Lizzy woke up to see several articles about her. The media was calling her all sorts of names, destroying her reputation. Apparently someone had anonymously tipped them about the story.
The content was about Lizzy's struggles in foster care then how she married Lucas for his money, then divorced him and demanded half his properties. But Lucas won against her, so she moved on to Caleb Kent. They had a lot of fake witnesses from the foster care Lizzy grew up in, and the workers in the Jenkins mansion.
The media dragged Lizzy, calling her a fraud and a gold digger. They demanded that she was put behind bars.
There was also speculation that she was cheating on Lucas with Caleb in their marriage. The date of Lucas and Lizzy's divorce was also wrong, which makes it so believable that Caleb and Lizzy were seeing each other when she was still married to Lucas.
Lizzy's reputation was ruined along with Caleb's. If the Berlin family decide to go on with their plan to introduce Lizzy to the public as the heiress to the Berlin Enterprise, it would cause a scandal. The entire family was thrown into turmoil.
Lizzy already figured out that the attack is from her ex husband. She just needed to find evidence to clear her name and turn the tables on Lucas.
"Why can't we just use the fraud evidence we gathered on Lucas Jenkins and throw him behind bars?" Vance suggested.
Lizzy, her cousin, and her father were all gathered in Markus' study for an impromptu meeting. Caleb was there too with his PR manager. The Berlin family's PR manager was present too.
"Lucas is very cunny." Lizzy started calmly. "He would use the arrest to his advantage and appear as a victim to the public. The evidence we have is not incriminating enough. It might be ruled as a false accusation and we'll end up on the chopping board.
"Ms Lizzy is right." The Berlin's PR manager said.
Markus stared at Lizzy, his heart full of joy. He was impressed by Lizzy's smartness and critical thinking. He was certain his decision to put her in his company was a good one.
"So what are we going to do? Wait till the rumors die down?" Vance asked.
"The media never forget, Vance. That information is going to come back to haunt us if we don't deal with it now." Caleb said.
"Caleb is right, Vance. We just have to beat Lucas at his own game. We need to make a decision he wouldn't expect us to make." Lizzy said. She appeared to be deep in thoughts.
"We do have ammunition we can use." Markus finally spoke. Three pairs of eyes turned to him expectantly.
"We can come out to the public about Lizzy's true identity." He said. He turned to face his daughter.
"The question is, are you ready to be officially identified as a member of this family, Lizzy?" He asked.
Lizzy flashed her father a smile. She was more than ready. In the short period of time she had known this family, they had showered her with lots of love. She was grateful for them.
"Yes, I'm ready." She said,
Markus nodded, his heart bursting with excitement, but he managed to control himself.
"So if Lizzy is identified as my daughter, the rumors about her stealing from Lucas would be cleared. Now, it's just the part involving Caleb." Markus said.
Lizzy turned to Caleb.
I'm so sorry you got dragged into this drama."
"It's okay, Liz. Scandals are common with people like us. It's how we get out of it that matters." He flashed her a smile to ease her worries.
Lizzy was sad that Caleb was getting dragged down with her. The Kent family are very close to the Berlin family. Caleb is a very good friend of Vance and has gradually become Lizzy's friend also. The day that their pictures were captured by the hater, Caleb was just helping Lizzy settle into her new life. He offered to introduce her to a few necessary people in their social circle. But their picture was taken and people made up stories about them.
"I have an idea, though it might sound crazy." Caleb's PR manager said.
"I'm pretty sure it isn't as crazy as these rumors." Vance chuckled. He leaned into the couch.
"Mr Kent and Ms Lizzy should pose as a couple." He said.
All of them turned to face him, eyes widened in shock.
"Allow me to explain." Caleb's manager cleared his throat.
"It seems Ms Lizzy's ex-husband altered the date of their divorce. We just have to do the exact thing but we push the date back, making it seem like the divorce happened a long time ago. Then Mr Kent and Ms Lizzy pretend to be a couple just till Ms Lizzy is introduced officially to the Berlin group. Then they can stage a break up." He explained.
