Chapter 10 The Secret They Can't Hide

Sunday passed in a blur of quiet touches and stolen kisses.

James had returned like a storm finally come home-disheveled, exhausted, and full of love he hadn't known how to name until distance had forced him to. Agnes barely left his side. They lay in bed for hours, neither needing to speak, only needing to be-his hand in hers, his breath against her skin.

But even love, when built in a glass house, wasn't immune to outside eyes.

And someone had been watching.

Monday Morning: Headlines and Heartbeats

Agnes woke up to the vibration of her phone on the nightstand.

James stirred beside her. She reached for it, expecting a work email or a morning update from Claire.

But what she saw stopped her heart cold.

Subject: "EXCLUSIVE: Reed's Girlfriend Hiding a Secret?"

Her finger tapped the screen before she could stop herself.

A gossip site-sleek, brutal, known for its ruthless scoops-had posted a new headline complete with a blurry but damning photo:

"Is the CEO's Girlfriend Keeping More Than Strategy Secrets? Sources say Agnes Hart is hiding something from her past-something that could shake the Reed empire if revealed."

No specific accusation.

No named source.

Just a carefully designed weapon of doubt.

James rolled over. "What is it?"

Agnes held out the phone.

He sat up slowly, reading the article with a growing tension in his jaw. "This is garbage."

"It's not just gossip," she whispered. "It's a threat."

James looked at her. "There's nothing they can say that will change how I feel about you."

Agnes nodded-but the fear in her chest didn't fade.

Because secrets-real ones-had a way of rising, especially when love became powerful enough to be envied.

The Past She Buried

Agnes arrived at work wearing her armor.

A sleek black pantsuit. Hair pinned into a tight twist. Lips painted red. The look of a woman who couldn't be shaken.

But her heart pounded the entire elevator ride up.

Because the article wasn't just smoke-it was embers circling something she hadn't spoken of in years.

Her family.

Specifically... her mother.

Claire met her at her desk, eyes already knowing. "You okay?"

Agnes gave a tight nod. "I'm fine."

Claire leaned in. "You think they found out?"

"Not yet. But they will."

Claire hesitated. "You don't have to say anything. You don't owe them your trauma."

"No," Agnes said quietly. "But I owe James the truth."

The Truth

That night, she invited James to her apartment.

They ate takeout on her couch, neither saying much. The air between them was thick with unsaid things.

Finally, she broke the silence.

"When I was seventeen, my mother was arrested."

James slowly set his drink down. "What?"

"For embezzlement. She worked for a small insurance firm in Albany. She was stealing client funds, forging signatures. She used my name in one of the accounts."

He stared at her.

"I didn't know," Agnes said quickly. "I was a teenager. I didn't even have access to those files. But the investigation took months. My name was all over the paperwork."

James's brow furrowed. "Were you charged?"

"No. Cleared completely. But the press covered the story locally. And for a while, it followed me. Every internship I applied for. Every job. I changed my address, changed schools, cut off contact."

She swallowed hard.

"I haven't seen her in eight years. She tried to reach out when I got the job at Reed. I ignored it. But someone must've dug through my records and-"

James stood and crossed to her, gently taking her hands.

"Agnes."

Tears burned her eyes. "I was so afraid to tell you. I didn't want you to see me differently."

He pulled her close. "I only see a woman who rebuilt her entire life without asking anyone for a damn thing. You're not your mother's mistakes."

Agnes clung to him.

"But now the world might see me that way," she whispered.

James's voice was steel. "Then let them look. You've got nothing to hide anymore."

Damage Control

The next morning, James called an emergency PR meeting.

Agnes tried to stay out of it-let the professionals do their job-but before noon, she was pulled into the boardroom.

"We're recommending a brief statement," the PR director said. "Own the story. Control the tone."

James shook his head. "We're not spinning it. We're telling it. The truth. Not gossip."

Agnes looked around the room. Every face was watching her.

And for the first time, she didn't shrink.

"I want to speak for myself," she said.

Silence.

Then the PR lead nodded slowly. "We'll draft something. You approve every word."

The Statement

By Thursday, the article had made its rounds across business media. Speculation surged. Anonymous "sources" claimed Agnes used James's influence to bury her past.

The statement hit that afternoon.

From Agnes Hart:

"Years ago, my mother was arrested for financial crimes committed without my knowledge. I was a minor. I was never charged. But I bore the stain of her actions for years afterward. I built my career from the ground up. Nothing was handed to me. And no amount of speculation will rewrite that truth."

"I stand beside James Reed not because of his power-but because he believes in mine."

It went viral.

And shockingly... most of the response was supportive.

#AgnesHartTruth trended within hours.

The Fallout... and the Rise

In the weeks that followed, the storm passed-but it left changes in its wake.

Agnes's reputation didn't crumble. It strengthened.

She was invited to speak on resilience at a women-in-tech summit.

Offered a panel slot for female executives under 30.

She even got a handwritten note from one of Reed Innovations' toughest board members:

"Adversity makes character. You clearly have it."

And through it all, James stayed by her side.

Not just in love.

But in partnership.

He didn't shield her from the world.

He stood with her while she faced it.

A Promise

One night, weeks later, Agnes and James stood on his penthouse balcony, city lights stretching like constellations beneath them.

James pulled something from his coat pocket.

Agnes blinked. "What is that?"

"Don't freak out."

"James..."

"It's not a ring."

She exhaled, laughing.

He handed her a small silver key.

"To the London apartment," he said. "I'm not asking you to move. I'm just asking you to be part of everything. The business. The life. All of it."

Agnes turned the key in her hand.

"Okay," she said, tears rising.

"Okay?"

"I want all of it."