Talia had barely slept that night. Every time she closed her eyes, flashes of the man's gaze returned to her—the way he had looked at her with a calm, commanding presence, the way his voice had been unshaken when he had shielded her from the ravenous reporters. And then, his words, spoken with terrifying composure:
"Marry me."
She had replayed them a hundred times, each time feeling her chest tighten. How could someone like him—someone who owned everything, who had an empire at his feet—casually propose marriage to a girl like her, broken and humiliated?
By morning, her best friend Lila had insisted she go out for coffee, insisting, "You need to breathe, Tal, not sit here crying into your pillow like some tragic drama heroine."
But stepping out into the world was a mistake.
The scandal had already reached every corner of the city.
Newspapers at the kiosks blared with headlines:
"Young Actress in Director's Bed Scandal
"Talia Hayes: Sleeping Her Way Up?"
"Rising Star or Fallen Woman?"
Her face was plastered everywhere—walking out of the hotel lobby in the man's oversized coat, the hickeys on her skin cruelly circled with red ink by gossip columns.
Her phone buzzed endlessly with missed calls—her agent, the production company, even her mother who hadn't spoken to her in months. All she could hear when she finally picked up was a storm of voices demanding explanations, calling her careless, reckless, ungrateful.
And in the middle of it all was her stepsister, Selene.
Selene didn't waste a single moment. That very afternoon, she uploaded a post on social media, a sweetly crafted caption beneath a picture of her holding Ethan's hand:
"No matter what life throws at us, we stand together. 🖤 Some people may try to ruin others to get ahead, but love always wins."
The comments poured in immediately, a flood of sympathy and support for Selene, painting her as the perfect, wronged sister while Talia was crucified as the villain.
Lila nearly threw her phone across the room when she saw it. "That witch! Look at this, Tal. She's not even hiding it anymore—she's feeding the flames!"
Talia hugged her knees to her chest on the couch. "That's what she wanted all along. I walked right into it…" Her voice cracked, the pain raw in her throat. "And Ethan… he looked at me like I was filth. Like I was nothing."
The boy she had once planned a future with. The boy she had loved with her whole soul. He didn't even remember her now, thanks to the accident that had stolen his memories. And worse, he now held Selene like she was his everything, while looking at Talia as if she were the monster.
Her phone buzzed again. This time, it was her agent's message, cold and sharp:
"Effective immediately, the production team has decided to remove you from the upcoming project. The negative press makes you unmarketable. Until this dies down, don't contact me."
The words blurred before her eyes. She dropped the phone onto the floor, her entire body trembling. Her dream—her only dream—was slipping through her fingers.
Lila slid beside her, grabbing her shoulders. "No. Don't you dare let her win. That's exactly what Selene wants—you broken, destroyed, crawling at her feet."
Talia's lips parted, but no sound came out. The weight of it all was too much. Her career was in shambles, her name ruined, her ex's eyes burned with hatred, and her stepsister had everything she didn't.
But in the silence that followed, her mind flickered back to him.
The man whose name carried power she hadn't even processed fully last night. Alexander Blackwood. CEO of Blackwood Enterprises. A name that could topple nations—or save them.
His calm, unshaken expression as chaos unfolded around her… the way the reporters had stopped when he spoke, as if his voice alone was law.
And his offer.
A marriage contract. Four months. Protection, security, a shield from Selene's claws.
She hadn't wanted to consider it. The thought of marrying a stranger—of tying herself to a man she barely knew—was terrifying. But now… looking at the wreckage of her career, she wasn't sure she had a choice.
Lila leaned back, sighing dramatically, though her eyes were sharp. "So let me get this straight—you turned down Alexander Blackwood. The man every heiress in this city would sell their soul to marry. And you… said no?"
Talia groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Don't say it like that. I couldn't just… say yes. I don't even know him!"
"But he knows power, Tal." Mara's voice dropped, serious now. "And if there's one thing you need right now, it's protection. Because Selene is just getting started."
As if on cue, Talia's phone lit up again. A new video was circulating online—footage of her being dragged in front of the reporters, Selene's fake tears, Ethan's voice calling her "vicious." The comments were brutal.
"She's disgusting."
"Poor Selene, imagine having such a sister."
"No wonder she was fired, who would cast her now?"
Her hands shook as she scrolled, bile rising in her throat. It was endless, an avalanche of hate.
Lila took the phone away, her expression hard. "You need to fight back. And maybe—just maybe—that man is your way to do it."
Talia stared at the card still sitting on her dresser, the bold lettering of his name staring back at her like a promise.
Alexander Blackwood.
Four months.
A lifeline.
She bit her lip until it bled. Could she do it? Could she tie herself to a man she didn't love, didn't even know, just to save herself from drowning?
Her heart whispered no. But her reality screamed yes.