We talked for another hour about nothing important—her work, her dating disasters, and the weather in New York. Normal things that made me feel human again instead of like a scandal waiting to detonate.
When we finally hung up, I felt lighter. Not fixed, but less broken.
I climbed into bed and, for the first time in three days, fell asleep without nightmares.
Chapter 18
Ares
I wasthree levels deep into the security system’s metadata when my phone buzzed like an angry hornet trapped in my pocket, three times in a row. I pulled it out.
Leo:Check Twitter. NOW.
The second one was from Orion:Don’t react. We handle this together.
The third was a news alert:Olympus Royale Executives Caught in Explicit Elevator Footage—NSFW.
And then it wasn’t one or two but dozens, then hundreds—text messages, emails, and alerts from every social media platform I had joined.
I opened Twitter, and there it was. It trended number one in Las Vegas and number three nationally. #OlympusRoyaleScandal. The video had been posted from an anonymous account. It had already garnered three million views. The comments section was a cesspool I couldn’t read without my blood pressure spiking.
But I watched, because I couldn’t turn away. It was all four of us, in the executive elevator three nights ago, after we’d agreed to try this impossible thing. It was clearly doctoredwith enhanced lighting and a stabilized image, with every detail visible.
Tashi was surrounded by us. My hands wrapped around her waist. Leo’s mouth on her neck. Orion’s fingers threaded through her hair. The sounds we’d made, the things we’d said—all of it captured and broadcast to millions of strangers who had no right to witness something this private.
Beneath the shock, a cold rage began to build. This was deliberate, cold sabotage. It wasn’t enough to leak the footage. In its natural state, it would be blurry. No, it was enhanced for maximum and damning effect.
I called Orion. He answered on the first ring. “You’ve seen it,” he said.
“Everyone’s seen it.” My voice came out flat and controlled, but underneath, I was boiling and running a thousand questions in my mind. Who had access and the technical skill? Who benefited from destroying us this way?
“Leo’s working to get it taken down,” Orion said. “But it’s been copied and reposted hundreds of times. We can’t contain it.”
“Where’s Tashi?”
“In her suite. Leo’s with her.” A pause. “She’s not taking it well.”
Of course she wasn’t. We were billionaires with resources and lawyers and the kind of fuck-you money that could survive scandal. Tashi, an employee, found her face adorning the year’s most viral sex video.
“I’m coming up,” I said.
“Ares—”
“Now.” I hung up and headed for the elevator, my mind already working through damage control, legal options, and how to identify the perpetrator and make them pay.
The executive floor was eerily quiet when I arrived. Too quiet. Like the calm before an explosion. Inside Tashi’s suite, Leo sat next to her on the sofa, his arm around her shoulders as she stared at her phone with a shocked expression. Orion stood at the window, his posture rigid, hands clasped behind his back like he was reviewing battle plans. They all looked up when I entered.
“How bad is it?” I asked.
“Catastrophic,” Orion said simply. “Mitchell just called. He’s not just pulling his investment—he’s threatening legal action for fraud and misrepresentation. He claims that we concealed ‘material information’ regarding management conduct.”
“And the media?” I asked, though I already knew.
“Feeding frenzy.” Leo’s voice was tight. “Every outlet is running with it. The conservative ones are calling us degenerates. The liberal ones are debating whether it’s a consensual polyamorous relationship or workplace coercion. Everyone has an opinion, and none of them favor us.”
I gazed at Tashi. She hadn’t said a word but simply sat there, her phone resting on her lap, her eyes unfocused.
“Tashi,” I said gently. She blinked, like she was coming back from somewhere far away. Her voice sounded raw when she spoke.
