The old Riverwalk Café was as deserted as Sophie remembered it from her college days. Once a bustling hangout, it now stood abandoned, its windows boarded up and the neon sign flickering weakly in the cold night air. Sophie pulled her coat tight against the wind as she glanced at Ethan, who waited beside her, his expression unreadable.
"Are you sure about this?" Ethan asked, scanning the empty street for any signs of life.
"No," Sophie admitted, clutching her phone tightly. "But if this helps us shut Damien down, it's worth the risk."
A figure emerged from the shadows, pulling a hood lower over their face. Sophie instinctively stepped closer to Ethan, her nerves on edge.
"Relax," the figure said, her voice muffled but calm. "I'm not here to hurt you."
"Then who are you, and why should we trust you?" Ethan demanded, his tone sharp.
The figure pulled back her hood, revealing a young woman with sharp features and piercing blue eyes. "My name is Lydia. I used to work for Damien Cross."
Sophie and Ethan exchanged a glance.
Lydia's Story
Lydia didn't take long to get to the point. She handed Sophie a folder full of papers. "These are copies of contracts, emails, and bank statements. They prove that Damien has been paying people to come up with fabricated stories about you-and not just recently. He's been doing this for years.
Sophie's heart sank as she flipped through pages of papers, recognizing, to her horror, multiple documents bearing the name she lived under. She asked, nearly in a stutter, "What are you showing me this for?".
"Because I was part of it," Lydia said, her eyes lowering. "I was young, broke, and stupid. Damien offered me money to leak fake 'insider' information about you. At the time, I didn't think about the consequences. But after seeing what he's doing to you now, I couldn't stay silent anymore."
Ethan folded his arms, his eyes narrowing. "How do we know this isn't another setup?"
You don't," Lydia said flatly. "But if you cross-reference these documents with what you already know, you'll see I'm telling the truth. Damien's obsession with Sophie goes beyond bitterness-it's pathological."
Sophie felt a shiver run down her spine. "Why is he doing this?
Lydia paused before she answered. "Because he's afraid of becoming obsolete. You have moved on. You are having a fabulous career, and you have another man. Damien cannot stand being anything less than the center of your universe. He wants to ruin you so that he can have some power once again."
The Plan
Back at Ethan's apartment, Sophie and Ethan spread the documents across the coffee table, piecing together the puzzle. The evidence was damning: Damien had orchestrated a calculated campaign to discredit Sophie, using everything from fake social media accounts to paid interviews with so-called "insiders."
"This is enough to destroy him," Ethan said, his voice hard.
Sophie nodded, yet a part of her hesitated. "If we go public with this, it's not only going to hurt Damien. It's going to drag everyone involved into the spotlight, including Lydia. She took a risk coming forward."
Ethan touched her hand with his. "We'll be careful. But you can't let him keep controlling the narrative.
They decided to consult with Clara, who immediately saw the value in the evidence. "This is a game-changer," Clara said. "We'll release the documents strategically, along with a public statement from Sophie. It'll clear your name and expose Damien for who he really is."
The Fallout
As soon as the next morning, Sophie's statement, with excerpts from Lydia's documents, was live on news sites. The reaction was immediate. From "Is Sophie Greene a Master Manipulator?" to "Damien Cross Exposed: A Decade of Lies."
Social media fueled anger, but not against Sophie. This time, indignation was directed at Damien. Public figures who had aligned themselves with him started creating distance; they issued apologies to Sophie.
Damien, on the other hand went into full damage control, denying everything by releasing a statement that said the documents were manufactured. The overwhelming evidence made his denial look desperate.
A New Start
The dust began to settle as Sophie and Ethan found themselves in an odd position: finally free of the constant scrutiny. They spent an evening on Ethan's balcony sipping wine and watching the city lights twinkle below.
"You did it," Ethan said, raising his glass to Sophie. "You took control of your story."
Sophie smiled, feeling lighter than she had in months. "We did it," she corrected, clinking her glass against his.
Ethan leaned back in his chair, his expression thoughtful. "So, what's next for us?"
Sophie took a breath and let out, her heart thumping inside. They began the journey like complete strangers on an imaginary engagement but somewhere through that journey had really become a couple.
"Whatsoever it may be," Sophie whispered, "we shall face together."
Ethan turned around, grasping for her hand as warm and sure. "Together.