Chapter 12:
The doors closed behind them with a muted thud, sealing the room off from the noise and watching eyes outside.
Elara exhaled slowly, only now realizing how tense her body had been the entire evening.
"You did well," Adrian said.
She turned to him, surprised. "That didn't feel like 'well.'"
A faint curve touched his lips — gone as quickly as it appeared. "It wasn't supposed to."
She studied him. "Then why bring me?"
The question lingered between them.
Adrian loosened his tie, moving toward the window. "Because hiding you would have made them doubt you."
"And proving me?" she asked softly.
He didn't answer right away.
From the glass, his reflection looked distant. Controlled.
"You'll learn," he said finally, "that this world respects visibility more than truth."
Elara wrapped her arms around herself. "Your grandmother doesn't respect me at all."
Adrian's gaze sharpened. "She doesn't respect weakness."
The word stung — even if he hadn't meant it that way.
"So what am I to her?" Elara asked.
"A test."
The honesty startled her more than a lie would have.
Before she could respond, a knock interrupted them.
Lucas stepped in, face tight. "Sir… it's already circulating."
"What is?" Elara asked.
Lucas hesitated, then handed Adrian a phone.
A headline glared back at her:
BLACKWOOD HEIR'S MYSTERIOUS BRIDE: CONTRACT OR CONVENIENCE?
Her stomach dropped.
"They're fast," Lucas added quietly. "Someone leaked details about the marriage."
Elara's fingers curled. "Details?"
Adrian's jaw clenched. "Enough to twist the narrative."
"So now what?" she whispered.
Adrian looked at her — really looked this time.
"We don't deny it," he said.
Her breath caught. "You want them to think it's true?"
"I want them to stop digging."
"That means using me," she said.
"Yes," he replied without hesitation. "And standing with me."
Silence stretched.
Then Elara lifted her chin. "If I do this… you don't get to discard me when it's inconvenient."
Something unreadable crossed his face.
"Agreed," Adrian said.
But as he turned away, Elara couldn't shake the feeling that the truth — about the contract, about him — was far more dangerous than the rumors