Page 143 of Villainous Rise

“I didn’t choose⁠—”

“You’re still here arguing instead of telling them all to go to hell,” he cut in, his voice flat. “That’s a choice, Annie.”

I opened my mouth, closed it again. What could I say? That I was scared? That I didn’t know how to fight the entire system? That I was terrified of losing everything I’d worked for?

All true.

“Go play your part,” he said, still not looking at me. “I’ll play mine.”

CHAPTER 25

ANNIE

The ring caught the light again. I stared down at the monstrosity weighing down my finger—a diamond so large it looked like costume jewelry, surrounded by a halo of smaller stones that made the whole thing even more ostentatious.

Look natural. Stop frowning. Smile like you mean it.

“And here she is, my beautiful fiancée!” Valor’s arm snaked around my waist, pulling me against his side. “Isn’t she radiant tonight?”

The elderly donor couple beamed at us, the woman reaching for my hand to examine the ring. “Oh my, what a stunning piece!”

I forced my lips into what I hoped resembled happiness rather than a grimace. “It’s certainly eye-catching.”

Good job, Annie. That almost sounded sincere.

The Prism Pavilion sparkled around us, its glass dome shifting through shades of blue and gold. Under different circumstances, I might have appreciated the art displays or the bioluminescent garden installations. Instead, all I could see was another backdrop for this charade, another place where I was betraying Cipher, and myself, with every fake smile.

Memorial Hospital’s Annual Alliance Charity Gala—where Heroes and the wealthy collide in a perfect storm of performative generosity and photo ops. The Alliance PR team had been promoting this for weeks as the “philanthropic event of the season.” Translation: smile until your face hurts while rich people decide if sick children deserve their pocket change.

At least the champagne was decent.

Across the room, Havoc loomed like a silver-haired thundercloud among the evening wear. He caught my eye and raised his glass in silent solidarity. The only reason he’d dragged himself here was because of me.

He’d been murderous when I’d returned to the Tower. He’d promised he would take care of the engagement in the morning, but I wasn’t going to hold my breath that the Aegis would budge on their ruling.

A photographer materialized, instructing us to pose by the display of donation statistics. Valor’s hand slid lower on my waist.

“The happy couple!” the photographer chirped. “Perhaps a kiss for the front page?”

“Those moments are for our private time,” I demurred.

Valor’s smile tightened microscopically.

The camera flashed. Once. Twice. Three times.

Each flash felt like another nail in the coffin of whatever Cipher and I had rebuilt.

“Fucking relax,” Valor hissed in my ear while maintaining his smile.

We’d been fighting since I arrived at his penthouse for pre-event photos. My dress was “too severe.” My hair was “too plain.” My shoes were “too sensible.” The ring, which neither of us had selected, was “too small” for someone of his stature.

“You could at least pretend to be happy,” Valor said between clenched teeth as we moved toward the donor terrace. “You look like you’re attending a funeral.”

“I’m doing my job,” I whispered back. “You got what you wanted. The announcement. The ring. The photo spread. What more do you need?”

“Enthusiasm wouldn’t kill you.”

I bit back the retort that formed on my tongue. Fighting wouldn’t help. Nothing would help.