The whispers hadn't stopped since Clara's exit. They coiled through the ballroom like smoke, choking Lena with every stolen glance, every mocking smile.
She wanted to disappear. To sink into the marble floor and hide from the glittering crowd.
But Adrian's hand never left her waist. If anything, his grip grew firmer, grounding her as though he could feel her unraveling.
Finally, he had enough.
With one sharp motion, Adrian set his glass on the nearest table and turned, his voice carrying across the hall with a command that silenced conversations mid-sentence.
"Listen."
The crowd froze. Dozens of eyes turned, curious, wary — and Clara's triumphant smirk sharpened from across the room.
Adrian's gaze swept the assembly, cold and razor-sharp. "I've tolerated the whispers. The speculation. The disrespect." His tone cut like steel. "But I will not tolerate another word against her."
Lena's heart slammed against her ribs.
He pulled her closer, his arm circling her possessively, protectively. "This woman is mine. She is under my protection. And anyone who dares suggest otherwise will answer to me — personally."
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Cameras flashed. Murmurs rose, but none dared challenge him.
Lena's breath caught. The room felt unreal, spinning around her as Adrian's words thundered in her ears.
Clara's face was priceless — her smirk faltered, her wineglass trembling ever so slightly before she masked it with a bitter laugh. "Adrian, really. A public declaration? How… dramatic."
"Not dramatic," he replied coolly. His eyes locked with hers, his voice dropping with lethal finality. "Just the truth. And from now on, the only truth that matters."
The crowd erupted — whispers, applause, disbelief.
But all Lena could do was stare up at him, wide-eyed, her pulse racing. Adrian had shattered the rules of their world with one bold move.
And in that moment, no matter the danger, no matter the cost — she couldn't stop her heart from falling even deeper.