Adrian’s POV
I’d always believed my skin was thicker than most. Years of cutting people open under the blinding scrutiny of operating theaters, years of watching reporters circle my accomplishments, hungry for the next headline. I thought I was seasoned and immune, until they went after her.
Until they tried to define Elena with half-truths and lurid speculations, reducing her to footnotes beneath salacious headers. It did something to me I hadn’t expected. Something raw and unprofessional, something human, and it wasn’t just faceless tabloids anymore.
This morning, my phone erupted with calls before I’d even left for the hospital. Jordan, my head of communications, sent me a grim text: Call ASAP. Nathan Cole sold something. It’s gaining traction.
I found myself pacing the length of my
