The first rule of fame, Ariel learned, was this:
You never get time to breathe.
The contract had barely dried when the building erupted again—phones buzzing, heels clicking, voices slicing through the air with renewed urgency.
"Car's ready."
"Security's moving."
"Media's already outside."
Ariel stood frozen, the weight of her signature pressing against her chest like a bruise.
Mr. Han turned to her. "Smile if you can. Don't speak unless spoken to. And whatever happens out there—do not let go of his hand."
Her heart skipped.
"His—"
The door opened.
And Jaxon Vale reached for her.
Not gently.
Not possessively.
But deliberately—like a decision he had already regretted and accepted at the same time.
His fingers wrapped around hers.
Warm. Steady.
Real.
Ariel inhaled sharply.
"Stay close," he murmured, low enough that only she could hear. "They'll tear you apart if you don't."
Before she could respond, the doors swung open.
Flash.
Flash. Flash. Flash.
The night exploded.
Cameras screamed louder than fans. Names were shouted like accusations. The crowd surged forward, a living wave of hunger and speculation.
"JAXON—IS THIS YOUR GIRLFRIEND?"
"WHO IS SHE?"
"IS THIS WHY YOU DISAPPEARED?"
Ariel's vision blurred.
Her instincts screamed run.
Instead, she felt Jaxon's thumb brush the back of her hand—a silent reminder.
Stay.
They walked.
Every step felt unreal, like she had slipped into someone else's life and forgotten how to leave. His presence was overwhelming—calm on the surface, rigid beneath. A man trained to survive public execution with grace.
At the car, Jaxon stopped.
He turned toward her.
For a terrifying second, Ariel thought he might hesitate.
Instead, he lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.
Gasps tore through the crowd.
The lie was born.
Inside the car, silence crashed down.
The world outside faded into tinted darkness, leaving only the sound of Ariel's breathing—too fast, too loud.
She pulled her hand back.
"You didn't warn me," she said.
Jaxon leaned against the seat, eyes closed. "If I had, you would've flinched."
"I almost passed out."
"But you didn't."
She looked at him.
Up close, without cameras between them, he looked younger. Tired in a way sleep couldn't fix.
"That kiss," she said quietly. "Wasn't part of the deal."
He opened his eyes.
"No," he admitted. "It was necessary."
She laughed once, sharp and humorless. "You're unbelievable."
"And you," he replied, studying her, "didn't let go."
That silenced her.
Because it was true.
By the time they reached his apartment, the internet had already rewritten her existence.
Mr. Han's tablet lit up with headlines.
MYSTERY WOMAN CLAIMS JAXON VALE'S HEART
FANS DIVIDED OVER IDOL'S SECRET LOVE
WHO IS SHE?
Ariel stared at the screen.
They were dissecting her hair.
Her clothes.
Her expression.
"She doesn't look worthy."
"She's plain."
"She's calculated."
"She's dangerous."
Her hands trembled.
"I didn't sign up for this part," she whispered.
Jaxon stood beside her, silent.
"You signed up for all of it," Mr. Han said. "From now on, you exist because he allows it."
Jaxon's jaw tightened.
"That's enough."
Mr. Han turned. "This is the world you live in."
Jaxon didn't look away. "And this is why I hate it."
Later, alone on the balcony, Ariel finally let herself breathe.
The city stretched endlessly below, glittering and indifferent. Somewhere in the distance, fans still screamed his name.
She wrapped her arms around herself.
"This won't last," she said softly. "It can't."
Jaxon stepped beside her.
The space between them was careful. Fragile.
"No," he agreed. "But while it does… they'll watch you more than they ever watched me."
She looked at him. "Why me?"
He didn't answer immediately.
When he did, his voice was quiet.
"Because you don't want me."
Ariel swallowed.
"That's not—"
"It is," he said. "And that makes you the most dangerous person in my life."
Their eyes held.
Not as idol and assistant.
Not as strangers.
But as two people standing at the edge of something already spiraling beyond control.
Inside, Ariel's phone buzzed.
A new notification.
A verified account had posted a photo of her holding Jaxon's hand.
The caption read:
She came out of nowhere.
And she doesn't belong.
Ariel closed her eyes.
The world had noticed her.
And it would never let her disappear again.