All Chapters of THE CEO's REVENGE BRIDE: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

The attack began at 3:17 AM on a Thursday in September 2022, with a blog post titled "The Martinez Foundation: Foreign Money, Radical Agenda." By sunrise, the story had been picked up by six conservative websites and was trending on social media with the hashtag #MartinetWatch. Sophia discovered it when her phone started buzzing with notifications at 6 AM. The post included photos of her house, details about the foundation's international partnerships, and selectively edited quotes from grant applications that made their voter education work sound like election manipulation. "Foreign unded radicals are using the Martinez Foundation to destabilize American communities," the post claimed. "Under the guise of 'community empowerment,' they're importing dangerous organizing tactics from overseas and training American activists to disrupt democratic institutions." By the time Sophia reached the foundation's Brooklyn office, the phones were ringing constantly and staff were fielding calls

Marcus drove in silence through Brooklyn traffic while Sophia stared at his profile, trying to reconcile the colleague she'd known for three years with the stranger who claimed to know her family history better than she did. "Where are we going?" Sarah asked from the backseat, her voice tight with stress. "Somewhere safe to talk," Marcus replied, taking an exit toward Queens. "Safe according to whom?" Sophia demanded. "Five minutes ago I trusted David completely, and he turned out to be working for people trying to destroy us. Now you're telling me you've been lying about who you are for months." "I haven't been lying about who I am. I've been lying about why I'm here." "What's the difference?" "The difference is that David was working against the foundation. I've been working to protect it." Twenty minutes later, they pulled up to a nondescript warehouse in Long Island City. Marcus led them through a side entrance into what appeared to be a fully equipped operations center comp

The call came on a Tuesday morning in March, interrupting Sophia's review of quarterly reports. Maria Santos, their program director in São Paulo, was calling from a hospital. "Dr. Martinez, we have a situation. The community center in Cidade Tiradentes was attacked last night. Three people were hospitalized, including Carlos, our local coordinator." Sophia's hand tightened on the phone. "What kind of attack?" "We think it was related to the housing advocacy work. Carlos has been organizing residents to challenge illegal evictions, and there have been threats." "Is he going to be okay?" "The doctors think so, but he's unconscious. The community is scared, and some are saying they want to stop the program." Sophia closed her eyes. After eighteen months of successful international expansion, this was the call she'd been dreading. "I'll be on a plane tonight." "You don't need to come. We can handle" "Maria, three people are in the hospital because of work we're supporting. I need

The first sign that their transparency strategy was working came from an unexpected source: Senator Morrison's own investigative team. "Dr. Martinez?" Marcus knocked on Sophia's office door at 7 AM, three weeks after the leak. "You need to see this." He handed her a printout of an internal memo that had somehow found its way to a progressive news outlet. The document, bearing Senator Morrison's letterhead, outlined a strategy to "neutralize the Martinez Foundation's international operations through coordinated media pressure." "Where did this come from?" Sophia asked, scanning the memo's clinical language about "messaging coordination" and "strategic narrative deployment." "Someone in Morrison's office, apparently. The journalist won't reveal sources, but they've verified the document's authenticity." The memo laid out a timeline that matched perfectly with the leaked footage and edited videos. It referenced "allied media platforms" and "opposition research assets." Most damning

The breakthrough came from an unexpected source: a paralegal in Senator Morrison's office who had been quietly documenting the coordination between political operatives and corporate interests for months. "Her name is Amanda Chen," Jessica, their investigative researcher, explained during an emergency meeting. "She's the one who leaked the original memos, and she has a lot more." "Why is she coming forward now?" Sophia asked. "Because the attacks on Carlos crossed a line for her. She says going after someone's immigration status for organizing work reminded her why she got into politics in the first place." Amanda had requested a meeting at a coffee shop in Arlington, far from the political circles of downtown Washington. Sophia arrived to find a young woman in her late twenties, nervous but determined. "Dr. Martinez, thank you for meeting with me. I know this is risky for both of us." "What can you tell us?" Amanda slid a thick folder across the table. "Everything. The coordi