Chapter 289: The Scandal

“She says she used to be Summer’s friend and has a proposal. She claims once you hear it, you’ll agree.”

“Oh?”

Helen narrowed her eyes, a sharp smile curling across her face.

“Let her in.”

Sienna walked in, dressed head-to-toe in black. Black coat, black pants, black sunglasses. Even her silk scarf, wrapped tightly around her face, was black. Not a single detail out of place. She followed the housekeeper down the long hall, one step at a time, into the Graham family’s grand sitting room. The space was massive, lined with dozens of servants posted at every entrance. The air was thick with solemn authority, the kind that made people instinctively stand taller.

Sienna finally faced the woman seated at the center—elegant, commanding, untouchable. She removed her sunglasses and scarf, bowed politely, and said, “Ma’am.”

Helen lifted her gaze slowly and gave her a cold once-over.

“What do you want?”

Sienna smiled—just slightly.

“Madam Graham, you and I share a common enemy.”

Helen didn’t answer. Her eyes were razor sharp.

“Oh?” she said after a moment. “And what do you propose?”

There was something wild in Sienna’s eyes. Unstable. Consumed.

“I need your help. If you back me, I can remove Summer from Mr. Graham’s life for good. You’ll never have to deal with her again.”

Helen didn’t respond right away. Her eyes flicked to the butler. He understood instantly and quietly dismissed the servants from the room. Helen gave a calm, pleasant smile and beckoned with one hand.

“I do enjoy clever women. Come closer.”

She stepped forward and leaned in, whispering her entire plan into Helen’s ear. When she finished, she stepped back.

“Whether it works or not, all I ask is that you give me enough money to disappear. Me and my family.”

Since the failed setup with Philip, everything had fallen apart. She’d gone through all that trouble only for Summer to be rescued. Now Philip’s men were after her. So were Fraser’s. She was barely surviving—hiding, running, fearing for her life. She never imagined she’d end up like this. Hunted. Desperate. Powerless.

Fine. If she was going down, she’d make sure everyone else went with her.

At Stewart Group, inside the conference room, Summer was in the middle of a quarterly budget meeting with senior executives when Winston knocked on the door. The discussion paused.

Summer looked over. “What is it? We’re in the middle of something.”

Winston looked uneasy. “Ms. Summer… the company’s official site is blowing up.”

“What happened?”

With everyone watching, Winston hesitated, then walked in and handed her his phone. “You should see this.”

Around the room, others began checking their phones, murmuring under their breath. Summer opened the site—and froze. Every headline was about her.

“Shocking: Stewart Group heiress is pregnant!” “CEO of Stewart Group caught sleeping with married Dale Group exec Philip!” “Heiress’s unborn child allegedly fathered by Philip!” “Stewart Group in disgrace! CEO’s lifestyle under fire!”

Each article had two photos. The first was her missing prenatal report—clear, with her name visible and the words “father unknown” right across it. The second was grainy surveillance footage—one frame of her entering a hotel room, another of Philip walking in afterward.

The internet had turned against her. The company’s reputation, and hers, were being dragged through the mud.

One of the department heads stood up, furious.

“This is a complete lie! There’s no way Ms. Summer is pregnant!”

Several others spoke up in agreement.

“She’s not even married. This is clearly a smear campaign from a rival!”

But then someone near the back stood and, he said, “But… the report has her name on it. And the photo is clearly her. That’s not easy to fake.”

That single sentence sucked all the air from the room. Every pair of eyes turned toward Summer.

She had always known her pregnancy might cause problems. But this? This narrative—affairs, broken marriages, rumors of a love child—this wasn’t just an exposure. It was character assassination. Someone had set this up.

She pulled herself together, pushed every emotion back down, and said, “I’ll give you all a proper explanation,” she said clearly. “Haynes from PR—please meet me in my office.”