*Mo Manor – Late Afternoon Sun*
The rays slanted in golden ribbons across the sitting room floor, warm and soft against the marble. Lu Jingyan stood by the window, arms crossed, chin slightly raised. Her reflection shimmered in the glass—refined, poised, but with steel in her eyes.
It had been a week since she left the Leng Manor. A week since the betrayal.
And now… silence.
Country F's darling had vanished from the media. The heiress, the style oracle, the girl who could turn a street photo into a runway trend—gone. Replaced by hushed gossip, conflicting narratives, and whispers about the Lu family scandal.
Lu Jingyan turned away from the window and walked toward the table where Mo Tianyu and Lu Xinyan sat. Both girls looked up as she approached, a quiet intensity surrounding her like a storm waiting to be unleashed.
"I've made up my mind," she said, voice low but unwavering. "I'm done hiding."
Tianyu blinked. "You're going back to Country F?"
"No." Jingyan sat down. "Country F was the stage they gave me. Country C will be the empire I build."
Lu Xinyan leaned forward. "You mean…?"
"I won't beg to be welcomed back into a world that fed off my light only to turn when I stumbled." She brushed invisible dust from her sleeve. "No. They'll come to me."
Tianyu's lips curled into a grin. "What's the plan, Queen?"
"I won't launch a brand. That's expected. I'm building an exclusive fashion collective—no public name, no advertisements. It'll be a closed circle: old money, rising stars, political spouses, royal grandchildren. You don't find us—we find you."
Lu Xinyan gave a low whistle. "You're serious."
Jingyan's gaze sharpened. "I was the face of Country F's fashion scene for six years. I sat front row without paying a dime. I made brands with a single paparazzi photo. They watched me burn, thinking I wouldn't rise."
"And now?"
"I'll ignite the whole damn industry."
Silence hung in the air, heavy with anticipation.
Then Tianyu asked carefully, "Are you doing this for revenge?"
Lu Jingyan looked her cousin in the eye. "No. Not revenge. Restoration." Her voice softened. "The Lu name used to mean something. I don't need to carry that name anymore… but I'll make sure they remember who carried it with pride."
Her fingers tapped lightly on the table. "I've already reached out to Madame Xu—she still remembers who I am. Her boutique here can serve as our testing ground."
Lu Xinyan's eyes widened. "That woman styles the elite in four provinces."
"Exactly. And when she's seen walking with me again, tongues will wag."
Mo Tianyu smiled. "You're still Lu Jingyan—untouchable, unshakable."
Jingyan looked down, expression unreadable. "I was never unshakable. I just made sure no one saw when I cracked."
A pause.
Then, she stood. "I'm hosting a private soirée—twenty guests only. No press. No influencers. Only names with weight. I'll make them feel seen. Special. Curious. And then I'll feed them something they haven't tasted in years."
"Which is?" Tianyu asked.
"A woman in full control of her power."
Lu Xinyan stood too, laughing. "You're terrifying when you're like this."
Jingyan smiled, slow and radiant. "Then I must be doing something right."
She stepped out into the hallway, her silhouette long against the light pooling in from the open terrace. Behind her, Mo Tianyu whispered to Lu Xinyan, "She's not just coming back."
"She's taking over," Xinyan whispered back.
The rain had stopped, but Lu Jingyan remained seated by the window, watching the last of the droplets slide down the glass. Her phone rang—Mei Xiaotong.
She picked it up.
"Xiaotong," her voice was low, but firm.
"Jingyan! I heard you're planning something?" Mei's voice was laced with cautious excitement.
Jingyan smiled faintly. "Not something. Everything. I'm done hiding."
"You mean... a comeback?" Mei asked carefully.
"A takeover," Jingyan corrected. "They think I've fallen, but I haven't even started yet. I'm launching a brand. My name—my style—it still matters. They'll remember."
Mei hesitated. "But… after what happened, who's going to stand with you? Jingyan, the Lu name—"
"I don't need the Lu name," she cut in. "I built my image before the fall. I walked in rooms my family name never reached. Celebrities wore what I wore. I turned silence into trends."
"And now?"
"I'm not asking anyone for power. Just presence. I'm inviting the ones who still remember who I was—and still fear who I can become."
Mei fell silent.
Jingyan's voice softened. "They'll come, Xiaotong. Not because of pity. Because curiosity is louder than scandal"
You are still the queen of mystery," Mei chuckled.
"No," Jingyan murmured. "I'm the storm they thought had passed."
And as the call ended, Lu Jingyan's eyes burned with a quiet fire. Her war had just begun.