Everyone was silent as they tried to process what the manager just said. It sounded so absurd but also sensible that one of them could argue about it. But it isn't something easy.
"That actually makes a lot of sense. The internet loves to hear about love stories."
The Berlin's PR manager recovered first.
"I'm sure we can find another way. Let's keep brainstorming. It's not fair to drag Caleb into this even more." Markus said.
He was already feeling guilty that his daughter is already getting all the bad attention that comes with being in their status. He wanted to protect her from it. And although the man's idea made sense, he wasn't willing to confiscate his daughter's newly found freedom just to save the reputation of his company.
"Let's not completely throw away that option yet. If we get out of options, then we should definitely consider that." Caleb said.
Lizzy didn't know what to think. Being in a fake relationship with a man she just met few months after she got divorced from her abusive marriage seems a lot to take in. A part of her didn't want to do it, but she had to. She just reconciled with her family and now their reputation is being tarnished because of her. She needs to make things right.
"It's a brilliant idea. I'm willing to do it, if Caleb is willing to." She said,
"No, you don't have to, Liz. There must be another way." Markus argued.
"Yeah, Liz. You shouldn't do it if you don't want to." Vance agreed.
"I'll be fine. It's only going to be for a couple of weeks anyway. And maybe we'll attend a few public event to keep up the ruse, then we'll stage a break up and go our separate ways." Lizzy said.
"Caleb?" She called.
Caleb sighed.
"Normally, I would like to take a girl on a date and get to know her first before being in a relationship with her. But if the situation calls for it, then I have no choice." He made a funny face and everyone laughed, easing the tension in the study
"Now that we've got that settled, we just need to call a press conference tomorrow and put on a show." Vance said
when the laughter died down.
"I have an idea how we can turn this on Lucas." Lizzy said. They all turned to her.
"After we're done, it might be the right time to release those incriminating evidence about Lucas. It won't keep him in jail for long, but it'll be a stain on his image. The spotlight will be shifted on him in a negative way." She said, a smirk dancing on her lips.
"That sounds really devious. Well done, cousin." Vance said and clapped.
Everyone agreed with her. They discussed how to present a united front to the press, and when to announce Lizzy as the heiress to the Berlin Enterprise.
The next day, Lizzy was feeling refreshed and confident. The press conference went very well. She made sure to answer all the questions they asked her confidently.
Caleb and Lizzy acted the role of a couple perfectly in front of the cameras. The internet was gushing over them in no time.
"Thank you for agreeing to this. I know it's crazy but I really appreciate it." Lizzy said to Caleb after the press conference.
"You're welcome, beautiful." Caleb said.
Lizzy's cheek flushed at the compliment. But she maintained her composure.
"So, how about lunch? If you're free." He asked.
"Are you asking me on a date?" She asked, a smile on her face.
"Well, it's not really a date. Technically, we're couples now. We should be spotted together more often, don't you think?" Caleb said.
He was trying to cover up his attempt to ask her on a date.
"Well yeah, let's grab lunch." Lizzy said with a smile.
Meanwhile in the Jenkins mansion, Lucas was losing his mind when he found out that his plan to ruin Lizzy's image backfired.
The entire Jenkins family was gathered in the living room. They had just watched Lizzy's press conference and they were all shocked.
"How can she come out unscathed?" He yelled.
"I am going to ruin her."
"I still can't believe she is Markus Berlin's daughter. I'm still trying to get into Elena Berlin's inner circle. I can say goodbye to that now." Evelyn said
"You're worried about that, mum?" Rania yelled.
"I can't believe she is dating Caleb Kent. He is the most eligible bachelor in the city. And he is with that bitch."
The family was still reeling in shock when they heard their doorbell.
Rania went to open the door.
"Guys, the cops are here." She said, a hint of fear in her voice.
The cops matched into the Jenkins living room
"We have a warrant to arrest Mr Lucas Jenkins.