“Yes, Dom and I are engaged.”
A ripple of disbelief and delight surges through the studio and Madeline’s eyes widen with glee. I spot a cluster of socialites clutching their bloodstones, no doubt mourning the loss of Eclipsera’s most infamous bachelor.
“Oh, how marvelous!” Madeline claps. “You must tell us everything. How did it begin? Everyone remembers the tension at the Academy, but surely there’s more to the story.”
I laugh softly, the sound hollow in my ears. “Actually, that first encounter set the tone for everything.” I deliver the fantasy they expect. A sanitized fairytale, not the truth of us—of threats and bruised knuckles, of stolen moments and breathless bargains. “I was running late to class, and there he was, blocking the courtyard entrance like he owned it.”
Madeline grins, throwing the audience a wink. “Which, knowing Dominic, he probably thought he did.”
“Exactly.” I play along, letting them devour every word. “He took one look at me and decided to be absolutely unbearable. Called me a charity case, if I recall.”
Laughter rolls across the studio. Of course, they find Dom’s cruelty charming in hindsight. Retroactive villainy makes for an excellent romance.
“And what did you do?” Madeline prompts, violet eyes gleaming.
“I threatened to set him on fire.”
More laughter. They adore this version of us, the irreverent Ellis girl and the Blackwood heir she tamed with fire and attitude. If only they knew the truth. The blood, the fights, the nights we’d tear each other apart just to feel something real.
“And that was it? Love at first threat?”
“Oh no.” I bare my teeth in a grin too sharp to be sweet. “I think he spent the next few months trying to make my life impossible. It turned into a game of who could infuriate the other more.”
“But something changed,” Madeline says, tone gentling.
I think of Dom’s hands around my throat in The Den, of how he holds me through nightmares now, as if I’m precious, not broken.
“We grew up,” I say instead. “Realized all that friction was masking something deeper.”
The audience exhales in collective bliss. They love the lie, not the truth—two fractured people clinging to each other like lifelines in a city that feeds on weakness.
“And now here you are,” Madeline says brightly. “Though I must say, some were surprised by the pairing.”
Translation:How did a disgraced researcher’s daughter end up wearing Eclipsera’s most coveted ring?
“You mean because of The Den?” I ask sweetly, noticing her smile falter for a beat. “Come now, Madeline. Everyone knows Dom’s reputation. The parties. The brawls. The endless stream of whispered conquests.” I lean forward. “Shall we talk about whatreallyhappens in those private rooms?”
The audience shifts uncomfortably. This isn’t the sanitized version they want, but I can see the hunger in their eyes. They’re desperate for a glimpse behind the curtain, even as they pretend to be above such scandal.
“Well, I—”
“The truth is simpler than the rumors,” I cut in. “Dom and I understand each other. We know what it’s like to live under a microscope. To be reduced to our surnames, and have your entire identity rewritten before you ever open your mouth.”
“And the fights?” Madeline asks, tone now more forced. “There are stories about how vicious and territorial Dominic can get.”
She wants the dirt, the drama.Fine.“You mean, did he throw someone through a table for brushing my arm?” I offer a delicate shrug. “The Den has its own rules and justice.”
“That sounds rather intense.”
“Love usually is.” The lie tastes bitter. Not because it’s fully false—what Dom and I have is real, even if it started as something darker. But packaging it for public consumption feels wrong.
“Now, about the wedding.” Madeline pivots, eager to steer us back to safer ground. “The whole city’s waiting with bated breath. Is there a date?”
“You’d have to ask Octavia.” My smile stretches tight. “She’s overseeing all the arrangements.”
“Oh?” Madeline’s brow lifts. “You’re not involved in planning?”
“The Blackwood matriarch has very fixed ideas about tradition.” The hover orbs edge closer, their lenses gleaming with my reflection.
