---
Episode 9: The Ice King Melts
The LunaTech headquarters had never seen a crowd this massive.
Press vans. Paparazzi drones. Reporters crammed outside the glass doors like wolves waiting to feast. They weren't here for tech. They weren't here for Luna.
They were here for her.
Evan Dendelion.
The woman no one saw coming—the wife Abel Luna had married in silence and the mother of his unborn twins.
Evan stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, barely recognizing herself.
The silk cream blouse clung to her gently rounded belly. Her face was pale but fierce. A calm mask over the chaos inside.
"You don't have to do this," Nori whispered from behind her.
"Yes," Evan said quietly. "I do."
---
Conference Hall – 11:00AM
The room was packed. Camera flashes sparked like lightning across the stage. Board members sat tight-lipped behind long tables. Investors watched the livestreams in muted horror.
Then the door opened.
And Abel Luna walked in.
He was dressed in black. No tie. No smile. Just that signature, intimidating stillness that made everyone fall silent before he even spoke.
Beside him, Evan walked like a ghost come to life.
Murmurs rose.
"That's her…"
"She's pregnant…"
"She looks… young."
"She looks like she's hiding something."
Abel stepped to the podium.
And for a moment, he said nothing.
Then—
"My name is Abel Luna," he began, voice deep and sharp, "and I have a statement. Not as CEO. Not as a billionaire. But as a husband."
The crowd hushed.
He looked down at Evan.
Then back up.
"There has been a leak. A deliberate invasion of our private lives. And now, the woman I married is being hunted by cameras, hounded by the press, and slandered by strangers who know nothing of her."
He took a breath.
"So let me be perfectly clear."
He turned fully to the cameras.
"I married Evan Dendelion."
A collective gasp.
"She is my legal wife. My choice. My match."
He paused.
"And she is carrying my children. Twins."
The room exploded in noise.
Clicking cameras. Shouts from reporters. Board members exchanging nervous glances.
Evan stood motionless at his side, heart pounding in her chest. She gripped the podium edge to stay steady.
Abel raised a hand and silence returned.
"To those spreading lies about our relationship—this was not a publicity stunt. Not an arranged marriage. And not some scandal to bury."
He turned slightly, meeting the eyes of every doubter.
"She is not my weakness. She is my family."
---
Backstage – Minutes Later
Evan sat in a private room, heart racing.
Her phone vibrated with notifications. Her name was trending. Photos of her and Abel standing side by side were already viral.
THE ICE KING CLAIMS HIS QUEEN
BABY BOMBSHELL: WHO IS EVAN DENDELION?
A COLD CEO'S SURPRISINGLY WARM WORDS
Nori burst in with wide eyes and a grin.
"Girl. You broke the internet."
Evan laughed shakily. "That was… a lot."
Nori squeezed her hand. "That man may be an iceberg, but he just lit the world on fire for you."
Then—
Her phone pinged again. But this time, it wasn't a headline.
It was a text.
UNKNOWN NUMBER
You can't hide behind his name forever. You stole everything from me. I'm coming for what's mine.
Attached:
A photo of her ultrasound. The one she thought only the doctor and Abel had.
Evan's hands trembled.
"Something's wrong," she whispered.
---
Elsewhere – Cassandra's Hidden Lab
Cassandra Vale stared at the screen, fingers tapping rhythmically.
"He made it public," she muttered. "That wasn't part of the plan."
A younger tech assistant looked up nervously. "Do we move now?"
She smiled coldly.
"No. We wait."
She zoomed in on the leaked press image.
Evan's hand was resting protectively on her belly.
"She's getting too comfortable," Cassandra said softly. "Let's remind her… this isn't a fairy tale."
---
LunaTech Tower – CEO Suite
Abel closed the door to his office behind them.
Evan stood in the center of the room, shaking slightly.
"You didn't have to do that," she whispered.
"I did."
"You just made everything harder for yourself."
"I don't care."
She looked up at him.
Really looked.
"I don't understand you," she said. "You act like you don't need anyone. Like you don't feel. But then you do this—"
He stepped closer.
"I don't know how to love," he said. "But I know how to protect. And I know how to choose."
Her breath hitched.
"And I choose you, Evan. Over legacy. Over secrets. Over vengeance."
Tears burned her eyes.
She moved toward him… slowly.
And for the first time since their marriage—
She kissed him.
Not out of obligation.
But out of quiet gratitude.
Out of a flicker of something dangerous.
Hope.
---
💣 End of Episode 9
> Coming in Episode 10:
The press storm grows. LunaTech's board turns on Evan. She overhears a cruel truth that breaks her heart—and a betrayal that sets her on the run. But someone unexpected is watching her every move...