“Roman, tell me this is a nightmare,” Alexa muttered, pacing the length of the condo. Her hands trembled as she tried to steady her phone. The notification feed wouldn’t stop buzzing. News anchors, bloggers, and gossip channels…every outlet in Manila had her name splashed across their pages. ‘The Mystery Woman Behind the Everett Heir.’

Roman leaned back on the couch, tie loosened, laptop open with a dozen legal documents flashing on the screen.

“It’s not a nightmare. It’s ...