The headlines hit the city before dawn.
"Vale Protocol Announces Strategic Marriage: Markets Respond."
"Mystery Woman Joins Crypto King in Legal Alliance."
"Elara Cross: The New Mrs. Vale?"
Elara Cross sat in her apartment, staring at the glowing screens, the words scrolling past her eyes like a tide of public attention. Her hands were still, but her mind raced. Every headline, every social media post, every whispered conversation in online forums dissected her existence.
She had anticipated scrutiny. She had expected curiosity. But the magnitude this level of visibility was staggering.
The media frenzy was relentless. Cameras flashed outside her building. Paparazzi hovered like predators along her street. Every movement, every subtle glance, every expression would be photographed, analyzed, and interpreted. Privacy, she realized, was already gone.
Elara felt a cold weight settle in her chest. She had negotiated autonomy in the contract, yes, but nothing could protect her from the social machinery she was now trapped within. The public did not see logic or nuance. They saw a story. A symbol. And she had become that symbol overnight.
A soft knock at the door broke her thoughts.
"Ms. Cross," said a voice she did not recognize. "Security has confirmed the perimeter. You may proceed."
She exhaled slowly, stepping into her coat. Every movement precise, every gesture measured. Today, she would face the cameras, the flashbulbs, the city's gaze. Today, she would be Lucien Vale's public wife an image. A presence. A role she had not chosen, but one she could survive.
The car arrived, black and silent as always. She stepped inside, settling into the leather seat with mechanical precision. Outside, the world continued as if nothing had changed. Inside, her life had shifted irreversibly.
The press conference was brutal. Not physically, of course, but emotionally. Questions came in rapid-fire: motivation, personal feelings, family reactions. Every answer she gave had to be neutral, precise, unflappable.
Lucien stood beside her, a monument of control. Hands clasped behind his back, eyes scanning the room with the same quiet authority he exercised over markets. He spoke when necessary, measured, deliberate, and distant. Never intimate, never revealing.
Elara realized quickly that he would not help her. Not with words, not with emotion, not with guidance. He was her shield against chaos, yes, but he was not her companion in it.
Alone. She was alone in the spotlight. Alone in the narrative. Alone in the carefully constructed image of Mrs. Vale.
A question came, sharp and invasive: "Mrs. Vale, do you love Lucien Vale?"
The words barely registered before her mind reacted. She took a steadying breath, eyes forward, voice controlled: "This is a strategic partnership. Love is irrelevant to its purpose."
The room murmured. Cameras clicked. Analysts whispered. Headlines would read differently tomorrow.
She turned slightly to Lucien, hoping for acknowledgment, guidance, even a flicker of reassurance. He offered none. Only the same calm gaze, assessing, calculating, impenetrable.
Alone.
The press conference ended. Flashbulbs faded. Journalists filed out. The building emptied, leaving only the two of them.
Lucien's voice broke the silence, low and controlled. "You handled that well."
Elara's hands tightened around her bag. "I have to. There is no choice."
He nodded. "Correct. Choices are often illusions in this role. Understanding your parameters and operating within them is survival."
She studied him. Not anger. Not resentment. Just observation. He was as distant emotionally as he had been physically during the contract signing. The man who controlled markets and systems did not share warmth casually. He did not give it as a courtesy. It was earned. Rarely.
And she had not earned it.
Her mind wandered briefly. She realized she felt the acute loneliness of her position. Surrounded by people, scrutinized constantly, yet utterly alone in her understanding, her experience, her reality. This was not a partnership of hearts. This was a marriage of necessity, leverage, and survival.
A soft ping interrupted her thoughts.
A message on her phone. Unknown sender.
Curiosity overcame her caution. She opened it.
A single image appeared: a photograph. Recent. Sharp. Clear.
And someone from her past was unmistakable in the frame.
Her pulse surged. Recognition struck her immediately. She had not expected this. Not here. Not now.
A name that carried history, complication, and danger whispered across her mind.
And a single thought burned through her: this world was more dangerous than she had imagined.
The phone buzzed again a message appended to the image.
"Do you remember me?"
Elara's breath caught. She stared at the screen, frozen. The city outside continued its rhythm. The press conference, the cameras, the social media frenzy they all seemed distant now. One moment from her past had breached the wall she had built around herself.
And in that instant, she realized she was no longer just Lucien Vale's public wife. She was vulnerable in ways she had not anticipated.
Alone. Exposed. Recognized.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she set the phone down. She had survived exposure before. She had survived scrutiny, betrayal, and manipulation. But this was different.
Because someone from her past now had the power to disrupt everything.
The room was silent. Too silent.
And outside, a storm of consequences waited to descend.
Today was so stressful as hell, she muttered under her breath as she got home. Falling straight on her bed still on her work clothes. Ugh.... .... There was nothing to expect from him after all, she said.
Can I really survive this? She thought. No .. since I'm already in , I can survive this shit she told herself. Getting her lazy self off the bed, she went to the bathroom to change. Had a refreshing bath. After changing into something casual. She sat on her bed with her phone in hand and laptop on her bed, munching popcorn and chilled yoghurt. She needed to cool off her head.
She munched on her snack and typed in some series of code on her laptop. Feeling bored she decided to play a game.. " The Mech Arena". She slept off admist the game not knowing what awaits her as time flew by.