The moment Lena stepped out of the car
The world changed.
Flashes exploded like lightning.
Voices collided.
Questions sharpened into weapons.
“Mr. Vale!”
“Who is she?”
“Is this your fiancée?”
“Are the rumors true?”
Her instinct was to pull back.
To step away.
To disappear.
But Ethan’s hand tightened around hers.
Firm.
Unyielding.
Grounding.
And just like that—
She remembered who she was supposed to be.
Lena Voss.
His fiancée.
She lifted her chin.
Stepped closer.
And played her part.
⸻
Inside, the gala was worse.
Or better.
Depending on how you looked at it.
Crystal chandeliers.
Soft music.
People dressed like power itself.
And every single one of them—
Was watching her.
Lena could feel it.
The curiosity.
The judgment.
The quiet calculation.
Who is she?
