Chapter 9 - WRATH OF THE ASHFORD EMPIRE
Two weeks passed. Two weeks that reshaped the entire hierarchy of the city's elite.
The Caldwell family was utterly ruined. Vanessa, facing severe public backlash and an investigation into her family's fraudulent business practices—an investigation quietly funded and expedited by Nathaniel's lawyers—had fled to Europe in disgrace.
But Nathaniel was not finished.
He called a massive press conference at the headquarters of Ashford Technologies. Every major news network in the world was present. The auditorium was packed with flashing cameras and eager journalists waiting to hear from the reclusive billionaire.
Nathaniel walked onto the stage, but he was not alone.
He held Lily in his left arm, dressed in a beautiful, simple white dress, her dark curls bouncing. With his right hand, he held Grace's hand. Grace wore a stunning, understated navy blue designer gown, her head held high, though her pulse was racing.
A deafening roar of camera shutters filled the room.
Nathaniel stepped up to the podium, adjusting the microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen," his voice boomed, silencing the room instantly. "For the past two weeks, there has been endless speculation about my personal life. Today, I am putting an end to it."
He looked down at Lily, who was busy playing with his silk tie, entirely unbothered by the flashing lights.
"I am officially introducing the world to my daughter, Lily Ashford. And the woman standing beside me is not a housekeeper. She is Grace Carter, the woman who saved my life four years ago, the mother of my child, and the sole heir to the Ashford trust."
Gasps rippled through the press corps. Hands shot up, journalists screaming questions.
"Mr. Ashford! Are you getting married?"
"Is it true Vanessa Caldwell assaulted her?"
"What is your response to the Caldwell bankruptcy?"
Nathaniel held up a hand. The silence returned.
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"Any publication," Nathaniel said, his voice cold and lethal, "that prints a single negative word about my daughter, or the woman I love, will face the full, unmitigated wrath of my legal and financial empire. I will not sue you. I will buy your parent companies and liquidate you. Consider this your only warning."
He turned, smiled at Grace, and kissed her gently on the forehead in front of the entire world. "We are going home now."
