The morning sun had barely risen when Lena's phone buzzed nonstop on the nightstand. At first, she ignored it, too exhausted from the chaos of the banquet. But when the buzz turned into a steady stream of notifications, her stomach twisted.
She opened her phone—and froze.
Every headline screamed her name.
"Who Is the Nobody Woman Beside CEO Adrian Li?"
"Gold-Digger or Secret Lover? Socialite Circle Explodes with Rumors."
"Ex-fiancée Li Xinyi Seen in Tears After Banquet Incident!"
Her hands trembled as she scrolled. Blurry photos of her and Adrian hand-in-hand dominated the feeds. In every picture, her simple dress and nervous smile were magnified, mocked. The comments were cruel:
"She looks like a maid."
"Adrian must have lost a bet."
"This woman isn't fit to shine Xinyi's shoes."
Lena's throat burned. She wanted to throw the phone across the room.
Before she could, a cold voice cut through the silence.
"Reading trash first thing in the morning? How cheap."
Her head jerked up. Adrian stood at the doorway, perfectly dressed in a dark suit, his expression unreadable.
Lena swallowed. "They're… they're saying horrible things. About you. About me."
Adrian strode forward, plucked the phone from her hand, and glanced at the screen. He didn't even flinch. "Public opinion is like smoke. It stings for a moment, then vanishes."
Easy for him to say. He wasn't the one being called a parasite.
He placed the phone face-down on the nightstand. "Ignore it."
Her frustration boiled over. "How can I ignore it? I have to live in this world too!"
For a heartbeat, his gaze softened—but then it was gone, replaced by steel. "Then learn to stand tall. Weakness draws blood. And this world is full of sharks."
Her chest tightened. He wasn't going to comfort her. He was throwing her to the wolves.
"Get dressed," Adrian ordered, straightening his cufflinks. "You're coming with me."
"To where?"
His lips curved into a faint, dangerous smile. "The Li Corporation. If the world wants to know who Mrs. Li is, then let's show them."
---
By noon, Lena found herself standing in the grand lobby of the Li Corporation headquarters. The towering glass building gleamed like a monument to Adrian's power. Every pair of eyes turned toward her as she walked at his side.
Whispers buzzed through the crowd of employees:
"That's her? The new Mrs. Li?"
"She's pretty… but ordinary."
"No way she belongs here."
Lena's cheeks burned, but she forced herself to keep walking, chin high. She wouldn't let them see her break.
Adrian's presence beside her was commanding, untouchable. With every step, his hand at the small of her back, he wordlessly declared: She's mine.
And yet, as they entered the executive floor, Lena couldn't shake the feeling that she was about to face her first real trial—one that no amount of Adrian's shadow could shield her from.
Because in this world of power and pride, whispers could cut deeper than knives.
And she would either learn to survive them… or be destroyed.
---