Adira's POV
The event dragged into an after-party at a rooftop terrace glittering with fairy lights and too much champagne.
I was doing my best to keep my head high when Ashley clinked her glass and stepped onto the stage.
"Oh, don't tell me she's" Sam muttered.
"She is," Tiana sighed.
Ashley's voice rang out, clear and sweet as poisoned honey. "Ladies and gentlemen, a toast. To family." She gestured dramatically toward me. "To my dear twin sister, who has done... well enough for herself with her cafés. Truly inspiring."
A ripple of laughter. Polite, shallow.
My jaw clenched.
Ashley continued, "And let's not forget she had a little help. Isn't that right, Jayden Craig? The mysterious investor behind the curtain?"
The crowd turned. Flashes went off. Murmurs rose.
I felt the blood drain from my face.
Jayden, damn him, didn't flinch. He simply raised his glass. "If supporting brilliance is a crime, then I'm guilty."
The crowd chuckled. My chest tightened furious at Ashley, furious at him, furious at the way my private battles kept being turned into performances.
Sam's POV
I wanted to storm that stage and drag Ashley off by her extensions. But before I could, someone touched my arm.
"Kendrick."
He looked different in the city lights. Softer, almost.
"She's cruel," he said simply, nodding toward Ashley.
"You think?" I snapped.
He chuckled, low and self-deprecating. "I know I was a bastard in school. I never said it then, but... I was a kid drowning in my parents' divorce. Acting out was the only way I knew how to breathe."
I blinked at him, stunned.
He met my eyes, steady. "You deserved better than me pouring my misery on everyone else. Especially you, Sam."
For the first time, I saw not the bully, not the rebel, but the man he had become. And my heart betrayed me by skipping a beat.
Adira's POV
I fled the crowd after Ashley's toast, fury burning beneath my skin. The night air was sharp against my face when I stepped onto a quieter balcony.
And of course, Jayden was there.
"You shouldn't have let her bait you," I snapped.
"I didn't." His voice was calm, infuriatingly calm. "I turned it into a compliment."
"That's not the point, Jayden. She exposed you exposed us. Do you have any idea what this looks like now?"
He stepped closer, his presence filling the space. "It looks like the truth is starting to come out. And maybe that's not the worst thing."
I swallowed hard, backing away slightly. "I don't need you to fight my battles."
"No," he said softly, his eyes locked on mine. "But you don't have to fight them alone, either."
The silence between us crackled. My heart hammered. And for a terrifying second, I almost believed him.
Almost.
Ashley's POV
From across the room, I watched them Adira and Jayden on the balcony, the tension between them obvious to anyone with eyes.
And I smiled.
Because if I couldn't tear my sister down with words, I'd do it with whispers. With stories. With photographs leaked at the right time.
The game had only just begun.