The Billionaire's Dangerous Redemption (by Claire Winters) novel Chapter 24

24 From Notoriety to a New Opportunity

“Do you think he’ll actually confront her?” I asked Vera as we drove away from the hospital, my mind still reeling from our encounter with Alistair.

Vera snorted, flicking her turn signal with practiced ease. “Honestly? I doubt it. That man has the backbone of a jellyfish.”

“You didn’t see his face when your aunt confirmed everything.” The image of Alistair’s crumbling expression lingered in my mind.

“Men like him prefer comfortable lies to uncomfortable truths,” Vera said, pulling onto the highway. “He’ll probably convince himself Dr. Vance misheard or that Ivy was having a bad day.”

I stared out the window, watching the city blur past us. “You’re probably right.”

“Of course I am.” Vera flashed me a quick smile. “My bet? He’ll crawl back to you within a week, seeking comfort when Ivy’s demands become too much.”

“Comfort?” I raised an eyebrow.

“You were his emotional support human for six years, Hazel. Cancer treatment is brutal. Ivy’s true colors are probably showing through her ‘dying angel‘ act, and Alistair is realizing what a

mistake he made.”

The thought settled uncomfortably in my stomach. “Well, he can seek comfort elsewhere. I’m done being his crutch.”

“That’s my girl,” Vera grinned, pride evident in her voice.

My phone buzzed with notifications. I grimaced when I opened my social media. “Great. Someone at the hospital must have recorded our little showdown. It’s already trending.”

Vera cursed under her breath. “The vultures work fast.”

I scrolled through the comments, each one more vicious than the last. “Apparently I’m now a heartless bitch trying to steal a dying woman’s husband.”

“Give me that,” Vera said, snatching my phone at a red light. “Stop reading that garbage.”

“I need to know what people are saying,” I protested weakly.

“No, you don’t. Trust me on this.” She tossed my phone into her purse. “I’ll handle it.”

“Handle it how?”

Her smile turned dangerous. “I have connections, remember? By tomorrow, some celebrity will have a much bigger scandal, and everyone will forget about this.”

I sighed, slumping in my seat. “My brand reputation-”

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24 From Notoriety to a New Opportunity

“Will survive,” Vera cut me off firmly. “Quality speaks louder than gossip.”

I wasn’t convinced, but I was too exhausted to argue. When Vera dropped me off at my apartment, she hugged me tightly.

“Don’t check social media tonight,” she warned. “Promise me.”

“Fine,” I agreed reluctant

“But the damage is already done.”

“Just trust me,” she insisted before driving away.

Despite my promise, I couldn’t resist peeking at my phone before bed. The comments had only grown more venomous. I turned it off and tried to sleep, bracing myself for the professional fallout I was sure would follow.

Two days later, I stared at my sales report in disbelief.

“Cherry, are these numbers correct?” I asked my assistant, certain there must be a mistake.

Cherry nodded enthusiastically, her bright pink hair bouncing. “Absolutely! We’ve had a 300% increase in website traffic since the hospital video went viral. In–store sales are up 250%!”

“That doesn’t make sense.” I frowned, scrolling through the data. “Everyone was calling for a

boycott.”

“Apparently, controversy sells,” Cherry said with a shrug. “People came to our website to leave nasty comments but ended up browsing the collections. And the store visitors started as rubberneckers hoping to catch a glimpse of the ‘husband stealer, but they couldn’t resist trying things on.”

Vera sauntered into my office without knocking, waving her phone triumphantly. “Told you I’d

handle it.”

“What did you do?” I asked, still baffled by the sales surge.

“That’s not all,” Cherry chimed in excitedly. “Fashion Weekly wants to do a feature on you. They’re calling it ‘Rising Phoenix: How Hazel Shaw’s Brand Survived the Flames of Scandal.“”

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