February 10th
Entertainment TV had joined the feeding frenzy.
That was when Martin stopped calling it gossip and started calling it a case.
Jack sat in his home office while Martin's voice came through the speakerphone.
"They used altered images, repeated false claims, implied a fraudulent relationship, and damaged four public reputations," Martin said. "You, Haley, Emma, and Willa all have standing."
Jack leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "Haley didn't even do anything."
"That's exactly the point," Martin replied. "They portrayed her as either a victim, a liar, or a willing participant in a fake relationship. That is reputational harm."
Haley sat beside Jack with her legs tucked under her, unusually quiet as she read through printed screenshots. "So what happens now?"
Martin answered without hesitation. "We send preservation notices first. Then demand letters. Nobody deletes footage, drafts, payment records, source communications, metadata, or editing files. After that, we approach the agencies, stations, and publishers. Quietly, at first."
Emma's lawyer joined the call next, followed by Willa's. Within twenty minutes, the tone in the room changed completely. It was no longer about embarrassment. It was about evidence.
They collected the original resort security footage and timestamped photos from Jack's team. They also found fan pictures showing Haley beside him in the supposedly "private" moments. They had metadata proving several images had been altered before publication. And they had witnesses from the resort café, and since the cops were already involved back then, things became easier.
Most importantly, they found the paparazzo's agency.
By late afternoon, Martin had already sent the first wave of letters.
Jack read one line twice.
//Your publication knowingly or recklessly circulated manipulated images and false statements implying infidelity, a fabricated romantic relationship, and professional deception involving our clients.//
Haley looked over his shoulder and gave a small nod. "That sounds expensive."
Jack's mouth twitched. "That's the idea."
---
..
The first outlet folded quietly, followed by the rest.
By Friday evening, the same people who had shouted "exclusive" were suddenly using words like "unverified," "misleading," and "editorial oversight."
Jack watched from the couch as Haley sat beside him, scrolling through Instagram without saying much. She had not posted anything. Neither had Emma and Willa. Their silence made the legal pressure feel heavier somehow.
A small correction appeared at the bottom of one article first.
Editor's Note:
A previous version of this article mischaracterized the nature of Jack Preston's interactions with Emma Stone and Willa Holland. We regret the error.
Haley snorted. "Regret the error? They called our relationship fake."
Jack took the phone gently from her hand and set it on the coffee table. "They're going to do better than that."
She looked at him. "Are they?"
"They will if they don't want this going to trial."
That was the word everyone hated.
Trial.
A trial meant discovery. Discovery meant emails, payment records, editing files, source agreements, internal messages, and every ugly conversation behind the story becoming part of a legal fight that could last years. No one wanted a courtroom full of evidence showing they had sold a fake scandal built from altered images.
By that night, Martin called again.
"They want to discuss settlement."
Jack glanced at Haley, then answered, "All of them?"
"The major players first," Martin said. "The agency, two TV entertainment programs, three digital tabloids, and the newspaper that republished the Willa story."
Haley's eyes widened. "That's fast."
Martin's voice remained dry. "People move quickly when the alternative is public humiliation with filing fees."
---
The apologies started before the money was finalized.
Celebrity Circuit Tonight
During a recent segment, we discussed online rumors involving Jack Preston, Emma Stone, Willa Holland, and Haley Dunphy. Some images referenced in that segment have since been called into question. We are reviewing the matter internally.
Jack watched the clip once, then closed the laptop.
"Called into question," he said flatly. "They were edited."
Haley sat across from him at the kitchen island, stirring her coffee with more aggression than necessary. "They don't want to admit it until the settlement's locked."
Jack nodded. "Martin said the prime-time apology has to be explicit."
"Good."
"And they have to name all four of us."
"Better."
"And state that the relationship rumors were false."
Haley finally looked satisfied. "Now we're getting somewhere."
Emma texted the group chat a few minutes later.
Emma:
My mom saw the correction and asked if I was "done being involved in fake adultery." So that's going great.
Willa:
Mine asked if I needed soup.
Haley:
For a scandal?
Willa:
Yep.
Jack:
I know it's hard, Emma. Don't even think about posting anything yet.
Emma:
Relax, Jacky. We're being silent and mysterious.
Haley:
I hate that this is making you look mature.
Jack:
Thank you.
Haley:
That wasn't a compliment.
---
By the end of the month, the rumor had already begun collapsing under its own weight.
Fan accounts found the original photos. Someone reposted a wide-angle shot from the café, clearly showing Haley sitting beside Jack while Emma laughed across the table. Another fan posted a birthday party clip where Willa hugged Haley before Jack even entered the frame. A resort guest uploaded a video from the beach path, and there they all were together. Did Jack spend some moments with Emma and Willa? Yes. Did they do anything inappropriate? No.
The internet shifted fast.
@haleydefender:
So they cropped Haley out and called her relationship fake? Sue them.
@cinemagirl_94:
I owe Haley an apology. That photo was edited.
@prestonupdates:
Original pics are out. Jack didn't cheat. Tabloids lied.
