The next morning, Elena woke up earlier than usual, though sleep had barely touched her eyes. She sat at the edge of the bed, staring at the rising sun spilling into the penthouse through the wide glass walls. Every day in this place felt unreal, like living in a life borrowed from someone else. Her phone buzzed endlessly with notifications, more articles, social media whispers, texts from distant acquaintances she hadn't spoken to in years suddenly "checking in."
She had turned it face-down on the counter just to breathe.
She went to the kitchen and found Sophie making coffee, her movements jerky with stress. "Good morning, El." She said, almost hollering.
"Hey, Soph."
"You didn't sleep?" Sophie asked.
"How can I?" She replied, voice low "when rumors of me being with a renowned billionaire are circling the entire city?"
Elena sighed and continued "My parents don't believe me. My boss suspended me. It's safe to say I've lost my normal life. I've lost everything."
Sophie looked at her sharply. "You haven't lost everything. You still have me. And him." She jerked her head toward the hall where Alexander's study was.
Elena's gaze lingered on the closed door. She wanted to argue, wanted to deny that she had him. But her chest tightened instead. Because Sophie was right. Alexander hadn't left her side, even when the world turned against her.
Before Elena could answer, the study door opened.
Alexander stepped out, his expression controlled but charged, like a storm waiting to break. He was dressed sharply, with a navy suit and no tie, but the loosened collar only made him look more charismatic. "You didn't sleep," he said, more observation than question.
"No," Elena admitted.
"Well, I have news," he said simply.
Elena's stomach knotted. "Good or bad?"
"Both." He held up a phone that wasn't his usual one. "One of my people just sent this to me. The waiter who served Vivian and Adrian last night recorded part of their conversation. He heard them plotting, naming you, Elena. The whole performance was deliberate."
Elena blinked. "Waiter?"
"Yes, the waiter at the restaurant," Alex said slowly, "the one who served Adrian and Vivian…" He paused deliberately, his eyes holding hers. "He works for me."
Her breath caught. "You—what? You planted him there?"
"Yes," Alex replied. "Adrian has always been predictable. I knew he wouldn't be able to resist plotting in public, and I was right. They're planning to paint me as a man who collects mistresses and throws them away."
The words made Elena's stomach turn. She pressed a hand to her chest. "That's horrible."
"They'll make you the face of their lie," Alex said, his voice sharp, precise. "That's why I need you to hear me out, before you panic."
She frowned, her pulse quickening. "Hear you out about what?"
His jaw tightened. He leaned forward, his voice lower, colder. "If they want to call you my mistress… then we give them exactly that."
Her heart skipped. "Excuse me?"
"We go public," Alex continued, eyes locked on her. "You and I, together. Appear at events, dinners, galas. Act like what they're trying to call you. Then, when the time is right, we stage a breakup. My way. On my terms. It will kill their narrative before it's born."
Elena stared at him, stunned. "You want me to pretend to be your mistress? To play into their game?"
"No," he corrected, "to own it. To control it. If the story must exist, we decide how it begins and ends."
Elena shook her head, pacing across the room. "Alex, do you realize what you're asking me to do? You're asking me to destroy what little reputation I have, to let the whole city think I'm just—"
"—a woman at my side?" he interrupted sharply. "That's all they'll see. And when I end it, they'll see you as the one who left me. Not discarded, not used. Untouchable."
She turned to him, her voice trembling. "And in the meantime? While I play your… your role? What happens to me? What happens to my life?"
His expression softened just slightly. He stood, walking toward her with slow, deliberate steps. "In the meantime, you'll be safe. No one will touch you. You'll live here, under my protection and you'll have everything you need."
Her throat tightened. "Everything, except myself."
He reached her then, close enough that she could feel his presence pressing into the air between them. "Elena," he said quietly, "this is the only way to beat them at their own game. If you walk away now, they'll win. And I won't let that happen."
She looked up at him, her chest rising and falling too quickly. She hated how steady his eyes were, how certain his voice sounded, how his nearness made it hard to think.
"This is madness," she whispered.
"Maybe," Alex said. "But it's the only madness that keeps you breathing."
Silence hung between them. She thought of Sophie, of her parents checking in, of the normal life she once knew. And then she thought of the storm Vivian and Adrian were building, her name already in their mouths.
Elena closed her eyes for a long moment, then opened them again, her voice barely audible. "If I say yes… where does the act end?"
For the first time, Alex hesitated. He didn't answer right away. He looked at her, as if the question had cut deeper than he expected. Finally, he said, "When I decide it should."
Her heart sank at the weight of those words.
And yet, as much as every instinct screamed to run, a colder, quieter part of her knew, he was right.
The silence stretched on.
Then, Sophie broke the ice with a mutter. "Well, if you're fighting, fight smart. Just promise me, you won't use Elena as some pawn in your empire war."
Alexander's eyes met Elena's again. "She's not a pawn. She's the reason I'm fighting."
The words hit harder than Elena expected, leaving her breathless.