Lina's POV - Monday Morning, Kalinawan Tower, PR Department
Miranda Chen clicks through mood boards with the efficiency of someone selling a product rather than a relationship. I sit beside Rio in a room full of sharp-suited strategists, watching them turn our engagement into a narrative.
"Soft launch first," Miranda says. "Vogue exclusive—romantic proposal, the ring, family moments. Then a press conference. Very intimate. Very personal."
The word *personal* makes my stomach turn. Everything is being calculated.
Rio's hand rests on my knee. Not intimate—positioned. When Miranda asks me about my first impressions of him, I say I was terrified, and he presses slightly in approval. It's a lesson: vulnerability performs better than honesty.
By the time we leave, I've helped craft a fairy tale that has nothing to do with the man sitting beside me.
Rio's POV - Hallway, Kalinawan Tower
"You did well in there," I tell Lina as we walk toward my office. "Miranda was impressed."
