Strings, Schemes, and Champagne

The morning after the family dinner, Lia woke up feeling like she’d been emotionally hungover. Her makeup was smudged across a pillowcase worth more than her car, her dress was still draped over the chaise, and her phone had three missed calls from her assistant, Claire.

She groaned and rolled over, squinting against the sunlight pouring through her floor-to-ceiling windows.

A fresh peony bouquet stood on her breakfast table.

With a note.

"Lia — Next time, wear the black dress. Or don’t. — A."

She stared at it. Then at the flowers.

Then she threw a pillow across the room.

---

By the time she arrived at her office, Claire looked like she’d seen a ghost and then been politely asked to write a press release about it.

“Do I even want to know?” Lia asked, shrugging off her coat.

“We’ve had four media inquiries, two fake interviews scheduled, and…” Claire lowered her voice. “You’re trending.”

Lia blinked. “On what?”

“Everything. Twitter, Weibo, Reddit… even Pinterest. There’s a board dedicated to ‘Lia x Adrian Wedding Aesthetic.’”

“God.”

Claire hesitated. “You want the good news or the bad news?”

“Neither. But let’s pretend I’m feeling optimistic.”

Claire passed her a folder. “Good news: Our firm just landed the Ravello Design campaign. Because the CEO’s wife saw your photo with Adrian and assumed you were ‘elite-marriage material.’”

Lia arched a brow. “Which means?”

“‘Classy enough not to ruin his brand.’ Her words, not mine.”

“And the bad news?”

Claire hesitated. “Your ex’s fiancée posted a shady caption about ‘dodging bullets in stilettos.’ It’s viral.”

Lia dropped the folder.

“I need a drink.”

“It’s 10:43 a.m.”

“I said what I said.”

---

That evening, Adrian invited her to a charity gala.

It was hosted by his mother.

Which was, apparently, a declaration of war.

“Do I need armor or sequins?” Lia texted him.

“Sequined armor.”

She chose a backless silver gown with slits high enough to cause diplomatic tensions.

When she arrived, cameras exploded. Literally and figuratively. Paparazzi swarmed. Flashbulbs painted her skin in staccato bursts of white.

Adrian met her at the top of the steps.

“You’re late,” he murmured.

“You’re lucky I showed up.”

His eyes traveled down her dress. “I’m luckier than you know.”

“Flatter me again and I might throw you off this balcony.”

He offered her his arm. “Then let’s make it count.”

---

Inside the ballroom, opulence reigned.

Gold chandeliers. Champagne towers. A silent string quartet playing something mournful and rich.

Adrian guided her through the crowd like he was born to navigate power.

Everyone wanted to speak with him.

But they couldn’t stop looking at her.

Lia smiled politely. Accepted compliments with feline grace. Deflected questions about their wedding date with effortless charm.

When Adrian’s mother finally approached, the air turned glacial.

“Lia,” she said, all silk and arsenic.

“Mrs. Blackwell,” Lia returned smoothly. “Your event is stunning.”

“As are you. That dress must have been custom.”

“It was,” Lia said. “Adrian had notes.”

His mother’s smile didn’t shift, but her eyes flickered.

“I’m surprised to see you embracing society so easily. I was under the impression you preferred less… structured environments.”

Lia sipped her champagne. “Oh, I thrive under pressure. Must be genetic.”

A pause. Then the matriarch smiled. “Adrian. May I borrow you a moment?”

He looked to Lia.

“I’ll be fine,” she said sweetly.

He left with his mother.

And Lia turned toward the balcony. Fresh air. Fewer sharks.

Except someone was already there.

“Lia?”

She turned. And blinked.

“Elias?”

Her ex.

In the flesh. Tall, handsome, and unfortunately still devastating in Armani.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I was invited. My fiancée’s charity sponsors the orchestra.”

“Of course she does.”

He stepped closer. “You look… radiant.”

“Don’t start.”

He smiled. “I didn’t expect to see you. Much less as Adrian’s fiancée.”

“Fake news travels fast.”

He tilted his head. “So it is fake.”

“Did I say that?”

“Lia—”

“I’m not yours to interrogate anymore.”

“I never meant to hurt you.”

She laughed, short and sharp. “You proposed to someone else six weeks after dumping me over voicemail.”

“I made a mistake.”

“No,” a new voice cut in. “You made a choice.”

Adrian appeared beside her. Cool. Commanding. Dangerous.

“Adrian,” Elias said, shifting uneasily.

“Run along, Elias. You’ve wasted enough of her time.”

Elias glanced between them, then left.

Lia exhaled.

Adrian turned to her. “You okay?”

“Don’t play the white knight. I handle my own dragons.”

“I wasn’t saving you. I was claiming what’s mine.”

She raised a brow. “So I’m a trophy now?”

“No. You’re the only reason I come to these things and don’t burn them down.”

She stared at him.

And for a second, the world narrowed to the two of them.

Then she shook her head. “You’re impossible.”

“Untrue. I’m just inconvenient.”

He offered her another glass of champagne. “Now smile. The photographers love balcony shots.”

She took the glass. Toasted the skyline. And let herself lean into his side.

Just a little.

---

Back in the car, the silence between them felt different.

Not cold.

Not angry.

Just… tense.

He broke it first.

“Why didn’t you tell me you dated Elias?”

“Because it didn’t matter. Until it did.”

“And now?”

She looked at him. “Now I don’t care who I used to love. Because tonight I realized I never did.”

His eyes darkened.

“You scare me, Lia.”

She blinked. “Excuse me?”

“You walk into rooms like you own them. You cut through lies like they’re silk. And every time I think I’ve figured you out—”

“You don’t,” she finished softly.

“No,” he said. “I fall harder.”

She stared.

Then whispered, “Say it again.”

“I fall harder.”

A beat.

Then she leaned in.

This time, she kissed him.

Not because of optics.

Not because of pressure.

Because she wanted to.

His hands were in her hair, her breath tangled in his throat, and the moment cracked open like thunder.

When they finally pulled apart, she was breathless.

He touched her cheek. “Still think this is all fake?”

She laughed. “God, I hope not.”

And kissed him again.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***