Married On Paper To The Billionaire
Chapter 56: Taking The Bull By The Horns

"Romeo and Juliet... I was wondering when both of you will finally show up here," said Serena with a delighted grin.

"Let's cut to the chase then," said Kane curtly. "my wife and I are ready to offer you twice the amount you're getting from the publishing house to write your book."

Serena giggled. "Are you trying to silence me? I am an American citizen and I have the right to free speech."

"Not if your free speech is a bunch of lies targeted at destroying our reputation," said Emilia.

"You're one to talk. Aren't you the same woman that cheated on her husband with a random farmhand in Wyoming? And you're here talking about your reputation. How ironic." "How much do you want?" Kane asked her.

"I've told you a billion times already, Kane. I don't want your money, I want you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Divorce this woman who is unworthy of you and then marry me. I will be devoted to you, I will be faithful to you and I will make you proud wherever I go."

"That will never happen," Emilia said firmly. "name your price now or we'll leave."

"Go ahead then, leave. Leave and I'll tell the world how you recovered your kidnapped daughter. Yes, I know what happened."

"Don't forget to include the role you played in the kidnap," said Kane. "remember to tell the world that you were the one who entered my daughter's room, smuggled her out of the mansion inside a carryon bag and then handed her over to Joyce Banks who kept our child hidden in a dilapidated cottage in the woods."

"Also remember to include the part where you sexually took advantage of Kane in his study and then took photos of him while he was unconscious and then used them to blackmail him. That will answer the question of why you never got arrested and charged for abducting our innocent daughter."

"Nobody will believe you two. I am the victim here!"

"A manipulator is what you are, Serena, and we will expose you if you don't stop your attempts to ruin our public image," said Kane.

"I have already told you the only thing you can do to make me stop. Marry me and all of this chaos will go away, I promise.”

"We're done here," Emilia said and stood up.

"This is your last chance to accept our offer," said Kane. "we have been more than lenient with you and the moment we step out of here, that will change."

"Oh, please! Stop with the petty threats already. I'm not a coward like Reggie who can't follow through with his threats. I am more than ready to carry out mine."

"How did you know about Reggie?"

She laughed. "Do you think that coke head is smart enough to come up with such a brilliant idea by himself?"

"I see... so, he came to visit you here after he left jail?"

"Nope. Mama 'Lupe reached out to him on my behalf. She's a very resourceful woman, you know?"

"I didn't realize that you have been fraternizing with him. So, you were the one who sent him to blackmail me last week? How long do you two intend to keep this madness up?"

"As long as it takes for you to come back to your senses and marry me. If you do, I'll make all these nightmares go away."

"This is the last time you will see us here," Emilia informed her. "we have done what we can to reason with you but henceforth, we will take the bull by the horns."

"Don't listen to her," Serena said to Kane. "she has nothing to lose. She wants to drag you down with her. Think about how my book will affect your image and businesses."

"As my wife said, we're done here,” Kane said coldly and walked out of the visitor's room with Emilia.

****

"What you have just heard is the audio recording of Serena Filipe admitting to her ulterior motives for writing her so-called tell-all book," said Virgil Armstrong, the PR representative of the Beaumonts.

He was a guest on a popular entertainment TV show where he was clearing the air regarding the saga between the Beaumonts and Serena.

"This is beyond shocking," said Myrah, the show presenter. "does this mean that Reggie Banks' claims in the viral podcast were all lies?"

"That's right. He edited the audio recording and made it seem as if Mr Beaumont was threatening him when it was actually the other way around. He was the aggressor and as you have heard, Serena was the mastermind of that encounter." "This is indeed a lot to take in."

"That young woman is disturbed and the Beaumonts merely tried to help her. Now, see how she's repaying their kindness despite everything she had done to them."

"But what about her pregnancy? Who was responsible for that?"

"To be honest, I don't have any information on that but I wouldn't be surprised if that was simply one of the tricks she played on the innocent family."

"Are you implying that she wasn't truly pregnant?"

"I'm not implying anything, I'm just saying that when it comes to Serena Filipe, what you see is not what you get."

As you reach the final pages, remember that 000005s.com is your destination for the complete story. Share the joy of reading with others and spread the word. The next chapter is just a visit away! "Wow..."

"This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone, really. The Beaumonts have been victims of threats and blackmail for many years. People see them and see dollar signs. They forget that these people are humans just like the rest of us." "You're right. That family has indeed been through a lot. They have endured one scandal from another, especially from people close to them."

"Yes, and sadly, it might not be over just yet."

"What do you mean?"

"I am not at liberty to speak on this unfolding issue but we might be seeing another round of scandal soon. Someone close to the family has expressed their intention to come after yet another Beaumont. The family is trying to put a lid on it and I hope they succeed."

"Oh, dear. The drama never stops in that family, does it?"

"That is one of the downsides of being rich and famous. You become easy prey for unscrupulous people, including people close to you who should know better."

"As they say, all that glitters is not gold."

"Absolutely correct."

"Thank you Virgil Armstrong for granting us this exclusive interview. We hope we'll be the first to know again if anything interesting happens in the Beaumont household."

****

As the commercial break began, Kane picked up the remote and switched off the TV. He was in the family room with Emilia, Lillian and Elsie.

"That was nicely done, Kane. Well done," said Elsie proudly.

"It was all Emilia's idea," he said. "she was the one who suggested that we should record Serena and say everything we needed to put out there."

"Brilliant," Elsie gushed and applauded Emilia. "I would never have thought of doing that."

"Well, I simply borrowed a leaf from Reggie's book," Emilia laughed. "If he could go viral with a doctored audio recording, then we could clear our names using the same method. Although in our case, the conversation wasn't edited." "I like the part where Virgil hinted at another scandal brewing. That's a strong message to Samuel," said Lillian.

"Precisely," said Kane. "If he does go ahead with his threat, the world will know he's the one Virgil was referring to in that interview."

As you reach the final pages, remember that 000005s.com is your destination for the complete story. Share the joy of reading with others and spread the word. The next chapter is just a visit away!

Elsie looked at Lillian in surprise. "Is Samuel threatening you? Why? What does he have on you?"

Lillian cleared her throat nervously. "Mother, can you come with me to the art room? There's something I need to discuss with you privately."

Elsie looked at the others as if waiting for a hint but she got none. She slowly got to her feet and said, "Very well, let's go. Both mother and daughter walked out of the room, leaving Kane and Emilia behind on the couch.

"Do you have any idea what that's about?" Emilia asked softly.

35

"I encouraged Lillian to finally come out of the closet and let Mother know about her double life. It's time for her to live her truth."

"I agree. She has spent the last couple of years struggling to be a model daughter. It's time for her to finally be herself. I just wonder how this would affect Crystabel." "Crystabel will be fine. She's smarter than we all give her credit for."

"I guess so."

"Now, back to us..."

"What about us?"

"Our sixth wedding anniversary is just around the corner. How should we celebrate it?"

"Let's have the biggest party the Beaumonts have ever hosted."

"And make it a carnival."

Emilia laughed. "I'm not a fan of big parties, but I think we deserve a carnival after everything we've been through."

"And we've been through a lot, haven't we?"

"I think that's the stuff beautiful love stories are made of."

Kane kissed her tenderly and said, "I love you, Emilia."

"I love you, Kane. How about you take me upstairs right now and show me just how much you love me?"