The first headline dropped at 6:17 a.m.
Lucien saw it before he even finished his coffee.
BLACKWOOD HEIR GOES PUBLIC — WHO IS THE WOMAN AT HIS SIDE?
He didn’t flinch. He had expected it. What he hadn’t expected was how quickly the world would sharpen its teeth.
By the time the second headline appeared, the city was already buzzing.
MYSTERY WOMAN LINKED TO BLACKWOOD EMPIRE — POWER PLAY OR PERSONAL WEAKNESS?
Lucien closed his tablet slowly.
Across the room, Seraphina stood near the window, phone in hand, her face unreadable. She hadn’t slept. Neither of them had. Going public had been her idea, but Lucien knew better than to think that made it easier.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she turned the phone screen toward him.
A photo. Taken from a dista
