Chapter 3 The Story About Joan
Joan did not sleep that night. She sat at her kitchen island with her computer open, searching through her digital folders for backup copies of her medical records. But her mind kept racing back to her missing papers and her stolen pills.
By morning, the situation turned much worse.
Joan’s phone buzzed on the counter with a loud, sharp vibration. It was a text notification from a popular celebrity gossip website. The headline read:
TRAGEDY AND INSTABILITY AT LOFT INTERNATIONAL: IS CO-FOUNDER JOAN LOFT UNFIT TO LEAD?
Joan’s hands shook as she tapped the screen.
The article quoted an "inside source close to the family".
It leaked private details about her miscarriage from three months ago, claiming she had suffered a total mental breakdown.
It went on to say that Joan had been secretly placed on an extended mental-health leave from Loft International because she was too unstable to handle the Loft Haven launch.
The room seemed to lose its air. Joan knew with absolute certainty that this information came from inside her own home.
The elevator doors opened, and Reiner walked out carrying his laptop bag, flanked by Annabelle and Macey.
"Reiner, look at this," Joan said, turning the tablet screen toward him.
Reiner took the device and read the headline, his brow furrowing in deep frustration. "Dammit. Who leaked this?"
"Someone in this penthouse," Joan said, staring directly at her sisters. "My medical history was kept in a private, locked safe in my office—the safe that was tampered with yesterday. My discharge papers are gone, and now my personal pain is on the front page of a tabloid."
Annabelle raised her hands defensively, putting on a look of deep sympathy.
"Joan, that's terrible! But please don't jump to conclusions and blame us.
You have a house cleaning staff, personal assistants, and caterers coming in and out of this place all week.
One of the staff members probably found your paperwork lying around and sold it to the press. "
"It wasn't lying around. It was locked away." Joan snapped.
"Joan, calm down," Reiner interrupted, stepping between Joan and her sisters.
His voice was firm and controlling. "Accusing family without proof isn't going to fix this.
The article is live, and we have an empire to protect.
Our focus right now needs to be on controlling the narrative, not tearing each other apart over accusations. "
"Controlling the narrative?" Joan repeated, feeling a knot of disbelief in her throat. "Reiner, my private grief was weaponized and thrown to the press. Don't you care who did this?"
"I care about our company and I care about you," Reiner said, though his eyes were cool and detached. "We have the Children's Hospital Charity Gala tonight. The press will be everywhere. We need to present a united front."
That evening, the grand ballroom of the Plaza Hotel was packed with photographers, executives, and news crews. Flashbulbs went off in blinding bursts as Joan and Reiner walked the red carpet.
Macey and Annabelle trailed right behind them. Macey wore a backless red dress that demanded attention, her laughter echoing loudly over the chatter of the crowd.
As soon as they entered the main room, a wave of reporters surrounded Joan, shoving microphones toward her face.
"Mrs. Loft. Are the reports true?" one reporter shouted. "Are you stepping down from Loft International due to mental health struggles?"
"Mrs. Loft, can you comment on the loss of your baby?" another called out.
Joan froze, the noise swallowing her whole. The memory of the hospital room rushed back, leaving her breathless. She looked around for Reiner, needing his support, but he was several feet away.
Macey had threaded her arm through Reiner’s and pressed herself against his side for a cluster of high-profile photographers.
His hand rested at her waist as he whispered something that made her laugh.
From across the ballroom, she looked less like a sister-in-law than the woman standing beside him.
Joan forced her way out of the press cluster, her chest tight, and walked straight out of the gala.
Back at the penthouse later that night, Joan didn't wait for Reiner to come home. She sat in her office, logged into the administrative settings of the company network, and changed every single password to her personal and professional accounts.
She opened a chat window with Marcus, the Chief Information Security Officer.
Joan: Marcus, I need an immediate, quiet access audit on my personal drives and the Loft Haven files. I want every IP address, authenticated session, hardware key, and backup code used against my credentials since my sisters arrived.
Marcus: Understood, Mrs. Loft. I'll run a full audit log and send the report directly to your private email.
As Joan logged out, she heard footsteps outside her office door. Reiner stood there, his hands in his pockets, watching her with a heavy, troubled gaze.
"Annabelle told me you were changing all your security access codes and demanding IT audits on the family," Reiner said, walking into the room.
Joan closed her laptop with a sharp click. "I am protecting my work and my privacy, Reiner. Something you seem unwilling to do."
"Annabelle is worried about you, Joan," Reiner said, taking a step closer. "She came to me twenty minutes ago, visibly shaken. She thinks you’re becoming paranoid... that you’re seeing enemies in every corner of this house."
Joan let out a harsh, bitter laugh. "Paranoia? Reiner, my medication is missing, my medical records were stolen and leaked, and my sister is casually overriding my authority at my own company. That isn't paranoia. That is theft and sabotage."
Reiner looked down at her, his gray eyes filled with a painful, patronizing pity that cut Joan deeper than any insult.
"Joan..." Reiner hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "Is it possible that... your grief over the miscarriage is affecting your judgment? You’ve been so distant, so angry since we lost the baby. You’re pushing me away, and now you’re attacking your own family when they’re just trying to help us. "
Joan rose, rigid with rage, and stared at the man who had spent twelve years promising to protect her, love her, and stand beside her.
"You are beginning to sound just like my sisters, Reiner," Joan said, her voice deadly calm. "And that frightens me far more than anything they could ever do."
Reiner’s phone chimed in his pocket, breaking the tense silence.
He pulled it out and looked at the screen. His jaw tightened instantly, his expression shifting from calm concern to a dark fury.
"What is it?" Joan asked.
Reiner didn't answer with words. He turned his phone around and held it up to her face.
On the screen were screenshots of a message thread displaying Joan’s contact name and private number. The flirtatious messages arranged secret hotel meetings with Graham Voss, Reiner’s fiercest corporate rival.