Haha—no worries at all, enjoy your food! 🍗🍟
Now let's get into the spicy chaos of the media, because you know when the country's most eligible bachelor is seen with a mysterious, stunning woman, the internet does not stay quiet.
Chapter Nine will spotligh
The morning came with a bang.
Not thunder.
Worse.
Trending topics.
Elara blinked against the light streaming through her window and reached for her phone, still half-asleep.
And then she saw it.
> #ZaydenValeMysteryWoman
#CreamDressQueen
#ZaydenAndWho??
#PowerCoupleOrPR?
She shot up like someone had dumped cold water on her head.
"Oh no."
Tapping into the news app, her screen exploded with headlines:
> "Zayden Vale Spotted With Elegant Stranger—Engagement Rumors Begin"
"Who Is the Cream-Dressed Beauty Seen With Zayden Vale?"
"Mystery Heiress Melts the Internet—Meet Elara Blake"
Elara groaned and buried her face in her hands. "Why is my life an unpaid reality show?"
She dared to scroll further.
Some articles praised her with sugary exaggeration:
> "Graceful, poised, and breathtaking—Elara Blake may be the only woman alive who didn't swoon at Zayden Vale's smile."
Others weren't so kind:
> "While undeniably pretty, Blake seems expressionless beside Zayden. Ice Queen much?"
> "Weirdly quiet for a billionaire's daughter. Where did they dig her up from?"
Then came the social media chaos:
@EliteTeaBlog:
> Not gonna lie, Zayden's date yesterday? Ten out of ten. Quiet confidence. Serve. 👏
@CEOFanatic:
> She's giving mysterious heiress with secrets. We love that. Plot twist incoming.
@ValentineForVale:
> Not her walking beside my man like she owns him 💀 WHO EVEN IS SHE.
@BurnBook2.0:
> Can we talk about how she didn't smile ONCE? If you're on a date with Zayden Vale and you're not giggling, you're the problem.
Elara nearly threw her phone.
"Why do people care if I smile or not?!" she muttered.
Liv messaged her.
LIV 🌸
> Babe… You're officially a public figure.
Brace yourself. They're digging. HARD.
Also, you look insanely good in every photo. Cream dress supremacy.
Elara flopped back onto her bed, pillow over her face.
"I didn't sign up for this," she groaned into the fabric. "I just wanted steak. Not nationwide speculation."
A knock came on her door.
"Elara," her mother's voice floated in, clipped and satisfied, "You're trending."
"Fantastic," Elara mumbled, dragging the pillow over her ears. "Now I'm famous for existing."
Margot continued, ignoring her tone. "Smile more in public next time. People are calling you cold."
"I am cold," she yelled. "I'm freezing. Emotionally frozen."
She heard her mother walk away, heels clicking like a villain in a drama.
Elara exhaled.
Now she wasn't just a pawn in a family deal—she was a headline.
And Zayden?
That smug fox probably saw it all coming.
He probably planned it.
And she?
She was going to kill him.
With grace, of course.