Chapter 289

Isabella glanced at the sizzling lobsters in the pan, then at Christopher’s wide, expectant eyes. “Two hours,” she told Julian Hawthorne firmly. “I’ll be at the office by then.”

“Understood.”

She ended the call and turned back to the stove. “Plates, sweetheart. Dinner’s almost ready.”

“Yes, Mommy!” Christopher hurried to help, his small hands carefully setting the table.

Only when he stepped away did Isabella pull out her phone. Her screen flooded with notifications.

[TitanTech Founder Slams Isabella and Arabella]

[Genius Vivienne Delacroix and Top Model Seraphina Delacroix Back Genevieve]

[Genevieve and Daughter Break Down in Tears]

Every headline twisted the narrative against her and Arabella Fontaine. Her Twitter DMs overflowed with rage. Followers demanded why she’d protect someone like Arabella.

Then Johnson Spencer—no, Harrison Winslow—chose to speak. His post made her blood boil.

[I acknowledge my weakness. I gave in to temptation. I vow to become a better man and spend my life making amends to my wife, Genevieve, and our daughter.]

He painted Arabella as the seductress. The homewrecker.

His tweet exploded. Retweets, quotes, outrage. It nearly broke the platform. Then someone leaked Arabella’s location: GoldenPhoenix, under Isabella’s protection.

The mob descended on Isabella’s social media.

Shameless company! Hand over the mistress!

Apologize!

How could you choose money over morals?

I was a fan, Boss Montgomery. This is disgusting!

Boycott GoldenPhoenix! Bankrupt Isabella!

Drive her out of the industry!

It felt coordinated. Manufactured fury. Every brand Isabella worked with faced backlash. Chanel, Gucci—they scrubbed her from their pages. Production companies cut ties with GoldenPhoenix artists. Anything linked to her was toxic.

GoldenPhoenix teetered on the edge.

Isabella’s jaw tightened. The clock was ticking. Her team was still gathering evidence. Without it, Arabella was finished. So was her company.

She called Maxwell Carter. “Use the badge. Mobilize everyone. I need answers. Now.”

The lobster rolls were ready. She filled them carefully. Despite the chaos, she sat down to eat with Christopher and Nathaniel.

It was Christopher’s first time trying lobster. Nathaniel usually forbade it. The boy’s face lit up with each bite.

Nathaniel barely touched his food. His eyes stayed on Isabella. “Let me handle this.”

“No.” Her voice was soft but firm. “I’ve got it.”

She knew Vivienne Delacroix was behind this. Seraphina wanted to crush GoldenPhoenix. Vivienne wanted to destroy her.

If Nathaniel stepped in, Vivienne would only sneer. She had to prove she didn’t need his power. She could fight this battle alone.

After dinner, she checked the time. Almost there. “Time for your nap, sweetie. Mommy has to go to the office. I’ll be back soon.”

Christopher put down his half-eaten roll. “I want to come with you, Mommy.”