let her hide. Let her look guilty and evasive. Meanwhile, Caleb will be forced to make a public statement, and when he does, he’ll have to choose his words very carefully. Does he defend Bella and risk looking like he condones her deception? Or does he distance himself and confirm the narrative that she kept his son from him?”

“Either way, she loses,” I said, starting to see the brilliance of the plan.

“Either way, she loses,” Lane agreed. “And once her reputation is destroyed, once she’s radioactive in the business world, she’ll be vulnerable. That’s when I make my next move.”

“What is your next move?” I asked, curious about Lane’s endgame.

Lane’s smile was predatory. “That’s for me to know, darling. Let’s just say I have plans for Caleb Black that don’t include his lying ex-wife or her manipulative little spawn.”

The casual cruelty in her voice when she mentioned Tom made me pause. Lane wasn’t just interested in revenge or getting Caleb back. She was interested in destruction, pure and simple. Maybe I’d allied myself with someone more dangerous than I’d realized.

But it was too late now. The story was out, the damage was done, and by morning, Bella Hart’s perfect life would be in ruins.

I raised my wine glass in toast. “To karma finally catching up with dear little Bella.”

Lane clinked her glass against mine. “To watching her burn.”

We drank, and I felt satisfaction settle in my chest like a warm glow. For years, Bella had been out there living her best life while I’d suffered. She’d built an empire while I’d lost everything. She’d kept Caleb’s son from him while I’d been accused of crimes I’d only committed to help him see the truth about her.

But now the tables have turned. By morning, everyone would know what Bella Hart really was: a liar, a manipulator, a woman who’d weaponized her own child for revenge.

And Caleb would finally see that I’d been right about her all along.

My phone buzzed with a notification. Another site picking up the story, this one with an even more. damning headline: “Iron Empress or Ice Queen? Bella Hart’s Cruel Deception Exposed”

Perfect.

I scrolled through the comments, watching strangers tear Bella apart with gleeful cruelty.

“Keeping a child from his father for years? That’s unforgivable.”

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