Lily POV

The headlines were everywhere, and they were brutal.

"FROM VICTIM TO VILLAIN?: Lily Morrison's Suspicious Rise to Power"

"Did Abuse Survivor Manipulate Billionaire to Commit Fraud?"

"Tony Stark's Latest Scandal: Corporate Fraud or Love Gone Wrong?"

I sat in the penthouse living room, my laptop open, scrolling through article after article. Each one felt like a knife twisting in my chest. They were questioning everything, my abuse, my trauma, whether I'd manipulated the entire situation to steal Alex's company with Tony's help.

"Stop reading those." Tony took the laptop from me and closed it. "They're lies designed to destroy you. Don't give them that power."

"They're working." My...