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Public Scandal
At 8:30, Alina’s phone rang.
She had just finished helping Junior bathe and get dressed, and now the child was playing with Legos in the playroom with Mrs. Helen watching.
Alina reached for her phone–expecting maybe Emma checking on her.
But the name on the screen made her chest tighten.
Dad.
Richard Hayes.
With trembling hands, Alina answered. “Dad?”
“Alina!” Her father’s voice–relieved, worried. “Thank God you answered. We were so worried last night. We saw the news–you left the gala dinner, then couldn’t be reached-”
“News?” Alina froze. “Dad saw the news?”
“Sweetheart, it’s everywhere,” her mother’s voice now–speakerphone. “On TV, online, tabloids. Everyone’s talking about ‘Mrs. Blackwood fleeing the gala dinner.‘ There are videos of you leaving the hotel alone, videos of Junior crying…”
Oh God.
Alina hadn’t thought about the media. She’d been too focused on surviving last night, on Daniel’s ultimatum, on having to come back.
“We’re okay, Dad, Mom,” Alina said quickly, trying to reassure them. “It was just… a misunderstanding. I just needed air last night. I’m home now. Everything’s fine.”
“Are you sure?” Her father wasn’t convinced. “Because the news says there was tension between you and Clarissa Sterling. Daniel’s ex–wife who came back.”
Of course the media spun it that way.
“Dad, trust me, everything’s under control,” Alina lied smoothly. “I have to go now. I have an appointment with Daniel. I’ll call you both later, okay?”
“Alina-”
“Love you both. Bye.”
Alina hung up before they could ask more questions.
Then with curiosity mixed with dread, Alina opened the browser on her phone, searching “Alina Blackwood gala dinner.”
The search results made Alina’s blood freeze.
Headlines everywhere:
“MRS. BLACKWOOD FLEES GALA DINNER AMID FAMILY DRAMA”
“CLARISSA STERLING’S RETURN: THE REAL MRS. BLACKWOOD?”
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“VIRAL VIDEO: DANIEL BLACKWOOD JR. REJECTS BIOLOGICAL MOTHER”
“BLACKWOOD FAMILY IN CRISIS: CONTRACT MARRIAGE EXPOSED?”
Alina clicked on one article–from major tabloid Tribune.
There were photos from last night. Clarissa entering the ballroom in a red gown, stunning. Daniel and Clarissa standing together, looking like the perfect couple. Junior crying, reaching for Alina. Margaret holding Junior forcefully. Alina walking out of the hotel alone, face blank.
And the worst–a video.
Alina clicked play with trembling hands.
The video showed the moment in the private lounge–somehow someone was recording, maybe staff or a guest
who snuck in.
Audio not perfect, but clear enough:
Margaret’s voice: “You’re not needed here anymore. Clarissa is back.”
Then Junior’s voice: “MAMA! MAMA ALINA! DON’T LEAVE ME!”
The video cut to Alina walking out of the hotel, alone.
The comments below the video… brutal.
“Poor Junior. Confused kid.”
“Alina is a homewrecker. Clarissa is the real mother.”
Team Clarissa! She’s the real Mrs. Blackwood!”
“Contract marriage exposed! Alina married for money!”
But there were also those who supported Alina:
“Junior clearly loves Alina more. Blood doesn’t mean anything.‘
“Clarissa abandoned her son for 5 years. Now she wants him back? Selfish.”
“Daniel Blackwood is trash for treating Alina like this.”
Alina closed the browser, feeling sick.
The entire city now knew about the Blackwood family drama.
About the contract marriage.
About Clarissa’s return.
About Junior rejecting his biological mother.
Public humiliation. Complete.
A knock on the door made Alina jump.
Mrs. Helen peeked in. “Ma’am, Mr. Daniel is waiting in the study. He said not to be late.”
Alina nodded, taking a deep breath.
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Time to face the consequences.
Daniel’s study was an intimidating room–dark wood panels, tall bookshelves full of legal books and business journals, a large mahogany desk, expensive leather chairs.
A room designed to exert power.
Daniel sat behind his desk, laptop open, several documents spread in front of him.
He looked up when Alina entered, gesturing to the chair across the desk. “Sit.”
Alina sat with her back straight, hands folded in her lap, looking at Daniel with a neutral expression.
Daniel closed his laptop, leaning back in his chair, fingers steepled in front of his face–a posture Alina recognized as “serious business mode.”
“You’ve seen the news?” Daniel asked.
“Yes.”
“And?”
“And what?” Alina looked at him. “You expect me to apologize because the media spun last night into a scandal?”
“I expect you to realize the consequences of your actions,” Daniel said in a controlled tone. “Leaving the gala dinner, creating a scene–now the entire city is talking about our family. Blackwood Corp stock dropped 3% this morning because of ‘instability in the leadership family.‘ The board has been calling me since six in the morning, demanding an explanation.”
“Maybe you should explain to the board why your ex–wife suddenly came back and created chaos,” Alina shot back sharply.
Daniel’s jaw hardened. “Clarissa came back because she wants to repair her relationship with her son. That’s completely reasonable-”
“Reasonable?” Alina almost laughed. “She left Junior when he was one year old. Five years, Daniel. No phone calls, no video chats, no birthday cards. And now suddenly she’s ‘ready to be a mother‘? And you think that’s reasonable?”
“People change-”
“People change or people want something?” Alina cut in. “Clarissa didn’t come back because she misses Junior. She came back because she wants something. And I’ll bet my life that ‘something‘ is the position as Mrs. Blackwood again.”
Daniel was silent for a moment, looking at Alina with an unreadable expression.
“Why are you so convinced Clarissa has an ulterior motive?” he finally asked.
“Because I have eyes, Daniel,” Alina leaned back in her chair, looking at him steadily. “I see the way she looks at you. The way she positions herself at family events. The way she subtly undermines me in front of Junior, She’s playing a game, and somehow you and Margaret are too blind to see it.”
“Or maybe,” Daniel stood now, walking to the window with his hands in his pockets, “you’re paranoid. Jealous because you realize your position isn’t as secure as you thought.”
Alina stood too, fists clenched at her sides. “I’m not jealous of Clarissa. I’m concerned for Junior. The child I’ve been raising for five years. The child who’s now confused and hurt because suddenly there’s a ‘biological mother‘
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abandon Junior?”
“Not abandon. Step back,” Daniel corrected. “Give space for Clarissa. If you’re always there, Junior will never learn to bond with his biological mother.” 1
Alina fell silent, looking at Daniel with eyes that slowly lost hope.
She finally realized–Daniel would never side with her. Would never truly see her. Margaret and Clarissa had too much influence, and Daniel was too blind or too stubborn to question them. 1
“Fine,” Alina finally said in an empty voice. “I’ll ‘step back.‘ But when Junior gets hurt, when he’s confused and crying–don’t expect me to fix it. Because apparently I’m ‘not needed anymore.“”
She turned to leave.
“Alina-”
“Are we done?” Alina didn’t turn around, hand on the doorknob.
Daniel fell silent, then, “Yes. We’re done.”
Alina left, closing the door with controlled force that was somehow louder than a slam.
Daniel sat alone in the study, staring at the closed door.
There was something in his chest that felt wrong. 1
But he ignored that feeling, returning to his laptop, returning to work.
Easier to focus on business than complicated emotions he didn’t know how to process.
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