Scandal And Seduction

 CHAPTER ONE | NUDES ON SHOW

DAHLIA HAYES

“You haven't seen it, have you?”

The sound of my secretary’s voice pulled me away from my deep focus on the case files. 

My brows furrowed in irritation. She knew better than to interrupt me when I was in the middle of a life-changing case.

“This isn't the time to gossip, Lara. The case against King Enterprises is a big opportunity for our firm to—”

She dropped her phone on my desk, right in front of me. My gaze shifted from the letters on the file to the glaring image on her phone screen.

I picked it up hurriedly, gripping it tightly. “No. No. No. This can't be,” I murmured.

My heart thundered in my chest, my mouth fell open in disbelief, and my hands trembled. “This must be a mistake. He was only supposed to see it. No one else was meant to.” My voice came out shaky and uneven.

“Who alone was meant to see the images? I thought you knew better than this, Dahlia. You’ve handled so many cases like this.”

Her words blurred into nothing. My eyes were glued to the image of me standing in my room, as naked as the day I was born, smiling at the camera like I had just won a trophy. I zoomed in and out, hoping to find a sign that it was photoshopped, but the truth was painfully clear.

My nudes had been leaked.

The only thing covering the little dignity I had left were three small tape emojis, two over my nipples and the last one between my thighs. Every other part of my body was so exposed that even a half-blind person would be left with nothing to imagine.

“You might as well see this too,” Lara said. She took the phone from my frozen hands, scrolled, and handed it back to me.

The instant I saw it, my whole world crumbled.

The world had seen me.

While I was busy working, journalists had cooked up vile stories about me and the supposed reason behind those pictures. I was the star of every trending headline.

“Renowned Lawyer, Dahlia Hayes, reveals how she built her career by sleeping with married judges and sending them explicit photos of herself to win her cases.”

Some even claimed I had an exclusive OnlyFans account.

Before I could recover from the shock, my boss barged into my office, his eyes blazing with fury. “Miss Hayes. To my office. Now!”

I followed him, eyes straight ahead, body stiff as if under a spell. I didn’t dare look around, but I could feel the stares burning into my skin, judging and condemning me. I held back my tears, even though I was breaking inside, because I knew once I started crying, I wouldn’t stop.

At that moment, I wished the floor would open and swallow me. Dying had to be better than this shame.

My boss sat stiffly in his chair, his leg tapping impatiently. The silence was unbearable, so I spoke first. “You’ll help me, right? You’ll help me take care of this problem.”

It wasn’t a little problem. It was huge. But I believed he had the power, influence, and money to erase every image and article before the day ended.

But when I saw the defeated look on his face, I knew this mess might be beyond saving.

He sighed. “My hands are tied.”

“There must be something you can do. Anything at all,” I pleaded, my voice trembling.

“I can’t do anything. I’m grateful for your contributions to this firm over the past six years. I hope you get to the bottom of this scandal. However, we will no longer be needing your services here.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut, and tears rushed out like a flood.

I hurried to his side, as if being closer could change my fate. “You can’t do this to me. I’ve spent my whole career building this firm. You can’t throw me out now.”

He didn’t look at me, even though I was practically begging at his feet. “I’m truly sorry.”

A wave of anger surged through me. My fist slammed onto the table. “This firm would be nothing without me. You can’t repay me like this—”

Enraged, he threw his phone against the wall, his fist clenching. “And now this firm is ruined because of your recklessness. Get out before I call security.”

The shattered pieces of his phone were enough to remind me to gather what was left of my dignity and walk out.

The walk of shame.

Even with how bad things had become, I knew Jason, my boyfriend of two years, would have a reasonable explanation. He was the only one who had my pictures. He was the only reason I had let go of my values to take them in the first place.

When I got home, he was nowhere to be found. Even more shocking, my apartment was empty. The only thing left was the echo of my voice when I called his name.

“What are you doing here?”

I turned around to see my landlord’s wrinkled face staring at me. His expression was hard. “You should have dropped your keys too before you moved out.”

“Moving out?” I repeated. “I never moved or planned to move.”

His eyes widened in realization, as if he knew something I didn’t. “Well, your boyfriend brought five hefty men to move your things this morning. Your rent was due for weeks, and he claimed you were both leaving.”

My mind went blank. I had given Jason the rent money two weeks before it was due. I tried calling him, but his phone was unreachable.

But my phone buzzed and it was a text from him. “I'll be back soon, babe. I'll explain.” I breathed out in relief, knowing that everything would be fine.

With nowhere else to go, I headed to my childhood best friend’s home. The door was unlocked, soft music was playing, and the floor was lined with flower petals and candles. I followed them slowly, even though every instinct in me screamed to turn back.

At the entrance of her bedroom, I heard a voice I knew too well. The same voice I woke up hearing every morning.

I barged in, praying it wasn’t what I thought.

But it was.

Jason. On one knee, a diamond ring in his hand, proposing to my best friend.

As if that wasn’t enough, they were both naked, and a used condom lay on the floor beside them.