Chapter 4— EXPOSED

ELLIE'S POV

The silence after Maya left was heavy. It felt solid, like something I could touch. Leo was still in my office. He looked as broken as I felt.

"Get out," I said again. My voice was flat.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "About Maya. I never meant—"

"Just go."

He went. The door closed softly. I stood there for a long time, looking at the dark stain on my rug. My daughter thought I had betrayed her. The man who tricked me had just told me my fashion Brand is under attack.. My head hurt.

I did not know what to do first. Fix things with Maya, or stop the people trying to ruin me.

I chose Maya.

I called her. She did not answer. I texted. No reply. I left my office and drove to her apartment. Her car was gone. Her windows were dark. I sat in my car outside for an hour. She never came.

It was late when I went home. The big house was dark and quiet. I walked inside and turned on a light in the living room.

"Ellie."

I jumped. My heart slammed against my ribs.

Leo was there. He sat in the armchair in the corner, in the shadows. I had not seen him.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. My hand went to my chest. "How did you get in?"

"The terrace door was unlocked," he said. He stood up. He looked even worse than before. "I'm sorry. I had to come. The men moved the deadline. I have until sunrise."

"I told you to leave me alone."

"I know." He took a step forward. The light from the lamp hit his face. He was scared. Truly scared. "And I will. But you need to know something first."

"I don't want to hear it."

"Please." His voice was raw. "At the party… what I said to you. About seeing you. That was real. My name was a lie. But the moment I talked to you… it became real. I fell for you. I'm a fool. I know that. But it's the truth."

I shook my head. I wanted to believe it was another trick. A smarter one. "You're just saying what I want to hear. To get the money."

"Maybe I am," he said. He did not look away. "But it's still true. I don't expect you to believe me. I just needed you to know before I disappear."

My breath caught. The loneliness of the last fifteen years rose up inside me again when I heard the word "disappear".

I wanted his words to be true. That was the most dangerous part.

"I can give you the money," I heard myself say. The words came from a deep, tired place. "Not for you. For your sister. And for my company. You will give me all the proof against Silhouette. Then you will leave Tulsa and never come back."

He nodded slowly. "Yes. Okay."

"But," I said, and my voice got harder. "If you are lying to me again… if this is a trick… I will find you. I have the resources. I will make sure you regret it."

"I'm not lying," he said. "Not about this."

I went to my home office. I opened the safe behind a painting. I kept emergency cash there. I counted out the amount he needed. It was a lot of money. It felt like paper, but it was years of my work.

I brought it back to the living room in a thick envelope. I held it out to him.

He took it. His fingers brushed mine. A spark went through my hand. I pulled back.

"Thank you," he said. He looked at the envelope, then at me. "You are saving two lives tonight. My sister's. And mine."

"Just go," I whispered.

He turned and walked to the front door. He opened it. The cool night air rushed in. He paused on the threshold and looked back at me. For one second, I thought he would say something else. But he just stepped out and closed the door softly behind him.

He was gone.

I stood in the silent living room. I felt empty. I had just given a fortune to a man I could not trust. To save a girl I had never met. To protect a business my daughter might never be part of again.

I was so tired. I climbed the stairs to my bedroom. I did not even get undressed. I lay down on top of the covers and closed my eyes. I did not think I would sleep, but the darkness took me fast and hard.

---

The sound of my phone ringing woke me. Sunlight was sharp through the windows. My head was thick with sleep. I fumbled for the phone on my nightstand. It was Ethan.

"Mom," he said. His voice was tight. Urgent. "Are you awake?"

"Barely," I said, rubbing my eyes. "What is it?"

"Turn on your TV. Right now. Channel 7."

"Why? What's happening?"

"Just turn it on, Mom. Now."

A cold dread started in my stomach. I sat up. I found the remote on the floor and pointed it at the television on my wall. The screen came to life.

It was the local morning news. A blonde reporter was standing on a street I knew well. It was outside my office building. The banner at the bottom of the screen said: TULSA BUSINESS SCANDAL?

"…breaking news this morning," the reporter was saying. "Involving local fashion icon Ellie James, founder of Ellie James Bespoke. A source has provided us with exclusive video that raises serious questions."

The screen changed. It showed a video. The quality was okay. It was from across the street. It was nighttime.

I saw myself.

I was leaving my birthday party. I was walking next to a man. It was Leo. We were walking to his car. The video was silent. We got in the car. It drove away.

My blood turned to ice.

The screen split. On one side was the video, now frozen on a close-up of Leo opening the car door for me. On the other side was a smiling photo of me from my company website.

The reporter’s voice was serious. "The man in the video has been identified as Leo Grant. Sources confirm he is the ex-boyfriend of James’s daughter, Maya. The video was taken on the night of James’s fiftieth birthday party, just over a week ago. We have reached out to Ellie James and her company for comment on the nature of their relationship, but have not yet heard back."

They showed the video again. Then a new graphic popped up. NEW DEVELOPMENT. The reporter touched her earpiece.

"We are just receiving new information," she said. "Our sources within the fashion industry indicate that this personal scandal comes as James’s company faces major business allegations. Rival firm Silhouette has scheduled a press conference for later today, where they are expected to level serious accusations of intellectual property theft against Ellie James Bespoke. They claim to have evidence dating back months."

The screen flashed back to the frozen video of me and Leo.

I could not move. I could not breathe. The phone was still in my hand.

"Mom?" Ethan’s voice was small in my ear. "Mom, what is going on?"

I looked at the TV. I looked at the woman on the screen. She looked like me, but she was a stranger. Her life was falling apart on live television.

Leo had the money. My daughter was gone. My face was on the news. And my rival was about to attack.

I had tried to fix one problem. Now I had lost everything.