Ste only found out about it when Jonathan Williams called her.
His voice over the phone was cold as ice.
"Father wants you toe home. Right now."
Ste immediately sensed something was wrong. "What''s happened?"
Jonathan almostughed, a sharp, bitter sound.
"You mean you don''t know?"
She frowned, not liking his tone.
"No, I don''t."
His voice grew even colder. "It''s all over the inte, and you really have no
idea?"
The edge in his words was starting to grate on her nerves. "Whatever''s blowing
up online, what''s it got to do with me?"
He snorted. "Ste, I never realized what a great actress you are."
She was done ying games. Without another word, Ste hung up.
Jonathan stared at the nk screen in disbelief. He called again, only to have
Ste reject the call. He tried a few more times, but she simply blocked his
number.
A few minutester, her phone lit up again. This time the caller ID read: Haynes
O''Brien.
Ste hesitated, then picked up.
"Star, are you alright?" Haynes asked, concern in his voice.
"I''m fine," she replied. "What''s going on?"
He paused, clearly surprised she was still in the dark. But unlike Jonathan,
Haynes didn''t try to be cryptic-he told her everything straight out.
"Aurora''s illegitimate birth is all over the news now. Everyone knows. Reporters
have dug up dirt on Mr. Williams, your mother, and Aurora''s mother too. Even your
father''s old romance from his youth is making the rounds again. The Williams
Group''s stock is tanking. Right now, everyone''s having a field day at your family''s
expense."
His tone was neutral, almost professional, as if he''d rehearsed the facts.
Now Ste understood why Jonathan was so furious.
Haynes continued, "Star, this wasn''t your doing, was it?"
"It wasn''t me. I just found out myself," Ste answered.
That was enough for Haynes-he never doubted her.
Still, his next words were heavy.
"This puts you in a tough spot. Even
if it wasn''t you, the Williams family
will probably pin it on you. If this isn''t
handled delicately, your father won''t
let it slide."
"I know," Ste replied, her voice steady. "I need to get a handle on the situation
first. I''ll call youter, okay?"
"I''ll have Benson gather everything
that''s been posted and send it to
you," Haynes said. "No point wasting
your time searching for it all o
yourself."
She was quiet for a moment. "Thank you. I appreciate it."
Barely a minute after they hung up, Benson''s message arrived. Ste scrolled
through the avnche of online gossip, her heart pounding.
The Williams family''s deepest secrets-everything they''d tried to keep hidden-
were now sprawled out in the harsh light of day, thanks to Aurora.
For the Williamses, it was nothing short of disaster.
And it wasplicated.
Ste felt no joy in their misfortune
Aurora had never really targeted her,
after all. Things between her and the
family hadn''t yet reached a breaking
point.
But now, all suspicious eyes would be trained on her.
Her shares in thepany were still under lock and key; if she made one wrong
move, the Williamses could easily resort to drastic measures.
So far, they''d held back for the sake of "family."
But if that illusion vanished, if they turned on her, they''d have no reason to show
mercy.
And given the cards she was holding, going up against a family like the
Williamses was like bringing a knife to a gunfight.
No, not just one family-there was Sellers, too.
Ste rubbed at her aching temples. Suddenly, she had lost all interest in
shopping.
...
Three dayster, thepetition organizers made an announcement.
Aurora had withdrawn from the contest.