Chapter 8

Kate was halfway through a morning briefing with Talia when the Foundation's office buzzed with sudden activity.

Phones started ringing. Email pings exploded. Whispers flew like wildfire.

Then Talia's screen lit up — and her jaw tightened.

"What's going on?" Kate asked cautiously.

Talia didn't answer. She clicked on something, eyes scanning fast. Then she turned the screen to face Kate.

It was an article on The New York Echo's website. Bold, black letters screamed across the top:

> EXCLUSIVE: BILLIONAIRE CEO'S SECRET AFFAIR WITH FORMER MAID TURNED EMPLOYEE

Beneath the headline was a blurry, but damning photo — Kate wrapped around Jade in his office, his shirt open, her legs around his waist.

Her blood ran cold.

It continued:

> Inside sources reveal that Jade Williams, CEO of the multimillion-dollar Williams Foundation, is engaged in a romantic—and possibly unethical—relationship with a recently hired staff member… formerly employed as domestic help in his private residence. Insiders question whether favoritism, power imbalance, and conflict of interest are at play…

Kate stared at the screen, heart thudding like a war drum.

Talia's voice was oddly calm. "You should go to his office. Now."

---

Jade was already standing behind his desk, phone in one hand, expression carved from stone. When she walked in, he hung up immediately and turned to her.

"You saw it."

"Of course I saw it."

"PR is already on damage control. The board is pissed, but they haven't voted to suspend me. Yet."

Kate stepped closer. "They dragged my past into this, Jade. Called me your maid. Like I don't deserve to be here."

His face hardened. "I'll find out who leaked it."

"I think I know," she said quietly. "Evelyn Torres. She was in the building that night."

Jade clenched his fists. "I'll handle her."

Kate shook her head. "No. If you go after her, it'll look like retaliation. And they already think you're abusing your power."

The silence between them cracked with tension.

"I should quit," she said suddenly. "Step down before this gets worse for both of us."

"No," he said sharply. "You're not running."

"Then what do we do, Jade?" Her voice trembled. "Let them tear me apart? Let every headline label me a gold-digger or worse?"

He walked over, grabbing her hands. "We face this. Together."

Tears pricked her eyes. "I didn't sign up for this spotlight."

"I know," he whispered, pressing her hand to his chest. "But I'll protect you with everything I've got."

---

Later that afternoon, the Foundation released a carefully crafted statement:

> "The Williams Foundation acknowledges the recent media coverage surrounding its CEO. We take all concerns of professional ethics seriously and are conducting an internal review. All Foundation employees are expected to be treated with respect and fairness, regardless of personal history or background."

No mention of Kate's name. No outright denial. Just corporate smoke and mirrors.

By the next morning, the media frenzy had intensified. Paparazzi hovered outside Kate's apartment. Reporters sent DMs asking for interviews. Her phone rang constantly.

Her past was dug up: her mother's struggles, her working-class roots, even a few old photos of her in her maid uniform—framed to humiliate.

She cried quietly in her bathroom.

And then the calls started coming from her family — cousins she hadn't heard from in years, some proud, some hungry for gossip. Everyone wanted to know if it was true. If she was really with him.

Jade showed up at her apartment that evening.

When she opened the door, he stepped in without a word and wrapped her in his arms.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

She clung to him, burying her face in his chest. "This is hell."

"I know."

He didn't ask for forgiveness. Didn't offer more promises.

He just held her while she broke.

---

Meanwhile, in a sleek Upper East Side café, Evelyn Torres sipped a matcha latte and smiled at the screen of her phone.

Her story was trending on TikTok now.

But what she didn't know… was that the Foundation's legal team had traced the email that sent the photos to the media.

And by tomorrow morning?

Evelyn's name would be all over a lawsuit she couldn't charm her way out of.