A public scandal
There was an instant pushback.
By the time Emilia and Adrian returned to the penthouse, the city had already chosen its narrative, and it was ravenous. The private elevator doors had barely closed behind them before the screens embedded into the walls lit up on their own, one after another, like watchful eyes opening in the dark. News tickers crawled relentlessly beneath looping footage of Emilia’s face—paused mid-sentence, her lips parted, her eyes briefly flicking toward Adrian as if that single glance held a confession deeper than words.
“AN EXPOSED CONTRACT MARRIAGE.”
“THE WIFE OF A BILLIONAIRE ACKNOWLEDGES COERCION.”
“IS SILENCE AND CONTROL THE FOUNDATION OF CROSS INDUSTRIES?”
The same few seconds of her interview replayed endlessly, slowed down, zoomed in, dis
