Winning Back His Ex's Wife's Broken Heart by Hayley

Chapter 94

Richard's

pov.

I couldn't breathe. Not because I was scared-though I was-but because everything felt like it was crashing down all at once.

The phone call came in the middle of the morning when everything should've been calm. But that was never how it worked anymore, was it? The network had found its way into my life, into everything I cared about, and now they were making their move.

"Mr. Wright," the voice on the other end of the line was cold, too cold for comfort. "We have information that suggests your business dealings aren't as clean as you claim."

I barely heard the rest of the words. My mind was already racing, already trying to figure out who had leaked what. What had they found? What were they planning to do with it?

I ended the call quickly, staring at the phone screen. My thoughts were a blur, but one thing stood out clearly: they were targeting me. My business.

My reputation. It felt like everything I had built was suddenly crumbling, and I couldn't stop it.

I didn't have time to think about that now, though. I had to act fast. I threw on a jacket and headed out to the office. I needed to find out what was going on before it spiraled any further.

The moment I stepped inside, I was hit with chaos. My assistant was on the phone, her voice frantic. I could hear her trying to calm someone down, but it was useless. Everyone in the office was on edge. "What's happening?" I asked, trying to stay calm as I walked into my office.

"Sir, we've got a problem," Marta said, barely looking up. "There's a scandal brewing. Someone's digging into your past, and they've got something-something big."

I ran a hand through my hair. This wasn't just a random leak. This was coordinated, and deliberate. They were out to destroy me.

I opened my laptop and went straight to the news sites. There it was, front and center. My face. My company's name. And the headline was like a punch to the gut. "Richard Winters Linked to Shady Deals: A Look at the Businessman's Dark Past"

on the article. My mind was racing too fast. They were using everything against me. My father's death.

younger. Everything was

my chest tightening. "How could they..." I muttered to myself. But it didn't matter how. They had. And now, I had

bad. Really bad. The network was trying to break me, to make me lose

was the same scared kid who'd stepped into my father's shoes years ago. They didn't know what I'd

business, and I

I could take. At any moment, the media

grabbed the office phone. This was my company, my reputation,

still on her own call. She glanced at me, worry etched all over her face, but she nodded and quickly patched me through. The head of Security answered, "Mr.

said, trying to keep my voice steady. "No one from the press gets in. Not a single reporter, cameraman, anyone even remotely connected to the media. You understand?" "Understood,

your team's clear on that. We're not letting this

and nodded at Marta. "Call

on their way, Mr. Wright," she

minutes, my publicists were in my office, breathless and on edge. They glanced at one another, then at me, their faces asking the questions they didn't dare speak. I cut through the silence.

run from this story. But we need a strong, smart response. Something that convinces

publicists, Lisa, leaned forward. "We could address the claims head-on, and make it

make me out to be... well, anything less." The team set to work, murmuring ideas back and forth, and debating word choices and strategies. I could feel my heart beating fast, like it was waiting for something to go wrong. But right now, there wasn't time to feel anything but focus. Suddenly, my phone buzzed, breaking through the tense air of the room. I glanced down, not recognizing the number at first. Then I

all the calls I'd ignored that day, his and Sarah were the ones I couldn't afford to miss. I raised a finger to signal silence and stepped into

to sound steady. "I am sure you heard the

tense, almost too quiet. "I'm not calling just as your friend-this is lawyer-to-client

a breath. "Go

and I could almost hear him choosing his words carefully. "The network's found a way to target your reputation. They're bringing up everything from your past business deals, Richard. Things you might not even remember or even care about, but it's enough to paint

creep up my spine. "Yeah...I know. They're digging up deals

twisting it," he said, his voice low. "They're claiming these deals were corrupt from the start. And they've planted stories