Chapter 4 - The Court of Public Opinion
By 8:00 AM the next morning, the internet was on fire.
Someone at the gala had been recording Vanessa's speech on their phone. The video of the slap, followed by the chillingly calm intervention of Elena's brothers, was splashed across every major news network and social media platform.
Adrian Vale’s PR team was in full meltdown mode.
Elena sat in Julian’s sunlit kitchen, wearing an oversized cashmere sweater, cradling a mug of coffee. Julian slid an iPad across the kitchen island.
"He's trying to spin it," Julian said, taking a sip of his espresso.
Elena looked at the screen. Adrian had released a statement claiming he was "defending his colleague from an unprovoked, manic episode" and that Elena suffered from "severe mental health issues." Vanessa had posted a tearful photo of a fake scratch on her arm to Instagram.
"Let them talk," Marcus said, walking into the kitchen adjusting his tie. "The higher they build their pedestal of lies, the harder the concrete will hit them when they fall."
"He's going to try to freeze my accounts," Elena said, a hint of the old anxiety creeping back into her chest. "He made me sign a prenup. I have nothing."
Julian laughed, a dark, rich sound. "Ellie, I manage a hedge fund with three hundred billion dollars in assets. Adrian's net worth is a rounding error to me. He thinks he can starve you out? By noon today, I will have frozen every line of credit his company has."
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Elena looked at her brothers, realizing for the first time the sheer magnitude of the storm they were about to unleash on her abuser. "What do you want me to do?"
"Drink your coffee," Marcus smiled gently. "And watch us work."
