Page 104 of Villainous Rise

“I said no.” My voice was stronger now as I stepped back, breaking Paragon’s hold on my waist.

The PR woman looked between us, panic flashing across her face. “The Alliance specifically requested⁠—”

“I don’t care what they requested.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m not doing it.”

The PR woman stepped closer, lowering her voice. “Annie, please. This is important for Valor’s image⁠—“

“Is there a problem here?”

Havoc materialized beside me, his expression mild but his eyes sharp as he assessed the situation.

“No problem at all,” the PR woman said quickly, her professional smile snapping back into place. “We were just finishing up with some photos.”

“Were you?” Havoc’s gaze shifted to me. “Annie?”

“They wanted a kissing photo,” I said. “I declined.”

Havoc’s eyebrow arched slightly. “I see.” He turned to the PR woman. “I need my Keeper. You’ll have to continue without her.”

The woman opened her mouth to protest, but Havoc was already guiding me away.

“Thank you,” I murmured once we were out of earshot.

“For what? Rescuing you or interrupting your rebellion? You’ll have to thank Helios. Thank God he found me.” There was amusement in his voice, but his eyes were serious when they met mine. “You’ve been putting up with a lot lately, haven’t you?”

I swallowed hard. “It’s just part of the job.”

“No,” Havoc said firmly. “It’s not.”

We reached a quieter corner of the reception hall, partially hidden behind an enormous floral arrangement. Havoc turned to face me, his expression uncharacteristically gentle.

“Annie, I need to apologize.” Havoc’s voice dropped low, his eyes searching mine. “Everything you’ve had to put up with these last few weeks—hell, these last few months...”

“It’s fine,” I interrupted, pasting on my professional smile. “Really. I’m just tired.”

“Stop.” He held up a hand. “Don’t do that. Not with me.”

My smile faltered, the weight of exhaustion suddenly too heavy to hide behind my usual mask.

“Now that the debut match is over, things should improve,” he continued. “You’ll still be swamped, but at least you won’t have all that prep work anymore.”

I nodded, forcing brightness into my voice. “Exactly! And the match was incredible. Your chaos fields in the second half? Everyone’s talking about it.”

Havoc sighed, shaking his head. “Annie.”

“What? I’m just saying⁠—“

“Stop.” His voice was gentle but firm. “You may not know it, but I do see you. I see exactly how much this PR stunt is draining you and I’m putting an end to it. I already have a meeting scheduled with the Aegis and Alliance PR for Tuesday morning.”

“What could you possibly say to them?” I asked, keeping my voice pitched low. A waiter carrying a tray of champagne flutes squeezed past us, the crystal clinking. “PR is obsessed with this angle. They think having me on his arm humanizes him. They’re not going to change their minds just because you ask them to.”

“You let me worry about that.” Havoc’s eyes hardened, the piercing blue rippling with a hint of his chaos energy. “The public likes the story, sure. But we can brush it aside easily enough before they escalate it.”

“Escalate it how?”

“You really think they’ll stop at a few red carpet photos? Give them another month, and they’ll be pushing for a fake engagement to boost his ratings.” He shook his head. “I’m shutting it down.”

The tight, suffocating knot in my chest loosened a fraction.