CHAPTER 33: The Leak

POV: Avalon Pierce

The article went online on Tuesday morning at 6:47 AM.

Avalon caught sight of it before he even got out of bed. His phone was blowing up with notifications - first from Margaret, then Diana, and after that, three board members, followed by a bunch of investors.

All sending the same link.

PIERCE HOLDINGS HEIR’S SHOCKING PAST: HIDDEN PREGNANCY, LOST CHILD, AND A MARRIAGE BUILT ON LIES

By Jessica Mendoza, TechCrunch

His stomach dropped.

"What's going on?" Selene mumbled, her voice groggy with sleep as she lay there beside him.

Avalon couldn’t answer, he kept reading.

In a stunning development in the ongoing legal battle over the Pierce Holdings inheritance, new documents obtained by TechCrunch reveals a decade-old secret that raises serious questions about the legitimacy of CEO Avalon Pierce’s recent marriage.

Hospital records from San Francisco General, dated March 2014, reveal that Selene Castellano, now known as Selene Pierce, was admitted to the hospital for treatment after having a miscarriage at twelve weeks into her pregnancy. These records, which were previously sealed, indicate that Ms. Castellano was by herself at the time and didn't list anyone as an emergency contact. It's worth noting that these records have only recently become available, shedding new light on this incident. The fact that she was alone and had no one to turn to in an emergency situation is a significant detail that has come to light as a result of the records being unsealed.

This revelation adds new context to the couple’s claims that their marriage is genuine rather than a calculated attempt to meet the requirements of Lorraine “Nene” Pierce’s controversial will.

Avalon felt ice in his veins.

Someone had leaked Selene’s sealed medical records.

He kept reading.

What's really troubling is the timeline of events. Ms. Castellano got pregnant and then had a miscarriage while she was in a relationship with Avalon Pierce at Stanford University. But here's the thing: Mr. Pierce has sworn under oath that he only found out about the pregnancy six weeks ago, which is a whole decade after it happened.

This raises an obvious question: Is the couple was as close as they claim, how did Mr. Pierce not know his girlfriend was pregnant? And if Ms. Castellano was willing to hide such a significant secret then, what else might she be hiding now?

The article also detailed the depositions. They quoted Avalon’s admission that he “wasn’t sure” he’d ever love Selene,also quoted Selene saying she left because of Catherine’s threats.

Everything was all laid out for public consumption.

“Avalon?” Selene’s voice was scared now. “ What’s wrong?”

He passed his phone to her, and as she read,color drained from her face.

“No,” she whispered. “ No, no, no. Those records were sealed. How did—”

Avalon's voice was flat, calm, and deadly. "Marcus," she said. "This is Marcus."

“But sealed medical records—that’s illegal. He can’t—”

“He can if he has the right connections. A dirty clerk, a lawyer willing to break rules and someone desperate enough or paid enough to leak them.”

Selene’s hands were trembling. “ The world is going to see this, my miscarriage, Elena and everything in between.”

“I know.”

They'll think I made it all up, that I played you somehow. That...

Avalon wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. "I don't care what anyone else thinks," he said, his voice low and gentle.

“The board, the people, even the judge will care. This makes us look—”

"You're right, it's not simple, but that's our point - we've been saying this all along, and it's time to acknowledge the complexity of the issue, this makes us human"

“Or it makes us look like liars.”

Avalon’s phone rang.

Margaret.

He answered on speaker.

"Come on, tell me you've seen it," she said, not wasting any time on small talk.

“We’ve seen it.”

"We're reporting a serious leak and we're determined to get to the bottom of it. Those documents were supposed to be kept confidential, but somehow someone managed to access them, which is a clear violation of federal law. Our goal now is to figure out who is responsible for this breach and hold them accountable."

“It was Marcus.”

"We need to be sure, so let's get some evidence. For now, I think it's a good idea to call a special meeting with the board and you should not make any comments to the news."

“Why?”

Some board members are already wondering if this affects your role, so we should probably address it quickly. We've had a few of them reach out to me, asking if there's any change in your position, and we need to get out in front of this to avoid any confusion.

Avalon felt his jaw clench. “ When?”

“This afternoon. Three PM. Can you make it?”

“Yes.”

“Good. And Avalon? Don’t let Marcus see you rattled. That’s what he wants.”

Selene moved back from him when the call ended.

“I need to—I need—”

She ran to the bathroom.

He gave her a minute, then followed.

