It was early morning at the Stuar Royal Mansion. Princess Nova Stuar, dressed in an immaculate silk dressing gown, paced the length of her private salon. Her son, Robert, had not come home last night, nor was he answering her calls—an unacceptable breach of protocol, especially with the grand event just days away.
She called Steven immediately.
"Hello, Madam Princess Nova Stuar," Steven answered, his voice tight with anxiety.
"Steven, where is my son?" Nova's voice was dangerously quiet, a tone that demanded the absolute truth. "He hasn't answered my calls since last night. You confirmed he had a meeting yesterday. Why is he not home?"
Steven stammered, knowing the full truth would ignite Nova's wrath. "Ah... Madam... I... I don't know how to tell you..."
"If you don't tell me immediately, I will wake up my husband and tell him you are willfully concealing my son's whereabouts and safety," Nova warned, invoking the one person Steven feared more than Robert.
Steven broke. "Madam, actually, yesterday... Levis Heart came to the office. He was meant to meet a manager for the catering contract, but the Prince handled the meeting personally. However, before Levis came in, the Deputy Director Bright Aro hugged him right outside the building. And the Prince get it they're very close "
Nova gripped the phone so tightly her knuckles turned white. "What?"
Steven rushed to finish, relief mingling with terror. " After then we found ou, that Levis is Bright's fiancé." Madam!.
Nova's breath hitched. "Don't tell me he got angry and harmed himself." She knew her son's explosive temper.
Steven went silent on the other end.
"I will be there in five minutes," Nova stated, ending the call before Steven could speak again.
Nova didn't bother changing. She threw on a luxurious sable coat over her dressing gown and stormed out, ordering the fastest car in the garage.
As Nova's car approached the Stuar World Group headquarters, she saw the massive crowd of reporters. Then, through the tinted glass, she saw a woman in a torn dress, shouting hysterically in front of the cameras.
Nova ordered the driver to stop instantly. She heard the woman's voice clearly: "Prince Robert Stuar tried to sexually harass me!"
A cold, hard fury descended upon Nova. She stepped out of the car, her presence immediately commanding silence from the few reporters nearest her. Ignoring the shouted questions, she strode purposefully through the media, her high heels clicking sharply on the pavement.
She stopped directly in front of the screaming model, Lilly.
Nova raised her hand, her rings glittering under the camera lights, and delivered a powerful, sickening slap across Lilly's face. The force sent Lilly reeling, stumbling back onto the pavement.
"How dare you, you gutter-dwelling bi*"h, lie about my son!" Nova's voice didn't just speak; it roared, cutting through the chaos.
Cameras flashed, capturing the iconic image of the Queen of the Mafia Empire publicly assaulting the accuser.
Meanwhile, at the "Heart of Sweets" shop, the employees were wrapping up their long planning session, exhausted.
"Ah, Stofia, I'm bored now," Levis pleaded, rubbing his tired eyes. "Please turn the TV back on."
"Sorry, I'm busy," Stofia replied, applying a thick, expensive moisturizing mask to her face.
"This girl!" Nora scolded, walking over to the television herself. "Tomorrow isn't your wedding! We are stressed about showcasing our work at the royal event, and you are preparing with a face mask?" Nora turned on the news channel.
"Well, who knows," Stofia murmured, pouting. "Maybe a prince or a powerful businessman will see my face at the event and propose to me, just like they always do for Levis."
"Maybe a proposal will come, but definitely not for you," Nora retorted playfully. "It will be for Levis. He looks more beautiful without even trying!"
The news channel immediately showed the shocking live report from outside the Stuar headquarters.
"Oh, what's happening now?" Nora whispered, leaning closer. The anchor's voice was grave: "The Mafia Underworld King's only son, Prince Robert Stuar, owner of the Stuar World Group of Companies, is being accused of sexually harassing an international model."
Levis froze, standing rigidly in the center of the shop. Stofia tore the face mask from her face, her eyes wide with shock.
Back at the Stuar headquarters, the reporters, stunned by Nova's physical violence, finally found their voices.
"Princess Nova Stuar! Your son sexually harassed her, and now you are harassing her violently!" one aggressive reporter shouted, pushing a microphone toward her.
Nova slowly turned her piercing stare toward him. He faltered, stepping back instantly.
"Who said that?" Nova asked, her voice dangerously low. "Who... said... that?"
No one dared to come forward. Nova fixed her gaze on the crowd, her authority absolute.
"Do you all know who this woman is?" Nova declared, raising her voice so it carried clearly over the cameras. She pointed a manicured finger directly at Lilly, who was scrambling to get up. "She is the mis***ss of Gabriel Cir, the owner of the gutter-level Mars Group Company!"
A wave of murmuring swept through the media. The Mars Group was the Stuars' well-known corporate enemy.
"She is lying in front of all of you!" Nova continued, her face a mask of cold fury.
"Miss Nova," another reporter asked cautiously, "do you mean this international model is here solely to create a scandal against your son?"
"Are you still asking?" Nova snapped. "The entire country knows that the Mars Group is constantly trying to put down our family, and they always end in disaster! And you," she spat, addressing Lilly again, "you stupid clown! Did your boss not tell you my son only loves men? The whole country knows my son is gay! He has never dated a single girl in his life. If he wants to date a man, he would not even touch a desperate woman like you, much less a cheap mistr*ss!"
The public declaration of Robert's sexuality—a tightly held secret within the Mafia and upper echelons—was a tactical nuclear bomb, instantly destroying the foundation of Lilly's sexual harassment claim.
"Someone call the police!" Nova commanded. "Take her away for defamation and trespassing. And you all," she turned her wrath to the media, "how dare you target my son without any proof? If you continue this defamation, you will face me. Now, give me the documents showing who authorized you to report here! Call the police now!"
The media scattered, their confidence shattered, fearing Nova's wrath and the inevitable lawsuit that would follow. They raced to pack up their equipment and escape the scene.
In the safety of the catering shop, Nora watched the broadcast with admiration.
"Hmm, Princess Nova," Nora mused. "I remember when she got married to the Mafia King. It was huge news. She is a powerful, influential lady. The true Queen of the Underworld."
Stofia was pale. "Which means, tomorrow, we need to face this woman."
"Yes," Nora laughed, though there was an edge to her voice. "That's exactly why I said you need to get ready! Nova is clearly furious right now. If she sees a clumsy girl like you, she won't just kick you out; she'll kick all of us out of the event!"
Stofia and the other employees laughed nervously, but Levis didn't join them. He was staring blankly at the screen.
Did he really harass her? Levis thought, his small face twisting in a sharp, unfamiliar emotion. How dare he?
The flash of jealousy—the idea of Robert touching another woman, even falsely—was a cold, hard shock, forcing Levis to confront the terrifying truth that his heart was already starting to betray his commitment to Bright.