Chapter 4 - The Public Image
The scandal did not break in the tabloids; it broke in the boardrooms. When the Whitmore conglomerate announced a sudden, indefinite shift in the CEO’s travel schedule—effectively canceling a billion-dollar merger to remain in London—the vultures began to circle.
Eleanor was no longer in the house, but she was everywhere else. She planted stories about Alexander’s "mental collapse," whispering to high-society friends that he had fallen under the spell of a "manipulative" employee.
Alexander found himself in a surreal war. On one side, his company’s investors were demanding he return to the fold, threatening a vote of no confidence. On the other side, his mother’s legal team sent a formal notice: they were filing for temporary guardianship of Iris, citing "the lack of a stable medical environment" and "unprofessional influences" in the nursery.
"They’re weaponizing her, aren't they?" Grace asked one evening, watching Alexander read the legal summons.
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"They think they can buy her," Alexander said, his voice cold. "They think because she has a disability, the world will agree that she’s an asset to be managed by the most 'qualified' person—which, to them, means whoever has the most money."
Alexander realizes that to keep his daughter, he might have to lose his empire. The chapter follows his transformation from a man who values his reputation to a man who is willing to burn his own legacy to the ground. He begins to offload shares, liquidate holdings, and cut ties with the board, realizing that the "power" he spent years accumulating is the very thing currently threatening his daughter’s peace.
