Chapter 33
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The aftermath of Eleanor's intrusion was a tense, lingering adrenaline crash. I spent the rest of the afternoon apologizing to my patients, offering them free follow-up sessions for the disruption. Everyone was surprisingly understanding, but the absolute violation of my sanctuary left me feeling raw and exhausted.
When I finally locked the clinic doors that evening, Lucas was already waiting in the parking lot. He had driven over the second Sarah called him, ready to physically throw Eleanor out if necessary.
"Are you okay?" Lucas asked, wrapping his arms around me the moment I stepped outside.
"I'm fine," I sighed, burying my face in his chest, inhaling the comforting scent of cedar and rain. "I stood my ground. But she threatened the clinic, Lucas. She said she would destroy it."
"She can't touch you, Maya," Lucas promised, kissing the top of my head. "We won't let her."
But Eleanor was true to her toxic, vindictive nature. By the following Tuesday, the digital assault began.
Sarah walked into my office, carrying a tablet with a deeply concerned expression.
"Maya, we have a massive problem," Sarah reported, placing the tablet on my desk. "Over the last twelve hours, Sovereign Physical Therapy has received forty-five one-star reviews on Google and Yelp. They are claiming malpractice, unsanitary conditions, and abusive staff."
I stared at the screen, my stomach dropping. The reviews were entirely fabricated, written by newly created, anonymous accounts, but the sheer volume was enough to tank my clinic's perfect five-star rating down to a dismal two stars in a single morning.
"It's Eleanor," I whispered, feeling a sudden surge of panic. "She's using a bot farm or paying people to ruin my digital reputation. New patients won't come if they see these reviews."
"We flag them all as spam," Sarah said firmly, ready to fight.
May you like
"It takes weeks for the platforms to review those flags," I realized, rubbing my temples. "She's trying to choke my revenue stream. She wants to bankrupt me so I have to surrender Chloe."
"Then we fight back harder," Lucas's voice echoed from the doorway. He walked in holding a thick, manila folder. "I anticipated this. I called an old friend of mine this morning. We are going on the offensive."
