The camera flashes burned into Elena's eyes long after Adrian dragged her inside. The garden, once a place of whispers and fragile confessions, was now tainted with the sharp scent of betrayal. Reporters shouted questions at the gates, their voices carrying even through the thick walls of the mansion.
Inside, the staff scattered like startled birds. Some averted their gazes, others whispered in corners, their voices low but not low enough to hide the words:
"Did you see the way he held her?"
"She's finished. The family won't allow this."
"A maid thinking she can steal Victoria's place? Absurd."
Elena's heart hammered in her chest, shame curling around her like a noose. Adrian's grip on her wrist was firm, protective, almost possessive, as he guided her toward his study.
"Adrian—" she tried to protest, her voice weak.
"Not a word until we're inside," he cut in, his tone a razor's edge.
The heavy doors slammed shut behind them. The muffled chaos outside seemed far away, yet Elena felt it pressing closer by the second.
---
The Lockdown
Adrian stalked to his desk, snapping orders into his phone.
"I want every entrance sealed. Double the security at the gates. If one more reporter sets foot on my property, heads will roll."
"Yes, Mr. Sterling," came the shaken reply from his head of security.
He ended the call, turning toward her. His sharp gaze softened for a moment at the sight of her trembling. "Elena, are you hurt?"
"No…" Her voice cracked. "But my life is. Did you see them? They'll twist everything. My family—"
"I'll take care of it."
Her hands clenched into fists. "You can't take care of everything! The world doesn't forget, Adrian. Tomorrow, they'll have me on every tabloid, every gossip blog. I'll be—"
"Enough." His voice sliced through her panic. He stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. "Do you think I'll let them destroy you? You're under my protection now. No one touches you without going through me."
His words should have soothed her. Instead, they made her chest tighten with something she dared not name. Protection was dangerous. Protection could become attachment. And attachment—
She shook her head, stepping back. "You don't understand. It's not just about me. They'll drag my family into this. My brother—my mother—"
Adrian's jaw tightened. "Then I'll protect them too."
Her breath hitched. The certainty in his tone left no space for doubt. He meant it.
---
The Headlines
By dawn, the world had indeed turned upside down.
"Sterling Heir Caught in Moonlight Embrace With Maid!"
"From Duster to Diamonds: Elena Rivera's Secret Affair With Adrian Sterling."
"Victoria Caldwell Speaks: Betrayed Fiancée Tells Her Story."
Elena sat in the corner of her small room, clutching her blanket like armor as the television in the servants' lounge blared.
Victoria's flawless face filled the screen. Her eyes glistened with practiced tears, her voice trembling just enough to seem real.
"I gave my heart to Adrian," she said, dabbing delicately at the corner of her eye. "And to see him throw it away for a maid who… who clearly manipulated her way into his life—it's devastating. I pity her, truly. A woman like that can never understand the world he lives in."
Gasps rippled through the staff watching. One of the older maids shook her head. "Poor Miss Victoria. That Rivera girl has no shame."
Elena's stomach twisted. The world believed Victoria. Why wouldn't they? Elena was no one.
---
Adrian's Fury
Hours later, she was summoned to Adrian's study. She stepped inside, her knees weak, only to find him pacing like a caged predator. Newspapers lay scattered across his desk, headlines screaming betrayal and scandal.
When he looked up, his eyes were flames. "She's using every connection she has. Journalists, networks, even her mother's charity board. They're painting you as some kind of—" He stopped himself, fists clenching.
"A gold-digger," Elena whispered, finishing for him.
His jaw tightened, fury flashing in his gaze. "That's not what you are."
Her laugh was bitter. "Isn't it what I look like? The billionaire's maid, caught in his arms, while his beautiful fiancée weeps on national television. Tell me, Adrian, how does that not look like I'm the villain?"
"You're not the villain." He stepped closer, his voice dropping into something fierce, raw. "If anyone's the villain here, it's me."
Her eyes widened. "Don't say that—"
"It's true. I put you in this position. I should've known Victoria wouldn't stop. But Elena, I swear, I won't let her destroy you."
The way he said her name—like it was something precious, something worth fighting for—nearly broke her.
---
The Clash
"You have to let me go," she whispered, fighting the lump in her throat. "If I leave, maybe it'll die down. You'll be free of this scandal."
Adrian's expression turned to stone. "No."
"Adrian—"
"I said no." His voice carried the weight of command, the tone that made boardrooms fall silent. But beneath it was something desperate. "Don't you see? If you leave now, you'll give them exactly what they want. They'll say you were guilty, that you ran because you had something to hide. And I'll lose you."
Her heart stuttered. "Lose me?"
For a moment, silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken truths. Adrian's eyes burned with an intensity she couldn't look away from.
Then his phone rang.
---
The Betrayal
Adrian snatched it up, his features hardening as he listened. Elena held her breath, watching the muscles in his jaw twitch.
Finally, he ended the call, his expression grim.
"That was my head of security," he said slowly. "They traced the leaks—the details about your family, the tip that led the reporters into the garden."
Elena's stomach dropped. "Who?"
Adrian's eyes locked on hers, sharp and unyielding. "It came from inside this mansion."
The room spun. Inside? That meant someone she saw every day. Someone who smiled at her in passing, someone who served at the same tables, washed the same dishes.
Her voice cracked. "Who would do that to me?"
Adrian's expression darkened, his hand curling into a fist. "Whoever it is, they're going to regret it."
But Elena couldn't breathe past the realization. She wasn't just fighting Victoria. She was fighting a traitor inside Adrian's own walls.
And that meant nowhere was safe.
To continued....