The world woke up hungry.
Mira knew it the moment she stepped onto the balcony and felt the air vibrate, not with sound, but with anticipation. Aristella looked the same from above: manicured gardens, flawless architecture, symmetry designed to suggest control.
But beneath it, the academy was trembling.
Her phone buzzed nonstop.
Not messages.
Notifications.
Articles. Clips. Threads. Opinions stacked on opinions until truth felt buried under interpretation.
LUCKY STAR SCANDAL DEEPENS
IS ARISTELLA HIDING THE TRUTH?
WHO IS MIRA LAWSON, REALLY?
She exhaled slowly.
"They're circling," she murmured.
Behind her, Adrian fastened the cuff of his sleeve, expression composed but eyes sharp. "They're waiting for blood."
"Then they'll choke," she said. "Because I'm not bleeding."
He studied her for a moment. "You don't have to do this today."
She turned. "Yes. I do."
He didn't argue.
That was new.