She was sitting on the floor, slumped against the bathtub, and she looked completely devastated.

“Everyone knows,” she said. “ Everyone knows I lost our baby, that I kept it secret and I am the reason you didn’t know about Elena.”

“Selene—”

“Maya, your board, investors and even strangers on the internet are going to have opinions about the worst day of my life.”

Avalon was sitting next to her, on the cold, hard tile floor.

“I’m going to destroy him,” he said quietly.

“What?”

I'm furious with Marcus and I'm going to make sure he pays for what he's done. I'll take him down, no matter how long it takes, and I'll do it by any means necessary - through the courts, by hitting him where it hurts financially, and by ruining his professional reputation. Exposing you like this is unacceptable and I won't let him get away with it. He's going to regret ever crossing us.

The article has already been published, so it's not going to make a difference now.

"It won't stop him, but it will make him think twice before trying something like that again."

Selene leaned her head on his shoulder. “ I don’t want revenge, I just want all of these to stop.”

“It won’t. Not until Marcus gets what he wants or we break him completely.”

“Then break him.”

The words came out hard. Final.

Avalon looked at her. “ You sure?”

Selene's voice trembled with rage as she spoke. "He had no right to share my private medical information with anyone. And to make matters worse, he exposed Elena's existence to the public, using our poor daughter - who's no longer with us - as a tool to gain an advantage in a legal fight." She paused, collecting her thoughts before continuing. "I'm absolutely certain about what I want. I want him to pay for what he's done. Destroy him, completely."

The board meeting started exactly at three PM.

Avalon and Selene got to the place early, and Margaret was already there, she looked really serious.

“How bad?” Avalon asked.

“Patricia Wong wants your resignation.”

“What?”

She thinks this is a big problem with trust, and she's saying that the article shows you're either in on Selene's lie or you're not doing your job because you didn't know about it. Either way, she believes it makes you look bad, like you don't have good sense of judgment. She's basically calling out your ability to make good decisions, and that's not a good thing.

“That’s insane.”

That's Patricia's stance, meanwhile Daniel Frost is undecided and others are holding off to see how things play out.

“And you?”

Margaret locked eyes with him, her expression firm. "I'm going to make sure they remember that someone broke the law by leaking those private medical records, and that Marcus is behind it all. If they give in to this pressure, they'll be letting him get away with it."

The board filed in one by one.

Patricia Wong first, looking severe. Daniel Frost, looking uncomfortable. Robert Chen, looking angry. The others, carefully neutral.

Then Marcus.

He strolled in, confident and self-assured, like he was the owner of the entire establishment. His eyes met Avalon's, and he flashed her a charming smile.

“Avalon. Selene. Quite the morning.”

“You leaked those records,” Avalon said flatly.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

"Tampering with sealed medical records is against the law, and there will be consequences for doing so."

Marcus sat down, looking calm and collected. "I didn't leak anything," he said. But then he added, "I couldn't stop the investigative journalists from finding out things, could I?"

Jessica Mendoza isn't the kind of journalist who digs deep into stories. She's the one who covers tech news. It seems like someone just gave her those records, and that's how she got the information.

“Prove it.”

As Avalon began to rise, Selene's hand closed around his arm, holding him back.

“Don’t,” she whispered. “ That’s what he wants.”

Patricia Wong spoke up, "Alright, now that we're all here, shall we get started? Margaret, you're the one who called this meeting, so what's on the agenda for us today?"

“The agenda is addressing the article published this morning and clarifying that it changes nothing about Avalon’s position or the legitimacy of his marriage.”

"Come on, it's true," Patricia said, leaning in. "The article says Selene Castellano kept her pregnancy a secret from Avalon for ten whole years. That brings up some pretty big questions - can they really trust each other, did they use good judgment, and is their marriage really what they say it is?"

Margaret set the record straight, "What the article actually says is that Selene was intimidated by Catherine Pierce, which is why she kept the secret." She emphasized, "You have to consider the context, it's not just about what happened, but also why it happened that way."

The situation doesn't excuse the fact that she wasn't truthful, leaving out important information for ten whole years.

“She was twenty-two and traumatized.”

She had a decade after turning twenty-two to come clean, but she decided to keep quiet.

Selene said, "I decided to shield Avalon from the pain, I figured he didn't need to bear that burden."

Patricia turned to her. “ Or you chose to maintain control of the narrative. To keep Avalon in the dark so he couldn’t hold you accountable.”

