Dmitri had always been a shadow, always watching, listening and gathering secrets like an ammunition.
This time, he brought a warhead, Irina met him at a nondescript hotel on the outskirts of Los Angeles, far from paparazzi lenses. He handed her a sleek black folder. "The pregnancy is fake, I have medical records, surveillance of the clinic May visited, and statements from a nurse she bribed."
"And Sylvia?"
"She falsified documents to shift millions from Liam's inheritance into an offshore account under May's name," Dmitri said coldly. "This wasn't just a play for power, it was a heist."
They both walked into the lion's den, the press event was supposed to be May and Liam's official engagement announcement. Flashbulbs flared as the couple walked onto the platform, but May's smugness froze when she spotted Irina and as her shoulders squared with her blazing hazel eyes not excluding Dmitri who was at her side, she began shaking. Liam looked stunned but Irina didn't even blink.
"This engagement is based on lies," Irina said clearly, into the microphone May had just clutched moments earlier. "And I can prove it."
The chaos was immediate. Reporters shouted questions as securities start moving in, and May turned ghost-pale as Dmitri handed over the evidence to the authorities on live camera. Within minutes, officers led Sylvia away in handcuffs but May tried to escape, but her carefully built world was already crumbling, brick by exposed brick.
Liam's eyes didn't leave Irina, as the crowd parted, he crossed the stage and took her hand. "I should've believed you. I'm sorry."
The apology settled deep in her chest, "It's not your fault Liam, she played us all."
He nodded and turned back to the cameras. "There is no engagement, there never was and if you're looking for a villain, look to the people who profit off of manipulating lives not the woman who tried to protect me."
It should have ended there because justice has been served and love has been reclaimed.
But the media has a short memory and a long appetite for drama.
The next morning, headlines painted Irina as a gold-digger, a Russian spy, a fame-hungry mistress who used seduction to dismantle a rising American icon. The public devoured every false narrative and sponsors pulled out, Liam's movie deals froze and the pressure all started mounting.
Jacob summoned her privately. His face was pale but serious. "They want a clean narrative, Irina, redemption for Liam. That means distancing him from you."
Irina swallowed hard. "And if I don't?"
"His career is over, his charity work, endorsements, everything he's built…. it burns."
She stared at the floor, so what do they want?
"A statement, that you've left for good. Disappear quietly, take a settlement if you need it."
It was cruel and she knew Liam wouldn't ask her to go. He'd fight for her, ruin himself for her and he might never recover.
That night, she stood outside his house with her suitcase in her hand.
She recalls how she wrote the letter slowly. They won't stop until they've destroyed you, so I'll stop it first. Don't look for me, Liam.
I loved you more than I was ever allowed to show.
IRINA.
As she walked into the night, the lights of the mansion shone behind her.