CHAPTER 5 – THE VIDEO THAT SHOOK CHICAGO
CHAPTER 5 – THE VIDEO THAT SHOOK CHICAGO
By sunrise the following morning, the private jet video was no longer a secret.
Someone had leaked exactly forty-three seconds.
Not the entire recording.
Just enough.
Enough to show Tiffany Blake grabbing Simone Rivers by the hair.
Enough to show a visibly pregnant woman stumbling into the armrest.
Enough to show Derek Rivers sitting only a few feet away...doing absolutely nothing.
Within an hour, social media erupted.
Television stations interrupted business programming.
News anchors called it one of the most shocking scandals involving one of Chicago's wealthiest families.
Outside Rivers Industries headquarters, reporters crowded the entrance.
Microphones stretched toward every executive who walked through the revolving doors.
"Is the video authentic?"
"Did the company know about Derek Rivers' affair?"
"Will Tiffany Blake face criminal charges?"
"Has Mrs. Rivers filed for divorce?"
No one answered.
Inside the building, Cameron watched the headlines appear on the conference room television without changing his expression.
Jennifer stepped inside.
"The media found the footage."
"I know."
"We've traced the leak."
Cameron looked up.
"Who?"
"It wasn't anyone from our company."
Jennifer placed a folder on the table.
"It came from the flight attendant."
Cameron nodded slowly.
He wasn't angry.
Lisa Martinez hadn't sold the video.
She had sent it anonymously to a journalist only after learning Simone had been hospitalized with pregnancy complications.
"She wanted someone to protect Mrs. Rivers," Jennifer explained.
Cameron closed the folder.
"Then no one touches her job."
Meanwhile...
Tiffany Blake stood inside her luxury penthouse staring at the television in horror.
Every network played the same footage.
Again.
And again.
Commentators dissected her every movement.
Body-language experts called her aggressive.
Former prosecutors discussed possible assault charges.
Psychologists described Derek's silence as emotional abandonment.
Her phone rang continuously.
Friends stopped answering.
Luxury brands quietly canceled scheduled partnerships.
The charity gala that had invited her as a guest of honor suddenly announced "changes to the attendance list."
Her public image collapsed before lunch.
She smashed the television remote across the room.
"This is Simone's fault!"
Her assistant stared nervously.
"No, Ms. Blake."
"It's everyone's."
At Mercy Women's Medical Center, Simone had no idea the story had become national news.
She cared about only one sound.
Her daughter's heartbeat.
The doctor smiled for the first time in twenty-four hours.
"She's stronger today."
Relief washed over Simone.
Tears rolled silently down her cheeks.
"Can I go home?"
"Not yet."
"We're still concerned about premature labor."
As the doctor left, there was another knock at the door.
Gabrielle walked in carrying homemade chicken soup.
Behind her came Grandma Pearl.
The elderly woman moved slowly with a carved wooden cane, but her eyes remained as fierce as ever.
The moment she saw Simone...
She opened her arms.
"My baby."
Simone burst into tears.
"I'm sorry, Grandma."
Grandma Pearl gently cupped her granddaughter's face.
"For what?"
"I wasn't strong enough."
The eighty-year-old woman shook her head.
"No."
"You stayed alive."
"You protected your little girl."
"That's strength."
She placed Simone's hand over her belly.
"Never confuse surviving with weakness."
Across town...
Derek sat alone in the empty apartment he had secretly rented for Tiffany.
She stormed through the front door without knocking.
"You let this happen!"
Derek looked exhausted.
"I lost my job."
"I lost everything!"
"You'll get another one."
"You think I care about your career?"
She laughed bitterly.
"My name is everywhere."
"My sponsors are gone."
"My invitations are canceled."
"My friends won't answer my calls."
Derek slowly stood.
"For the first time..."
"You know how Simone felt."
Tiffany's face hardened.
"Don't compare me to her."
"No."
He answered quietly.
"I wasn't."
"I was comparing myself."
Silence filled the apartment.
He finally understood.
Every tear Simone had cried...
Every apology she never deserved to make...
Every lonely dinner...
Every ignored phone call...
He had created all of it.
And now he was living inside the same loneliness.
That evening, Cameron received another unexpected visitor.
Lisa Martinez.
The flight attendant looked terrified.
"I think someone followed me."
Cameron immediately stood.
"What happened?"
"I've received three anonymous calls."
"What did they say?"
She swallowed.
"They told me accidents happen to people who can't keep family secrets."
The room became silent.
Cameron's expression darkened.
He turned toward his head of security.
"From this moment forward..."
"Lisa Martinez does not go anywhere alone."
Late that night...
A black SUV parked across the street from the hospital.
Inside sat a man wearing a baseball cap.
He lowered binoculars.
Then made a phone call.
"She's still inside."
A woman's voice answered.
"Good."
"Make sure she stays scared."
The call ended.
The driver started the engine.
Neither Simone...
Nor Cameron...
Had any idea someone else had entered the game.
May you like
And this new enemy wasn't interested in money.
They wanted revenge.