“That’s not what happened.”

"Isn't that the truth? I mean, think about it - you kept a huge secret from everyone, and then you just showed up again when you needed cash to help your sister. And to make matters worse, you tricked Avalon into marrying you without being honest with her. That's pretty messed up, if you ask me."

Avalon's voice sliced through the air, firm and commanding. "Stop," he ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument. "You have no right to attack my wife."

"I'm not criticizing, I'm just asking questions, it's what I'm supposed to do as a member of this board."

"Your focus should be on managing Pierce Holdings effectively and ensuring its profitability, which is currently the case. My personal life, however, is not something I'm willing to discuss, as it's entirely separate from my professional responsibilities."

“It is when it affects the company’s reputation.”

The only thing hurting the company's reputation is Marcus sharing private medical records and you playing along with his games.

Marcus smiled. “ Again, I didn’t leak anything.”

Avalon spun around to face him, his eyes narrowing. "Then who did?" He demanded. "Who else could possibly gain from ruining my marriage? And who else has connections to lawyers who are willing to bend the law to get what they want?"

“You’re making serious accusations without proof.”

"You're trying to get your hands on the money I'm supposed to get, and you don't even care how it looks."

Silence fell over the room.

Margaret stood. “ Let’s be clear about what’s happening here. Someone illegally accessed sealed medical records and leaked them to the press. That’s a federal crime and we are filing complaints with the appropriate authorities. When we find out who did it, they’ll face prosecution.”

“If you find out,” Marcus said mildly.

“When,” Margaret corrected. “ And in the meantime, this board needs to decide—are we going to let outside manipulation affect our judgment, or are we going to focus on what actually matters? Avalon’s leadership. The company’s performance and the future of Pierce Holdings.”

Robert Chen interrupted Patricia before she could say anything.

I've heard all I need to. Avalon's personal life is a mess, we're all aware of that. But that doesn't take away from the fact that with him at the helm, Pierce Holdings has really taken off. The revenue has increased, the acquisitions they've made have been smart, and the company is doing better than it has in years. I'm not going to vote against him just because of some article.

Daniel Frost nodded slowly. “ Agreed.”

One after another, the remaining board members expressed their agreement and backing.

Patricia leaned back, looking really annoyed. "Okay, fine," she said. "But this isn't the end of it. When we get to court to dispute Marcus's will, all of this is going to come up again. And next time, the media won't be so easy on us."

“Let them come,” Avalon said. “ We’ve survived worse.”

The meeting adjourned.

As everyone was leaving, Marcus stopped for a moment by Avalon's seat.

“Well played,” he said quietly. “ But this is just the beginning. You won the battle today, just so you know, the war is far from over.”

Then he left.

That night, Selene couldn’t stop reading the comments on the article.

Hundreds and thousands of them.

Some sympathetic. Most brutal.

She hid a pregnancy for TEN YEARS? That’s not trauma, that’s manipulation.

Rich people problems. They deserve each other.

Imagine being so desperate for money you’d marry someone you lied to for a decade.

He made a huge mistake by marrying her, she's not trustworthy and only seems to care about one thing - his money.

Avalon found her in the library, phone in hand, tears streaming down her face.

“Stop reading,” he said gently.

“I can’t.”

"He took the phone away from her and put it down. 'These people don't know you, they don't know us,' he said. 'They're just strangers who think they can have an opinion about our lives.'"

“They think I’m a liar.”

“Some do. Others don’t. But it doesn’t matter what they think.”

“It matters to me.”

“Why?”

“Because—” Selene’s voice broke. “ Because what if they’re right? What if I am a manipulative liar who—”

Avalon wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. "Stop," he whispered. "You're being too hard on yourself. What you did was incredibly brave, not manipulative. You made a choice that seemed impossible at the time, and you had to live with that decision for ten long years, all by yourself. But then you came back to me and told me the truth, even though it was tearing you apart. That takes a lot of courage, not cunning or manipulation. You're strong, not weak, and I'm proud of you for being honest with me, even when it was the hardest thing to do.

“It doesn’t feel like courage.”

“It never does when you’re living it.”

She buried her face in his chest, tears streaming down as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

Somewhere out in the city, Marcus Pierce was likely having a party.

He’d wounded them. Badly, he had exposed their most private pain for public consumption.

But he hadn’t broken them and Avalon was going to make damn sure he never did.