The air outside the mansion hit me like a slap on the face. Cold, sharp, and laced with the electronic buzz of camera shutters.
I froze.
Dozens of paparazzi were waiting on the curb like vultures, their lenses flashing in my face. The hum of voices swelled into a chorus of questions, each one sharper than the last.
"Raine Vance, is it true you begged Adrian Throne to marry you after your fiancé cheated on you.?"
"Are you only doing this to inherit the company?"
"Raine, what does your family think of this engagement, after breaking things off with your Ex?.
Each word landed like a dagger. My chest squeezed, breath shallow. I hadn't even said yes to Adrian yet not out loud, not in front of anyone. And now the whole damn city seemed to know.
My father's threats, my sister's screams, the look of betrayal in my mother's eyes all of it followed me down those stone steps like a curse.
But it wasn't just me they were here for.
It was him.
Adrian Throne.
The man who matched my every step like a shadow, exuding that lethal calm that made the crowd part as he approached. His dark suit caught the glare of headlights, sharp lines that screamed danger and money in equal measure.
The flashbulbs doubled when he came into view.
"Adrian!! Adrian, is this a publicity stunt?"
"Mr. Throne, how long have you been seeing her? Did you know she was engaged to someone else?"
I wanted the ground to swallow me. My hands shook. My throat burned with words I couldn't say.
And that's when it happened.
A hand, his hand, curled around my jaw, tilting my face up t his. His skin was warm, steady, unshakable. The chaos around us dissolved into static.
"Relax," he murmured so low only I could hear. "I told you, wife. You belong to me now, and I'd protect you."
And before I could pull back, before I could even do anything else, Adrian Throne kissed me.
Not a soft brush of lips. Not staged.
A consuming, possessive, punishing kiss.
The world roared around us. Cameras clicked like machine guns, people shouted, traffic stalled. But all I felt was him. The press of his mouth, the deliberate way he angled his head to deepen it, the iron grip on my waist dragging me against his chest.
Heat flushed through me, a firestorm I couldn't fight. My knees nearly buckled, traitorous, betraying me.
I hated him. God, I hated him for this.
But the worst part?
A part of me wanted it. Wanted more.
He pulled back just enough to let the night air cool the sting of his kiss. His eyes burned into mine, cold and merciless.
"Smile," he ordered softly, a dangerous curve at the edge of his lips. "Let them see how happy you are to be mine."
My stomach flipped. The crowd was still chanting questions, the frenzy building like a tidal wave.
And then I saw it.
On the giant screen of a passing news van, there we were being broadcasted live. His mouth on mine. My wide, stunned eyes. His hand locked at the back of my neck like he owned me.
Already, it was everywhere.
My phone buzzed violently in my clutch, a dozen, two dozen, then fifty notifications flooding in. Headlines, blogs, gossip sites every screen was exploding with our kiss.
The kiss that changed everything.
I was drowning.
And Adrian?
Adrian looked like he had just won some battle.