Chapter 10 - THE FLIGHT THAT WAS NEVER A COINCIDENCE
I had believed the strangest thing about my flight was falling asleep on a billionaire's shoulder.
Now I knew someone had arranged for us to sit beside each other.
Not necessarily down to the seat numbers.
But on the same aircraft.
At the same time.
Travel records showed that my reservation had been made through a promotional link Sarah forwarded.
Noah's itinerary had been changed through a request that appeared to come from his corporate travel office.
And both changes occurred within minutes of each other.
The investigators believed someone had coordinated them.
My stomach twisted.
"Why?"
Noah looked toward Rebecca.
She opened another document.
"One possibility is that the people behind the fraud wanted Emily and Noah photographed together."
I stared.
"Photographed?"
Noah's expression hardened.
"To create the appearance of a personal relationship."
I thought of the passengers lifting their phones.
The whispered conversations.
The man across the aisle who kept staring.
And the moment Noah asked me to pretend to sleep on his shoulder.
My face went hot.
"Oh my God."
Noah looked at me.
"Emily?"
"They wanted pictures."
Rebecca nodded.
"Possibly."
I covered my mouth.
Ryan had been posting photographs with Vanessa.
But what if he also wanted photographs of me with another man?
A billionaire.
A stranger.
Someone powerful enough to make the story explode online.
Then Ryan could claim I was having an affair.
He could portray me as irresponsible.
He could use the images in his custody dispute.
And the financial investigation could become tangled in personal scandal.
I felt sick.
"He wanted to destroy my credibility."
Noah looked grim.
"And possibly mine."
The next morning, the first photograph appeared online.
A grainy image of me sleeping against Noah's shoulder.
Lily curled against my chest.
The headline read:
BILLIONAIRE NOAH WHITMAN SPOTTED WITH MYSTERY WOMAN AND BABY.
I stared at the screen.
My private moment had become public.
Within hours, strangers were commenting on my marriage.
My daughter.
My appearance.
My character.
People who'd never met me were deciding what kind of mother I was.
I wanted to disappear.
Noah called immediately.
"Emily, I'm sorry."
I sat beside Lily's crib.
"You didn't post it."
"No. But I asked you to lean on my shoulder."
I swallowed.
"I agreed."
He was silent.
Then said, "I'll have my team correct the false claims without exposing your private information."
I appreciated that.
But the damage was already spreading.
That afternoon, Jennifer called.
"Emily, Ryan's attorney has submitted the photograph as part of a custody filing."
My stomach dropped.
"You're kidding."
"I'm afraid not."
I closed my eyes.
Then Jennifer continued.
"There's another document."
"What?"
"A statement from a witness claiming you and Noah had been involved before your flight."
I stood so quickly my chair fell backward.
"That's a lie!"
"I know. We'll challenge it."
My hands shook.
"Who signed it?"
Jennifer hesitated.
"Vanessa Hale."
I stared.
Ryan's girlfriend.
The woman connected to the missing money.
The person who'd helped destroy my marriage.
And now she was accusing me of the very betrayal she'd committed.
But the next morning, a new message arrived.
From an unknown number.
Emily, Vanessa isn't the woman you should be afraid of.
May you like
A second message followed.
Check who owns the company that hired Daniel Price.