@willaarchive:
Willa got dragged into a fake affair because someone wanted clicks. Disgusting.
@emmastonefiles:
Emma was literally just laughing at lunch. Leave women alone.
@legalpopculture:
If the metadata claims are true, this is not gossip anymore. This is lawsuit territory.
Jack read the last post while standing near the kitchen window, then slipped his phone into his pocket as Haley came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"You okay?" she asked.
Jack covered her hands with his. "I'm more pissed for you than me."
Haley rested her cheek against his back. "I know."
"They tried to make you look stupid."
"I know."
"They tried to make Emma and Willa look like homewreckers."
"I know."
"And they tried to make me look like a cheating asshole."
Haley squeezed him tighter. "I know."
Jack turned in her arms and looked down at her. "I'm sorry."
She frowned. "For what?"
"For this being part of my life and dragging you into it."
Haley softened, then reached up and touched his face. "I knew what I've signed for when we started dating. You even warned me. So, I was mentally prepared... somewhat."
He nodded once, though the guilt did not fully leave his face.
"And for the record," she added, "I'm not going anywhere."
Jack gave her a tired smile. "Even after the fake secret Willa relationship? Remember, you were kinda jealous of her back then. You wanted to..." He stopped noticing her expression. 'Oops. Slip of tongue.'
Haley gave him a dangerous smile. "Keep that up and I'm gonna kick your knee."
Jack laughed for the first time in days, and Haley smiled because she had been waiting to hear that sound again.
---
By the End of March
The settlement was finished quietly, but the apologies were not. That had been one of Martin's non-negotiable terms. There won't be any tiny editor's note buried under an article, vague "mistakes were made" language, or pretending the scandal had simply been a misunderstanding created by fans.
They have to do multiple prime-time announcements.
On the last Friday of March, Jack, Haley, Emma, and Willa watched from separate places as Celebrity Circuit Tonight opened its broadcast with a formal statement.
The host looked uncomfortable under the studio lights.
"Earlier this year, our program aired and discussed claims involving Jack Preston, Haley Dunphy, Emma Stone, and Willa Holland. After review, we acknowledge that the claims were false. We also acknowledge that several images used in connection with those claims were misleading, altered, or presented without proper context. Jack Preston did not have a secret relationship with Emma Stone or Willa Holland, and his relationship with Haley Dunphy was not a public relations arrangement. We regret our role in spreading false information and apologize to all four individuals."
Haley sat beside Jack on the couch, watching the screen with her knees pulled to her chest.
"Well," she said quietly, "that was satisfying."
Jack nodded, his arm resting along the back of the couch. "Yeah."
Their phones buzzed.
Emma had sent a message to the group chat.
Emma:
I give that apology a 7 out of 10. Needed more shame.
Willa:
Agreed. The host looked constipated, though, so bonus point.
Haley:
I enjoyed the suffering.
Jack:
Proud of all of you.
Emma:
Don't get emotional, lawsuit daddy.
Haley burst out laughing.
Jack stared at the message in silence. "I hate this group chat."
"No, you don't," Haley said, leaning into him.
He didn't.
The private settlement totaled seventy million dollars, split evenly between the four of them. By the end of March, Jack, Haley, Emma, and Willa each received seventeen and a half million dollars. It was an absurd amount of money, the kind of number that made Haley stare at her bank paperwork for almost a full minute before looking at Jack like someone had made a clerical error.
"This is insane," she said. "Pinch my cheeks."
Jack pinched her cheeks with pleasure.
"Oooowwwe! Okay, this is real."
"Yep, this is real," Jack said, sitting beside her at the dining table, reading his own copy. "That's what happens when people would rather pay than spend years in court explaining why their employees edited photos."
Haley looked down again. "Seventeen point five million."
"Yeah."
"For being lied about."
"Pretty much."
She leaned back slowly, still processing it. "I feel like I should be more excited, but mostly I'm angry."
Jack reached over and took her hand. "That makes sense."
"They hurt people, then paid to make it go away."
"They also had to admit they lied."
Haley looked toward the TV, where another station was preparing to air its own apology during prime time. "Good."
Jack squeezed her hand gently. "You okay?"
Haley turned back to him, and after everything- the rumors, the headlines, the comments, the fake photos, the strangers dissecting her relationship like it was entertainment... She finally smiled.
"I'm okay," she said. "And also, I'm rich."
Jack laughed under his breath. "There she is."
Haley lifted her chin. "I survived a fake celebrity cheating scandal and made seventeen and a half million dollars. I think I deserve pancakes."
Jack stood immediately. "Strawberries?"
"Duh."
He leaned down and kissed the top of her head before walking toward the kitchen.
Haley followed him. "Let's cook together."
--
..[POWERSTONES AND REVIEWS]...
If you want to read early advance chapters and support me, you can join>: patr*on.com/XcaliburXc
[I have > 11 advance chapters] > All chapters available for all tiers
+ [Early access: Reborn as Lucifer> 11 chs]