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بيت / Romance / One Night with My Ex's Billionaire Best Friend / Chapter 48: Marcus’s Ultimatum

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Chapter 48: Marcus’s Ultimatum

مؤلف: Sir Josh
last update تاريخ النشر: 2026-05-01 13:43:41

Friday morning. Seven AM.

Marcus calls an emergency meeting. His office. Just him, Lucian, and me.

“Before the board meeting, you both need to hear this.” Marcus slides a folder across his desk. “Vaughn’s presentation. Someone leaked it to me last night.”

Lucian opens it. I read over his shoulder.

**Richard Vaughn’s Motion to Remove Lucian Blackwood as CEO**

**Evidence of Compromised Leadership:**

*1. Hired Ariana Vale three days after her relationship with his best friend ended*

*2. Promoted h
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  • One Night with My Ex's Billionaire Best Friend   Chapter 70: The Press Conference

    Forty-eight hours later, we stand in front of fifty journalists. Conference room at the Plaza Hotel. Cameras everywhere. Microphones ready. Questions waiting.Me. Lucian. Julian. Rebecca. Marcus.Presenting our evidence. Our proof. Our vindication.Julian goes first. Calm. Professional. Devastating.“Good morning. Thank you for coming. We’ve called this press conference to present evidence of a coordinated criminal conspiracy orchestrated by Richard Vaughn. Over eighteen months, Mr. Vaughn paid twelve journalists across eight publications a total of four hundred thousand dollars to write negative stories about Ariana Vale and Lucian Blackwood. He also funded three PR firms to amplify these stories on social media and create false narratives. All of this is documented. Verified. Prosecutable.”He clicks a remote. A screen behind us lights up. Documents. Emails. Financial transfers. Everything.“These are payment records. From shell companies controlled by Richard Vaughn to journalists

  • One Night with My Ex's Billionaire Best Friend   Chapter 69: Julian’s Investigation Pays Off

    Julian calls an emergency meeting. Seven AM. His office. Everyone required.Me. Lucian. Marcus. Rebecca. Sophia.First time Lucian and I have been in the same room since the dinner. Three days of separation. Three days of space. Three days of aching.He nods at me. Professional. Distant. Polite.It hurts more than anger would.Julian doesn’t waste time. “Camille Brooks was just the beginning. I kept digging. Found something bigger. Much bigger.”He pulls up a presentation. Documents. Emails. Financial records. Everything organized meticulously.“Vaughn didn’t just pay Camille. He paid twelve journalists. Across eight publications. Over eighteen months. Total expenditure of four hundred thousand dollars. All to create and maintain negative narratives about Ariana and Lucian.”The room goes silent.“Twelve journalists?” Rebecca leans forward. “That’s conspiracy. That’s coordinated fraud. That’s criminal.”“It gets better. Or worse, depending on perspective. Vaughn also paid three PR fir

  • One Night with My Ex's Billionaire Best Friend   Chapter 68: When Camille Got Greedy

    Camille Brooks. The investigative journalist who first broke the scandal story about me and Lucian. The one who wrote the exposé that went viral. The one who made our private relationship public spectacle.She calls my office directly. Bypasses Marcus. Bypasses Sophia. Gets my personal line somehow.“Ariana Vale. This is Camille Brooks. We need to talk.”“I have nothing to say to you. You destroyed my reputation for clicks.”“And now I can restore it. For a price.”I should hang up. Should end this immediately. Should tell her to go to hell.But something in her voice. Desperation. Greed. Opportunity.“I’m listening.”“I have new information. About Vaughn. About who really funded the attacks against you. About the coordinated conspiracy. Information that would completely exonerate you. Prove you were the victim, not the villain.”“Why would you help me? You made your career destroying me.”“Because I made a mistake. I was fed information. By Vaughn’s people. By sources I thought were

  • One Night with My Ex's Billionaire Best Friend   Chapter 67: The Media Training

    Two days without Lucian. Two days of space. Two days of waiting.I focus on work. On Emma. On being productive while everything inside me screams to call him.Marcus schedules media training. For me. Response to the Wall Street Journal article.“You need to be prepared. More interviews are coming. More questions. More scrutiny. You need talking points. Strategy. Professional training.”The media consultant arrives at nine AM. Rebecca Stone. Fifties. Sharp. Intimidating.“I’ve read the article. Read your response. Read the follow-up pieces. You’re in damage control mode. We need to shift you to confidence mode. Authority mode. Expert mode.”“How?”“By teaching you how to control the narrative. How to answer questions without being defensive. How to project confidence even when you’re terrified. How to be the expert everyone needs you to be.”She sets up a camera. “We’re doing mock interviews. I’ll ask hostile questions. You’ll answer. We’ll review. Adjust. Practice until you’re perfect

  • One Night with My Ex's Billionaire Best Friend   Chapter 66: Evelyn’s Change of Heart (Almost)

    After Lucian leaves, I sit at the table. Numb. Broken. Lost.Evelyn returns. Without Emma. Without Mrs. Caldwell. Just her.She sits across from me. Silent. Studying.Finally she speaks. “That was painful to watch.”“I ruined everything. I thought I was proving myself. Instead I destroyed our partnership.”“You made a mistake. A significant one. But not irreparable.”“He left. Went to his old penthouse. He’s never done that before. Never walked away from a fight.”“He’s hurt. Deeply. You excluded him. That’s his greatest fear. Being shut out by people he loves.”“I didn’t mean to hurt him.”“Intention doesn’t erase impact. You hurt him. Whether you meant to or not.”I expect judgment. Criticism. Cold Evelyn disapproval.Instead, she pours tea. Sits back. Considers.“Can I tell you something? About Lucian? About why this hurt him so much?”“Please.”“When Lucian was twelve, his father died. Suddenly. Heart attack. No warning. One day he was here. Next day gone. And I, I shut down. Comp

  • One Night with My Ex's Billionaire Best Friend   Chapter 65: The Dinner That Went Wrong

    I plan to tell Lucian about the TechNova client over dinner. Celebrate the win. Share my victory. Explain why I needed to do it alone.Evelyn invites us to her penthouse. Family dinner. Nothing formal. Just us. Julian. Emma. Casual celebration.Perfect timing. I think.I’m wrong.Dinner starts pleasantly. Emma in her high chair. Making noise. Being adorable. Normal family chaos.Then Evelyn asks about work.“How’s the consulting firm? Any new clients? I heard the Wall Street Journal article caused some trouble.”“We’re handling it. Actually, I have good news. Landed a new client today. TechNova. Fifty thousand for three months.”Lucian’s fork stops halfway to his mouth. “What?”“TechNova. Mid-size software company. CEO facing harassment allegations. Crisis management engagement. I met with her this morning.”“You met with a potential client? Without telling me? Without Marcus? Without any of us?”“I wanted to handle it myself. Prove I could land business independently.”The table goes

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