"Good press?" I ask.
"Excellent press. For you, for the clan, for inter-species relations in general. Hammond and the production company, however..." He chuckles darkly. "They're finished. Network's already distancing themselves."
"And the show?"
"Unclear. But Korgan—regardless of what happens with the show, you have clan support. Full support. Bring Trinity to the next gathering. Let the elders meet the human worth all this chaos."
"She might be terrified."
"Good. Means she's smart." He pauses. "I'm proud of you. Your father would be too."
My throat tightens. "Thank you."
"Now go handle whatever happens next. And Korgan—enjoy the victory. You earned it."
We disconnect.
Trinity stares at me. "Did your terrifying clan elder just say he's proud of you?"
"Apparently."
"And invited me to an orc gathering?"
"You don't have to?—"
"Are you kidding? I'm absolutely going." She grins. "I'm going to bake something that will win over every elder in attendance."
"They're hard to impress."
"So was a certain grumpy orc. I have a good track record."
Someone pounds on the door. Hammond's voice, frantic: "Dongoran! Lewis! We need to talk, now?—"
Trinity and I look at each other.
"Ignore him?" she suggests.
"Definitely."
We stay in bed, wrapped around each other, while the world burns and rebuilds outside.
Together.
CHAPTER 13
TRINITY
The network makes us do the finale anyway.
"Ratings gold," the new showrunner explains, barely twenty-four hours after Hammond's very public firing. Her name is Claudia, and she has the kind of smile that suggests she's already calculating merchandising opportunities. "You two are the most viral couple in reality TV history. We're pivoting. Full transparency, real stakes, zero manipulation."
"Zero manipulation," I repeat flatly.
"Scout's honor." She doesn't even pretend to look sincere. "Look, the sponsors want authenticity. The network wants redemption. And you two—" She gestures between Korgan and me. "—you want the prize money and a platform that doesn't make you look like opportunistic assholes. Win-win."
Korgan grunts. "What's the catch?"
"Live broadcast. No edits, no reshoots. You perform the final compatibility challenge in real-time, we film it, audience votes on whether you're genuinely compatible or just good TV."
