Chapter 4 - The Counterstrike
By the next morning, news of the ruined engagement had already begun to circulate through the high-society rumors of Nashville. However, the Mitchell family was doing everything in their power to control the narrative.
When I woke up in my estate, my assistant, Sarah, presented me with the morning tablet. The local society blogs and business journals were reporting that the engagement had been "postponed due to a private family disagreement." George Mitchell had even released a brief press release claiming that Mitchell Holdings and Carter Global were still in active partnership negotiations.
"They are trying to buy time, Mrs. Carter," Sarah reported, standing smartly beside my breakfast table. "George Mitchell called a emergency board meeting this morning to reassure his investors that the Carter deal is still on track. He’s telling everyone that the incident was merely a minor misunderstanding that is being resolved internally."
I took a slow sip of my tea, feeling the warmth spread through me. "And what of Vanessa?"
"She has locked herself in her suite, but her public relations team is already drafting a statement claiming she was defending private property against an aggressive stalker."
I smiled faintly. "They truly believe money and PR can erase reality."
Ethan walked into the dining room, looking exhausted. He had spent the entire night reviewing Carter Global’s contracts with Mitchell Holdings.
"Mother," Ethan said, sitting down across from me. "I’ve audited all our joint ventures with George Mitchell. It’s worse than we thought. Mitchell Holdings has been cooking their books. They’ve been using our projected partnership to secure massive loans from offshore banks. If we pull out officially, their stock will plummet, and they will face immediate bankruptcy."
"Then we pull out officially," I replied without hesitation.
"George called me ten times this morning," Ethan continued. "He offered to send Vanessa away to Europe, to issue a public apology, even to sign over ten percent of his personal equity to you if we keep the financial deal alive."
"A person’s character cannot be bought with equity, Ethan," I said firmly. "If we remain business partners with a man who hits his daughter to save his bank account, and a daughter who humiliates the poor for entertainment, what does that make us?"
"You're right," Ethan sighed. "I’ll sign the formal termination papers today."
"Wait," I instructed. "Do not sign them just yet. Let George hold his investor conference at noon today at the Grand Hyatt. Let him stand in front of the press and the Dallas investors, lying about our relationship."
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Ethan looked at me, a sharp glint of understanding flashing in his eyes. "What are you planning, Mother?"
"I am going to hold a press conference of my own," I said, tapping the waterproof phone sitting on the table. "And I think the world deserves to see the video."