The echo of Robert Vale's words lingered long after he left the bookstore. Even hours later, Maya could still hear them in her mind: You don't belong in this world.
Adrian had stayed with her until closing, his presence a shield against the storm. He'd carried boxes, restocked shelves, even locked the door at the end of the night with a kind of protective stubbornness that both warmed and worried her.
But now, alone in her apartment, Maya felt the quiet press against her chest.
Her phone buzzed on the counter. Another headline lit the screen: Vale Heir Publicly Defies Father Over New Romance. Beneath it was a picture—Adrian shielding her outside the bookstore, Robert's silhouette in the background.
Her fingers tightened around the phone. The world wasn't just watching anymore. It was circling, hungry for cracks.
Across the city, Adrian stood in the marble halls of his family's estate, the air thick with tension. His father sat at the head of the long dining table, the same place he had occupied for decades, a king in all but crown.
"You humiliated me today," Robert said, his voice measured but seething. "In front of the press, in front of the board, in front of anyone who matters."
Adrian met his gaze without flinching. "I defended someone I care about. That's not humiliation—it's integrity."
His mother, Evelyn, sat quietly beside Robert, her expression calm but unreadable. Her eyes flickered briefly toward Adrian, something soft and conflicted hiding behind their practiced poise.
Robert's hand pressed flat against the polished wood. "You are the heir to this family. Every choice you make reflects on us. And you choose her? A girl with no pedigree, no wealth, no standing?"
Adrian's jaw tightened. "I don't care about pedigree. I don't care about standing. I care about Maya."
The room went silent. His father's eyes narrowed, like a hawk fixing on prey.
"You're letting sentiment cloud your duty," Robert said. "You think love will keep this family afloat? You think the board respects a man who puts his emotions above his empire?"
Adrian leaned forward, his voice low but unshaken. "If this empire demands I sacrifice the one person who makes me feel alive, then maybe it isn't worth leading."
Evelyn's breath caught—quiet but noticeable. Robert's face darkened.
"You don't get to walk away from this family," Robert growled. "You were born into it. You'll inherit it, whether you want to or not."
Adrian's fists clenched at his sides, but he forced his tone steady. "I'll build something of my own, then. Something that doesn't require me to break the woman I love just to keep appearances."
For the first time, Robert's mask cracked. Anger flared, sharp and visible.
"You're a fool," he spat. "And she'll destroy you."
Adrian turned without another word, the chair scraping against the floor as he stood. His mother's eyes followed him, lips parting as though she wanted to speak—but no sound came.
The slam of the front doors echoed through the halls.
Back in her apartment, Maya sat curled on the couch, staring at her phone. Messages from friends piled in, some supportive, others worried. A few were cruel, repeating the headlines like venom.
She pressed the phone to her chest, closing her eyes.
She wanted to be strong. She wanted to prove she belonged by Adrian's side. But Robert's words dug deep, and the images of Adrian clashing with his father twisted in her stomach.
When the knock came at her door, she startled.
She opened it to find Adrian, his hair windswept, his eyes tired but burning with fire. He stepped inside without waiting, pulling her into his arms like she was the only thing keeping him tethered.
"He tried to break us," Adrian whispered against her hair. "But I won't let him."
Maya's heart ached. She clung to him, inhaling his familiar scent, but the worry pressed harder. "Adrian, you're risking everything—your family, your inheritance, your place in their world."
He pulled back just enough to cup her face, his thumb brushing away the moisture gathering at the corner of her eye. "You're worth more than all of it. Do you hear me? You're worth everything."
Her chest tightened, tears threatening. She searched his face, the sincerity etched into every line. He believed it. He truly believed she was worth defying his empire for.
But love wasn't armor. It wasn't a shield against the media, or the board, or his father's power.
And as much as she wanted to fall into him, a whisper of fear kept echoing: What if he loses everything because of me?
Adrian pressed his forehead against hers, his breath steadying hers. "Don't let him get in your head. He's trying to scare you because he knows he can't scare me."
She closed her eyes, leaning into the safety of his presence. His arms wrapped tighter, his body warm and unyielding.
For a fleeting moment, she let herself believe love could be enough.
But when Adrian finally drifted into restless sleep on her couch, Maya lay awake beside him, staring at the ceiling.
Her heart whispered one truth over and over, louder than the headlines, louder than Robert's warnings:
If she stayed, Adrian would keep fighting. And the more he fought, the more he risked losing everything he'd ever known.
And Maya wasn't sure if she was strong enough to be the reason he lost it all.