All Chapters of One Night with My Ex's Billionaire Best Friend: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

The press conference goes viral. Everywhere. Every platform. Every outlet.Within hours, it’s the top story. Trending worldwide. Complete saturation.Then Ethan calls.I haven’t heard from him in months. Not since the settlement. Not since he disappeared to Boston. Not since he promised to stay away.“Ariana. I need to tell you something. Before you hear it elsewhere. Before it becomes news.”“What’s happening?”“I was one of them. One of Vaughn’s paid sources. He gave me money. Five thousand dollars. To provide information about you. About your relationship with Lucian. About anything that could be used against you.”My blood goes cold. “What?”“I’m so sorry. I was broke. Desperate. Angry. He approached me right after we broke up. Offered money for information. I said yes. I took it. I gave him details about our relationship. About your insecurities. About your vulnerabilities. Everything he could use to hurt you.”“Jesus, Ethan. You helped him? You helped Vaughn destroy me?”“I know

Two weeks after Vanessa’s statement.I’m in the nursery. Eight months pregnant now. Painting the walls a soft yellow.Lucian insisted on hiring painters. I insisted on doing it myself.Compromise: I paint. He supervises. And panics every time I reach too high.“Ariana, please. Let me do that section.”“I’m pregnant, not incapable.”“You’re eight months pregnant. There’s a difference.”“I’m painting a wall, not climbing Everest.”He sighs. Knows when to surrender.My phone rings. Unknown number.I almost don’t answer. But something makes me.“Hello?”“Ariana Vale?” A woman’s voice. Unfamiliar.“Yes. Who’s this?”“My name is Rebecca Chen. I’m a prosecutor with the Southern District of New York. I’m handling the Richard Vaughn case.” She pauses. “I was wondering if you’d be willing to meet. There’s something I’d like to discuss.”My stomach tightens. “Is this about testimony? I already gave my statement.”“It’s not about the case. It’s personal. And it’s your choice entirely. But I think

Lucian returns from the detention center. Shaken.Marcus is waiting in his office. Takes one look at his face.“That bad?”“Worse.” Lucian pours whiskey. Hands shake. “He has something. About Ariana. Her father.”“What about her father?”“He died when she was sixteen. Car accident. Except Vaughn’s claiming it wasn’t an accident. That there’s more to the story. That Ariana’s been hiding it.” Lucian drinks. “And he has police reports. Investigation files. Witness statements.”Marcus goes still. “He’s bluffing.”“I don’t think he is. She never talks about her father. Changes the subject every time. I thought it was grief. But what if it’s something else?”“What does Vaughn want?”“Drop the charges. Convince prosecutors to let him walk. Or he releases everything publicly.” Lucian sits heavily. “Forty-eight hours to decide.”“That’s blackmail.”“That’s Vaughn.” Lucian looks at Marcus. “What do I do?”“You ask Ariana. Tell her what Vaughn said. Get the truth from her. Then decide together.”

The morning after the family dinner, I call Sophia.“I need you,” I say.“On my way.”She arrives thirty minutes later. Takes one look at my face.“What happened?”I tell her everything. Vaughn’s blackmail. My father’s suicide. The family intervention. The plan to go public.She listens. Doesn’t interrupt. Just holds my hand.“Okay,” she says when I finish. “We’re handling this. Together. Like everything else.”“There’s more. Lucian wants to meet you. Officially. Not just in passing. He says anyone this important to me needs to be properly integrated into his life.”“Integrated? What am I, a software update?”“His words. Not mine.”“When?”“Dinner. Tonight. His place. Just the three of us.”Sophia goes quiet. “You’re sure about this? Meeting the billionaire boyfriend officially feels very, permanent.”“He’s my fiancé. Father of my child. Partner in everything. So yes. Permanent.” I squeeze her hand. “And you’re my person. Have been since college. You need to meet. Really meet. Not jus

Three days after the investor meeting.Vaughn releases the police reports. Just like we knew he would.The headlines are predictable.**Ariana Vale’s Father: Suicide Covered Up by Small-Town Police****Blackwood Girlfriend Kept Family Secret for 12 Years****The Truth About James Vale’s Death**But we’re ready. Because we already told the truth. Publicly. To investors. To the people who matter.The media picks it up. But the narrative is different than Vaughn intended.**Blackwood Technologies Shows Transparency in Face of Blackmail****Ariana Vale Addresses Tragedy Head-On****Vaughn’s Attempted Blackmail Backfires**Still. I’m exhausted. Eight months pregnant. Emotionally drained. Done with all of it.Then Marcus calls.“We have the quarterly board meeting tomorrow. You’re scheduled to present the Q4 marketing strategy.”“Marcus, I can’t. Not now. Not with everything—”“You can. And you should. Show them you’re still here. Still working. Still excellent at your job.” He pauses. “Ari