The first blow came in the form of a headline.
Maya sat at the small café near campus, her hands wrapped around a steaming cup of coffee, trying to hold on to some sense of normalcy. The chatter of students, the hiss of the espresso machine — all of it felt safe, familiar. Until Clara rushed in, her face pale and eyes wide.
"Maya, don't look at your phone," Clara blurted, sliding into the chair across from her.
Maya's pulse quickened. "Why?"
Clara bit her lip, but it was too late. Maya's phone buzzed on the table, the screen lighting up with a notification. She hesitated before unlocking it.
There it was. A gossip site's headline screamed across the screen:
"Adrian Vale's Latest Obsession: Gold-Digging Student Targets the Heir."
Maya's stomach dropped.
The article was brutal. It painted her as a nobody chasing fortune, a manipulative girl who had "trapped" Adrian with her looks. They had dug through her life — her modest apartment, her scholarship, even pictures of her and Clara laughing outside class. Everything was twisted into evidence of her supposed ambition.
Her hands shook as she scrolled. The comments were worse. Strangers tearing her apart, calling her shameless, desperate, a leech.
"Maya, don't," Clara whispered, reaching to take the phone. "They're just lies. You know that."
But the words clung to her, sharp as broken glass. She shoved the phone into her bag, forcing her breathing to steady. "It's starting, isn't it?"
Clara's eyes softened with pity. "Adrian warned you, didn't he?"
Before Maya could answer, the café door swung open. Adrian stepped inside, his presence impossible to ignore. Tall, broad-shouldered, his black shirt half-unbuttoned, he drew every gaze in the room. But his eyes sought only her.
Maya rose as he approached, her chest tightening. He didn't say a word at first, just cupped her face gently, searching her expression.
"I saw it," he murmured.
Her throat constricted. "It's everywhere, Adrian. They've already turned me into—"
"Stop." His thumb brushed her cheek. "You are none of the things they say. You're mine. And I won't let them break you."
The conviction in his voice made her eyes sting. But still, doubt gnawed at her. "What if they ruin everything? What if people start believing—"
"They already believe what my family feeds them," he interrupted, his jaw tightening. "But I don't care. Let them talk. Let them spread their poison. We'll fight it together."
Clara cleared her throat softly. "I'll give you two a moment." She slipped out, leaving them in the low hum of the café.
Adrian pulled Maya into his arms, holding her close as if shielding her from the world. She inhaled the familiar scent of him, grounding herself in his warmth.
But when she pulled back, her eyes searched his. "They're not just going to stop at articles, are they?"
"No." His answer was blunt, honest. "This is only the beginning."
Her heart pounded. "Then what do we do?"
Adrian's gaze burned with quiet fire. "We stand our ground. I already told my father I won't let you go. They think they can scare you into leaving me. But they don't know your strength."
Maya wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe she was strong enough. But the whispers had already started around campus. When she walked down the hall that afternoon, students stared, some whispering behind their hands, others bold enough to snicker.
By evening, her name was trending online.
She sat curled on the couch in Adrian's penthouse, her laptop glowing on the coffee table. The screen displayed another article, another attack.
"Maya Thompson: Social Climber or Future Mrs. Vale?"
Adrian came from the kitchen, setting down a glass of wine beside her. His muscles tensed as he read over her shoulder.
"Close it," he ordered quietly.
Maya hesitated. "But Adrian, what if—"
"Close it." His voice softened, but the edge of command remained. She obeyed, shutting the laptop.
He sat beside her, pulling her into his lap. His hand ran through her hair, slow and soothing. "They want to break you, Maya. But you're stronger than they are. Stronger than they'll ever know."
Her eyes brimmed with tears. "I don't feel strong."
He tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Then lean on me until you do."
Her chest ached at the raw devotion in his eyes. "What if they take everything from you because of me?"
"Let them," Adrian whispered fiercely. "You're the only thing that matters. If I lose the empire, I'll build another. If I lose my name, I'll make a new one. But if I lose you, Maya…" His voice cracked. "That's the one thing I can't survive."
Her lips parted, but no words came. Instead, she kissed him, pouring every ounce of fear, love, and desperation into the press of her lips. His arms tightened around her, his mouth fierce against hers, as though he could seal his vow in that kiss.
When they finally pulled apart, breathless, he pressed his forehead to hers. "Let them come. I'm ready for war."
Maya's heart thundered. For the first time, she believed him.
But deep down, she knew the battle had only just begun.