Chapter 6: The Press Conference From Hell
Lila Harper's phone buzzed in her hand, Ethan's text glowing on the screen: Where are you? Press conference in one hour. She stood frozen on the sidewalk outside Richard Holt's sleek office tower, her heart pounding like a jackhammer. Holt's words—I know who your father really was—cut deeper than the brick that smashed her window last night.
Her mom, Angela, a junkie and thief, had never said a word about her dad, just that he was a nobody who bailed. Now Holt, a Kane Enterprises board member pulling Derek Voss's strings, claimed he knew something that could ruin her. Lila, 28, pregnant, and alone, felt the walls closing in, but she wasn't running—not yet
She shoved the phone in her pocket and hailed a cab, her mind a mess. The press conference at noon was Ethan's plan to go public about their "relationship" and her pregnancy, to kill the gold-digger rumors and save his merger. But after Holt's threat and the X video exposing her teenage shoplifting, Lila wasn't sure she could face a room full of cameras. Her past was out there, and now Holt was dangling a new secret—one that could destroy her fight for her unborn child.
The cab dropped her at Kane Enterprises, the high-rise buzzing with suits and whispers. The lobby's marble floor gleamed, but the stares from coworkers hit like daggers. Lila ignored them, heading for the elevator. Her phone buzzed again—Maya, her best friend: You at the press conference yet? X is blowing up. Call me. Lila's stomach churned. She couldn't deal with Maya's questions, not with Holt's words burning in her brain.
She reached Ethan's office, where he was pacing, his suit sharp but his eyes wild. "Where the hell were you?" he snapped, spotting her. "We're on in thirty minutes."
"I had to handle something," Lila said, her voice tight. She wasn't telling him about Holt—not after he'd flinched at her pregnancy, not after he'd run from his last kid with Sarah.
Ethan stepped closer, his voice low. "Handle what? You look like you saw a ghost."
She crossed her arms, dodging his gaze. "Just get me through this press conference, Ethan. I'm doing this for my job, not for you."
His jaw clenched, but before he could argue, Claire burst in, her lawyer's poise fraying. "We've got a problem," she said, holding up her phone. "X just dropped a new post. It's about you, Ethan."
Lila's heart sank as Claire showed them the screen: a leaked document, an old police report from Ethan's college days, detailing a fight with Sarah's brother after Ethan told her to "handle" her pregnancy. The caption read: Kane's got a history of ditching pregnant women. Who's next? The comments were vicious: Deadbeat CEO. Lila's just another Sarah.
Ethan's face went pale, his hands shaking as he grabbed the phone. "This is bullshit," he said, his voice low but shaking. "Voss dug this up. He's trying to bury me."
Lila's chest tightened. The report confirmed what Claire had told her—Ethan's past was a wound that never healed. But seeing it splashed across X, right before the press conference, felt like a setup. "Holt's behind this," she said, her voice hard. "He's working with Voss. They want you weak."
Ethan's eyes snapped to her. "Holt? You know something, don't you?"
She hesitated, Holt's threat echoing: Back off, or I'll make sure the world knows your real story. "I confronted him," she admitted, her voice low. "He's the one pulling Voss's strings. And he said something about my mom—about my dad. He's got dirt, Ethan, and he's not afraid to use it."
Ethan's face darkened. "You went to Holt alone? Are you insane? He's dangerous, Lila!"
"I'm not the one running," she shot back, her eyes blazing. "You're the one who can't face this." She gestured at the phone, the police report still glowing. "Your past is out there now. What are you gonna do?"
He ran a hand through his hair, his voice raw. "I'm not that guy anymore. I was nineteen, scared shitless. I messed up with Sarah. I'm trying to fix this now."
"Then prove it," Lila said, stepping closer. "Because I'm not standing up there alone while X tears us apart."
Claire cut in, her voice sharp.
"You two can fight later. The press is waiting, and if you don't get out there, Voss wins. They're setting up in the conference room. Move."
The press conference was a circus. Cameras flashed, reporters shouted, and the Kane Enterprises conference room was packed with suits and microphones. Lila stood beside Ethan, her black dress hugging her frame, her hands clenched to hide the shaking. The X posts—her shoplifting video, Ethan's police report—were trending, and the room buzzed with anticipation, like sharks smelling blood.
Ethan stepped to the podium, his voice steady but tight. "Thank you for coming. I'm here to address the rumors about my personal life and Kane Enterprises. Lila Harper and I are in a committed relationship. Yes, we're expecting a child. The leaks and accusations are attempts to undermine our company's merger. We're here to set the record straight."
The room erupted, reporters yelling questions: "Is she really pregnant?" "What about the police report?" "Are you paying her off?" Lila's face burned, but she forced a smile, playing the part of Ethan's girlfriend. His hand brushed hers, a small gesture, but it sent a spark through her she hated herself for feeling.
Then a reporter stood, holding up a phone. "Mr. Kane, care to comment on this?" She flashed a new X post: a grainy photo of Ethan's father, the late James Kane, with a woman who wasn't his wife—Lila's mother, Angela. The caption read: Kane family secrets: Was Lila's mom the mistress?
Lila's breath stopped. The room spun, Holt's words slamming back: I know who your father really was. Ethan's hand froze on hers, his face a mask of shock. The reporters pounced, their questions a blur: "Is Lila your sister?" "Was James Kane unfaithful?"
Ethan gripped the podium, his voice cutting through the noise. "This is a private matter. No further questions." He grabbed Lila's arm, pulling her off the stage as flashes blinded them.
Backstage, Lila yanked free, her voice shaking. "What the hell was that? Was my mom with your dad?"
"I don't know," Ethan said, his eyes wild. "My dad was a lot of things, but… Jesus, Lila, I had no idea."
Claire stormed in, her phone still in hand. "Holt leaked this. He's tearing your family apart to kill the merger. And Lila, if your mom was involved with James Kane, Holt's got more on you than we thought."
Lila's knees buckled, but she caught herself. "He said he knew my dad. If it's your dad, Ethan…" She couldn't finish. The idea that James Kane—Ethan's father, the former CEO—could be her father was too much. It made her sick, made the baby in her belly feel like a twisted secret.
"We'll figure it out," Ethan said, his voice softer now, almost human. "But we need to stick together. Holt's playing us."
Before Lila could respond, her phone buzzed—Maya, frantic: Get to my bar now. Found something on Holt. It's big. Lila's heart raced. Maya wasn't one to overreact. Whatever she'd dug up could be the key to stopping Holt—or it could blow everything apart.
Lila looked at Ethan, his face still pale from the leak. "I have to go," she said, turning for the door.
"Lila, wait—" he started, but she was already gone, the press's shouts echoing behind her. Maya's clue was her only shot to fight back, but Holt's secrets were piling up, and one wrong move could cost her the baby she was fighting for.