Chapter 4: The Enemy's First Move

The silence in Damien's study was suffocating.

Ava stared at him, her mind refusing to process what she'd just heard.

"They're suing me?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "On what grounds?"

Damien's assistant, Lucas, placed a tablet on the mahogany desk.

"The lawsuit was filed less than thirty minutes ago," he explained. "The Lawson Group claims you signed a prenuptial agreement with Ethan Lawson this morning. According to the document, you're prohibited from marrying anyone else within ninety days after the wedding."

"I never signed anything!"

"I know," Damien said calmly.

His composure only made Ava more anxious.

"Then why aren't you doing something?" she demanded.

Damien looked at her with steady eyes.

"I already am."

He turned to Lucas.

"Find out which law firm filed it."

Lucas nodded after checking the documents.

"Grayson & Hale."

Damien's jaw tightened.

"I expected better from Ethan."

"You know them?" Ava asked.

"They don't take hopeless cases."

A cold realization settled over the room.

"If they're involved..."

Damien continued,

"...someone forged your signature."

---

Across the city...

Inside the luxurious Lawson family mansion...

Ethan poured himself a glass of whiskey.

His father entered the room, holding a copy of the lawsuit.

"The papers have been filed."

Ethan nodded without looking up.

"Good."

"And if she fights it?"

Ethan smirked.

"She won't."

His father frowned.

"You sound confident."

"I know Ava."

He swirled the amber liquid in his glass.

"She hates conflict."

"But Damien Blackwood doesn't."

The smile slowly disappeared from Ethan's face.

For the first time that evening...

He looked uncertain.

---

Back at Blackwood Estate...

Lucas returned with another file.

"Sir."

Damien accepted it.

"What now?"

"The media has already picked up the story."

He handed the tablet to Ava.

The headline made her stomach twist.

RUNAWAY BRIDE SECRETLY ENGAGED BEFORE WEDDING?

Below it was another.

DID AVA CARTER PLAY BOTH BILLIONAIRES?

Her hands trembled.

"This isn't true."

"No," Damien replied.

"But people believe headlines before facts."

She dropped onto the sofa.

"I've lost everything."

"My family."

"My reputation."

"My future."

Her voice cracked.

"And now everyone thinks I'm the liar."

Damien studied her quietly.

Then he crossed the room and placed a glass of water in front of her.

"Look at me."

She slowly lifted her eyes.

"You haven't lost everything."

"It feels like I have."

"Not yet."

His voice was calm, but firm.

"They're trying to make you panic."

"Why?"

"So you'll make mistakes."

She took a shaky breath.

"What if they're right?"

"What?"

"What if I can't survive this?"

For a long moment, Damien didn't answer.

Then he spoke.

"My mother once told me something."

Ava looked surprised.

"You talk about your mother?"

"Rarely."

His expression darkened for the briefest second.

"She said..."

"'When people throw mud at you, don't wrestle with them.'"

"'Build something so high that the mud never reaches you.'"

Ava couldn't explain why those words settled her racing heart.

She nodded slowly.

"I'll fight."

A faint smile touched Damien's lips.

"That's the answer I was waiting for."

---

The next morning...

The internet exploded.

News channels replayed the wedding scandal.

Commentators debated whether Ava was a victim or a manipulator.

At Blackwood Group headquarters, employees gathered around television screens.

"Do you think she's really engaged to Mr. Blackwood?"

"I heard she's a gold digger."

"No, I heard she was framed."

Whispers spread through every floor.

As the elevator doors opened, silence swept through the lobby.

Damien stepped out first.

Ava followed.

Every eye turned toward them.

She instinctively slowed.

Damien noticed.

Without a word...

He reached for her hand.

Their fingers intertwined.

Gasps echoed around the lobby.

One employee hurried forward.

"Mr. Blackwood..."

"The board members are already waiting."

"They've demanded to meet Miss Carter."

Damien's expression remained unreadable.

"Good."

Ava looked at him.

"Good?"

"They're about to learn something."

---

Minutes later...

The boardroom doors opened.

Twelve executives sat around a polished table.

Most of them looked skeptical.

Some openly disapproving.

An elderly man adjusted his glasses.

"So..."

"This is the woman."

Another director scoffed.

"The woman making headlines for all the wrong reasons."

Ava's cheeks burned.

Before she could respond—

Damien placed a folder on the table.

"Ladies and gentlemen."

"You've judged her based on rumors."

"Allow me to present facts."

He opened the folder.

Inside were financial reports.

Private investigation records.

Character references.

Years of verified background checks.

The directors exchanged surprised glances.

"You investigated her?"

"Months ago," Damien answered.

Ava turned sharply toward him.

Months?

Another director frowned.

"If you've known about Miss Carter for months..."

"Then this marriage wasn't impulsive."

"No."

"It wasn't."

Ava's heart pounded.

What wasn't Damien telling her?

Before anyone could ask another question—

The boardroom doors burst open.

Lucas rushed inside, his face pale.

"Sir..."

Damien stood.

"What happened?"

Lucas swallowed hard.

"Our legal team just confirmed something."

"The signature on Miss Carter's so-called prenuptial agreement..."

He hesitated.

"It matches her handwriting."

Ava's blood ran cold.

"That's impossible."

Lucas nodded grimly.

"Our handwriting experts believe it wasn't copied."

"They believe..."

"...she actually wrote it."

The room erupted in shocked voices.

Every eye turned toward Ava.

She stared at the document, her mind racing.

She had never seen it before.

So why...

...did it bear her handwriting?