The morning after felt like a dream. Warmth still lingered on Grace's skin, even as she stood at the window of Liam's penthouse, wrapped in one of his crisp white shirts, coffee mug in hand. The city stretched out below her like a quiet promise ,something real, something 'new'
Liam emerged from the bedroom, his hair tousled, his grin lazy"You always look better in my clothes than I do."
She smirked, sipping her coffee. "That's because I know how to accessorize with moral superiority."
He chuckled, walking up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. For a moment, it felt like time had stopped , like they were suspended in this bubble that not even the world could touch
And then his phone buzzed.
Once. Twice. A third time in rapid succession.
He frowned, reaching for it on the counter. His jaw tightened immediately.
"What is it?" Grace asked, heart sinking at the change in his expression.
Liam hesitated "It's trending."
He turned the phone toward her.
On screen was a tabloid headline in bold, all-caps:
"VALE'S GOLD-DIGGER: GRACE COLE CAUGHT IN BILLIONAIRE BED SCANDAL"
Below it, a candid shot of them on the balcony , Liam shirtless, Grace clearly in his embrace. The photo was grainy, long-lensed, but the intimacy was unmistakable.
Another notification came in. Then another. News outlets. Gossip accounts. A statement, freshly posted, from Lillian Carter his ex-fiancée.
Grace read it aloud, voice tight:
"It breaks my heart to see Liam being manipulated by someone who clearly has political motives. I stood by him through the launch of Vale Systems. I know what real love looks like and this isn't it"
Liam cursed under his breath.
Grace stared at the screen, pulse racing. "She's painting me as some kind of… scheming intern who slept her way into funding."
"She's bitter and irrelevant ," Liam said, tossing the phone aside "She's been trying to claw her way back into relevance since I broke things off"
"But people will believe her," Grace snapped, walking away "You know how the media works. They don't care about facts , they care about narrative."
He crossed the room "Then we rewrite the damn narrative."
"And say what? That I'm not sleeping with you for influence? That I happened to fall for a billionaire while consulting on his smart city project , after publicly humiliating him? Do you hear how insane it sounds?"
"I don't care how it sounds," Liam said, voice low. "I care that you don't let her poison what we have."
Grace blinked, the weight of it hitting her.
'What we have'
God, she wanted to fight for it. But this , this kind of spotlight, this kind of slander , she'd worked her entire career to avoid exactly this kind of scandal.
Liam moved closer "We handle it. Together. I'll put out a statement, we'll get legal on Lillian , and we go public on our terms."
Grace's eyes met his "You want to go public?"
"I want you," he said . "And I'm done pretending like anything else matters more than that"
She felt the tight coil in her chest loosen just a little. But the fear was still there. Not of him but of the damage this storm could do.
"Okay," she whispered "Then we do it. But we do it my way."
Liam smiled "I've never been good at playing safe."
"Good," she said, setting her coffee down. "Because I'm not good at losing."
They leaned in together , battle-ready, hearts still fragile, but hands clasped tight.
Let Lillian come. Let the press howl.
They were done hiding.