Page 81 of The Secret Heir Next Door

“It’s possible. He was there last night, and we both know he’s not above pulling something like this.”

“I wouldn’t put it past him,” I mutter, anger flaring again at the thought of my brother stirring up this kind of trouble just to get back at me. “But whoever it was, we need to get this under control. Serena’s already dealing with enough. She doesn’t need this on top of everything else.”

“I’m on it, but Logan, you need to be prepared for the possibility that we might not be able to take everything down. Once something like this is out there, it’s hard to put the genie back in the bottle.”

“I don’t care,” I say firmly. “Do whatever it takes. Pay them off if you have to. Just get it done.”

“Understood,” Brant says. “I think you should talk to Serena about this. She needs to know what’s going on.”

“I will,” I promise.

Serena’s strong, but I know this is going to hurt her. And the last thing I want is for her to think I’ve dragged her into something she didn’t sign up for.

We end the call, and I sit back in my chair, staring at the screen before me. The headlines, the comments—they’re all just noise, but it’s noise that has the power to ruin lives.

I know how ruthless the media can be, but seeing them go after Serena like this, knowing that she’s being attacked for something she didn’t do, makes my blood boil.

I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself. I need to keep my head clear and focus on fixing this. I’ve dealt with crises before, but this feels different. This isn’t just about me. It’s about Serena. And I won’t let anyone hurt her, not like this.

My phone buzzes on the desk, and I glance down to see a message from Grace:

PR team is on it. Will update ASAP.

I nod, then pick up the phone again, this time to call Serena. She needs to hear about this from me—not from some headline or social media post. The phone rings once, twice, before she picks up.

“Hey,” she says, her voice warm and sexy. Just hearing her eases some of the tension in my chest.

“Are you busy? There’s something we need to talk about.”

There’s a pause on the other end of the line, and I can practically hear her frowning. “I’m not too busy for you. What’s going on?”

I take a deep breath. “Serena, there’s something you need to know about last night. Some photos of us were taken, and... well, the media has gotten ahold of them. They’re spinning this whole story about you, and it’s not pretty.”

There’s a long silence on the other end, and I feel my heart sinking. “What... what are they saying?” she finally asks.

“They’re calling you a gold digger, saying you’re only with me for my money.” The words taste bitter as they leave my mouth. “They’re spreading lies about your business, too, saying you’re broke and looking for someone to bail you out. It’s all bullshit, but they’re running with it.”

I hear her take a shaky breath. “Logan...”

“Don’t,” I say quickly, hating the hurt I can hear in her voice. “Don’t believe a word of it. None of it’s true, and we’re going to take care of it. I’ve already got my PR team working on getting everything taken down.”

She’s silent again, and I wish more than anything that I could be there with her, to hold her and tell her it’s going to be okay. Finally, she speaks. “Thank you, Logan. I... I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything. This isn’t your fault, Serena. We’ll get through this together, I promise.”

She takes another deep breath, and I can hear her struggle to control her voice. “Okay. Okay, I trust you.”

“Good,” I say, relief washing over me. “I’ll keep you updated on what’s happening, but in the meantime, try not to look at any of the headlines. It’s just a bunch of noise.”

“Easier said than done,” she says with a small, humorless laugh. “But I’ll try.”

“That’s all I’m asking,” I say. “I’ll talk to you soon, okay?”

“Okay,” she agrees.

We hang up, and I stare at the phone in my hand for a long moment, my thoughts racing. Serena’s trust means everything to me, and I’ll do whatever it takes to protect her, even if it means going up against the entire media machine.

I’ve dealt with difficult situations before, but this... this is different. This is personal. And I won’t let anyone drag Serena down.

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