Chapter 7 - The Media Spin
Alexander hastily grabbed the remote in Mr. Sterling’s luxury car and turned on the built-in television.
The local news channel was already broadcasting a highly sensational breaking story.
Bianca sat perfectly framed in a brightly lit studio, wiping away fake tears with a delicate tissue.
She looked exactly like the perfect, heartbroken wife whose beautiful world had just collapsed.
"My poor husband, Alexander, has been suffering from a severe, undiagnosed mental breakdown," Bianca lied effortlessly to the camera.
"His mother, Helga, has always been obsessively controlling, and she violently manipulated him into sabotaging my father's business."
The news anchor leaned in closely, looking deeply sympathetic to Bianca's expertly fabricated pain.
"So you are publicly saying Helga Morgen orchestrated the massive cyber attack on your family's company?" the anchor asked.
"Yes," Bianca nodded aggressively, her voice quivering perfectly on cue.
"She used her dirty connections as a former janitor to sneak into the building and destroy our livelihood out of pure, bitter jealousy."
Alexander clenched his fists so incredibly hard his knuckles turned bright white.
"She is entirely twisting the whole story," he growled angrily. "She is trying to completely destroy you in the court of public opinion."
I watched the bright screen, secretly marveling at how easily my daughter-in-law could weave a massive web of lies.
"They are incredibly desperate," Mr. Sterling observed calmly from the front passenger seat.
"Ewald is currently facing a massive federal indictment, so they are throwing you both under the bus to save face."
The live broadcast quickly cut to a shocking shot of my small, humble apartment building.
Dozens of reporters and angry, shouting protesters were already swarming the front concrete steps.
Someone had viciously spray-painted the word "THIEF" across my small front door in bright red paint.
"I absolutely cannot go home," I realized, feeling a sudden, crushing wave of exhaustion.
"You will comfortably stay at my secure estate until this entire mess blows over," Mr. Sterling insisted.
We drove quickly to the total safety of his mansion, heavily passing the iron gates that locked out the chaotic world.
Inside, I sat quietly by the window, painfully watching the news stations drag my good name through the mud all day.
They interviewed my jealous old neighbors, who had clearly been heavily bribed by Lydia to say I was a bitter, violent woman.
By the early evening, I was entirely painted as a mastermind criminal who maliciously ruined a wealthy, innocent family.
Alexander paced the hardwood floor, completely overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the character assassination.
"We absolutely have to fight back, Mom," he said frantically. "We intensely need to release the audio recording of them aggressively attacking you."
I shook my head firmly.
"That is exactly what they want us to do," I explained patiently.
"If we release it now, they will easily claim it is deep-faked or heavily edited by a professional."
Alexander slumped heavily into a velvet chair, burying his exhausted face in his hands.
"Then how on earth do we stop them?" he asked desperately.
Mr. Sterling walked confidently into the room holding a thick, gold-embossed envelope.
"We do not try to stop them," Mr. Sterling said with a highly dangerous smile.
"We personally invite them to the biggest charity gala of the year and happily let them destroy themselves on camera."
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He tossed the envelope carelessly onto the table, spilling out glossy, highly exclusive VIP invitations.
"And I happen to deeply know exactly what Bianca’s biggest weakness is," I added softly.
