Chapter 201
In a dim bar in Brooklyn, Aspen sat hunched in a back booth. The air smelled of stale beer and poor decisions. She wore sunglasses and a headscarf, a poor imitation of a spy.
Across from her sat a man with greasy hair and a notepad. He was a journalist from The Tattler.
“So you’re saying Gaston Collins harassed you?” he asked, pressing record on his phone.
“Yes,” Aspen said, leaning forward. “Years ago. At a gala. He cornered me. Touched me.”
“But isn’t he gay?” the journalist asked, his skepticism barely concealed.
“That is his cover,” Aspen hissed. “He is a predator. He hates women, so he hurts them. He uses the rumor to get close to us.”
“Juicy,” the journalist said, grinning. “And you have proof?”
“My trauma is my proof,” Aspen said, with great gravity. “And I have witnesses who saw us arguing.”
“This will sell a million copies.”
Aspen slid a thick envelope across the sticky table. Fifty thousand dollars in cash.
𝖠𝖽𝖽𝗂𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗌 𝗈𝗇 𝗀𝖺𝗅𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅𝗌.𝖼𝗈𝗆
“Run it tomorrow,” she said.
She stood and left, feeling triumphant. If she could not have the reputation, no one could.
What she did not notice was the man in the grey hoodie at the bar. He shifted slightly on his stool, raised his phone, and captured the exchange through the gap in the booth seats.
He sent the photo to Liam with a single line of text.
Got her.
Jocelyn was discharged the next morning. Being back in the penthouse felt like returning to a fortress.
She was sitting on the sofa when her phone began to ring insistently. It was Bella Douglas.
“Jocelyn! Don’t look at the internet!” Bella screamed the moment Jocelyn answered.
“Why? What happened?” Jocelyn asked, her heart sinking.
“That bitch Aspen! She told The Tattler that Gaston assaulted her!” Bella yelled.
Jocelyn dropped the phone. It fell onto the cushion.
Gaston walked in from the kitchen. He picked it up.
“Bella. Calm down. We know,” Gaston said, his voice steady. He hung up and looked at Jocelyn. His face was unreadable. “It is garbage. Don’t read it.”
“But… people will believe it,” Jocelyn trembled. “The ‘Predator’ narrative. It ruins men, Gaston. Even innocent ones.”
“Let them read,” Gaston said. His eyes were cold and calculating. “It makes the truth hit harder.” He glanced at his watch. “I have a press conference at noon. Stay here. Watch TV.”
“You’re going to fight her?” Jocelyn asked.
“I am going to end her,” Gaston said. He leaned down and kissed her forehead.
He left without another word.
In his brother’s office, Gaston stormed in without knocking. Justin was already reading the tabloid. The headline screamed: COLLINS HEIR: HIDDEN PREDATOR?
“This is a mess, Gaston,” Justin said, frowning. “It hurts the family image. The polls will dip.”
“It is a trap,” Gaston said. “I have photos of her paying the journalist.”
“Good.” Justin relaxed slightly.
“But I need to ask you something else,” Gaston said. He planted his hands on Justin’s desk and leaned forward. “Aaden’s mother. Who is she, really?”
Justin stiffened. “We discussed this. She is dead.”
.