Chapter 7: The Smear Campaign
Nico delivered the name at 11:00 PM that night.
Harper was sitting on the sofa in her apartment, her laptop balanced on her knees, when Nico walked out of her kitchen holding two glasses of wine. He handed her one and sat down beside her, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from him.
"Julian Vance," Nico said, his voice grim.
Harper froze, the wineglass pausing halfway to her lips. "Vance? The hedge fund billionaire?"
"The same," Nico confirmed, resting his arm along the back of the sofa behind her. "Vance has been trying to break into the commercial real estate market here for years, but the local syndicates and city councils always blocked him. He’s ruthless, he has infinite capital, and he doesn't care about the law. He just pays the fines and considers it the cost of doing business."
"And he’s using Connor," Harper realized, the pieces snapping together. "Connor knows the local market. He knows the zoning board loopholes. Vance supplies the money; Connor does the dirty work."
"Exactly," Nico said. "But it gets worse. Julian Vance doesn't just fight in court. He fights in the press. He knows you are preparing an injunction against Apex Holdings. And he knows about us."
Before Harper could ask what he meant, her phone vibrated violently on the coffee table. Then Sarah’s name flashed across the screen.
Harper put it on speaker. "Sarah?"
"Turn on Channel 8. Now," Sarah’s voice was breathless, panicked.
Harper grabbed the remote and flicked on the television. It was the late-night local news broadcast.
The screen showed a massive, highly produced investigative segment. The headline banner at the bottom read: HARBOR JUSTICE OR MOB FRONT? THE TRUTH BEHIND THE INITIATIVE.
A polished anchor was speaking over B-roll footage of the Bowmont Autumn Gala, highlighting the moment Harper and Nico had kissed.
"...questions are rising tonight regarding the funding of the Harbor Justice Initiative, a supposed non-profit led by Harper Sloan. While the organization claims to protect vulnerable tenants, newly leaked financial documents suggest a darker reality. Anonymous sources allege that the Initiative is heavily subsidized by Nico Bellandi, a businessman with known historical ties to organized crime. Is Ms. Sloan protecting the vulnerable, or is she simply a beautiful front for the Bellandi syndicate's attempt to launder their reputation?"
Harper stared at the screen, her blood turning to ice.
They weren't just attacking her legal standing. They were attacking her integrity. They were using her relationship with Nico to paint her entire life's work as a criminal conspiracy.
Nico reached out and turned the television off. The silence in the apartment was deafening.
He stood up, walking toward the window, looking out over the city lights. His jaw was clenched so tightly a muscle ticked near his ear. The reformed businessman was gone; the apex predator was fighting to break free.
"Julian Vance leaked that," Nico said, his voice a low, terrifying rumble. "He’s trying to destroy your public credibility so the judges will throw out your injunction tomorrow. He’s using my past as a weapon against you."
Harper didn't speak for a long moment. She looked at the blank television screen.
"Harper," Nico turned to face her, his expression tight with a painful resolve. "I told you from the beginning. My past is a shadow. I will not let it eclipse what you have built. I will step down from the Initiative’s advisory board tomorrow. I will issue a public statement distancing myself from you."
Harper stood up. She set her wineglass on the table with a sharp clink.
"No," Harper said.
Nico frowned. "Harper, you have to protect the Initiative. If you are tied to me—"
"I said no," Harper interrupted, crossing the room until she was standing inches from him. She looked up directly into his dark, storm-filled eyes. "Connor tried to make me shrink. Connor tried to make me apologize for who I was. I am never doing that again. And I am not going to let Julian Vance force me to hide the man I love."
Nico’s breath hitched slightly. It was the first time she had used that word. Love.
Harper reached up, resting her hand flat against his chest, feeling the heavy, rapid beat of his heart.
"We do not run, Nico," Harper whispered fiercely. "We do not hide. We do not let billionaires dictate our narrative. We fight them in the light."
Nico looked down at her, the tension in his shoulders slowly breaking, replaced by a profound, overwhelming awe. He lifted his hand, wrapping his fingers around hers where they rested against his chest.
May you like
"Then we fight," Nico promised softly. "What is your move, Counselor?"
"Tomorrow morning, I am not just going to file an injunction," Harper said, a brilliant, dangerous spark igniting in her eyes. "I am going to file a multi-million dollar defamation lawsuit against Julian Vance, Connor Hayes, and the news network. I am going to subpoena every single email they sent this week. And then, I am going to destroy them on live television."
