The fallout was immediate and devastating. The next morning, the headlines blared: Lucien Vale and Zara Winters in Bitter Feud. The world was captivated by their breakup, speculating about the reasons behind their falling out. Some said it was an affair, others a battle for control of ValeCorp. But the one thing that everyone agreed on was that their relationship had ended in flames.
Zara didn't sleep that night. She watched as the media circus unfolded, her name being dragged through the mud. She was portrayed as the schemer, the manipulator, the one who had destroyed everything. Lucien, as always, was the golden boy, the one who had been wronged.
Her phone buzzed constantly—messages from her old friends, her enemies, and people she barely knew. Everyone had an opinion. The world loved drama, and they were more than happy to feed it.
She had underestimated how quickly the fallout would spread. But now, it was clear: Lucien had mastered the art of control. He was spinning the narrative to make her the villain, and she hated him for it.
Later that evening, Lucien called her, his voice calm, almost too calm. "You're doing well, Zara. The media is eating it up."
Zara bit her lip to keep from snapping. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
"There's no point in fighting it," he said, almost dismissively. "It's part of the plan. It's chaos, but it's chaos we can control."
Zara's mind spun. She was the one left with the mess. She was the one who would suffer while Lucien played his games from the shadows. "You've thrown me under the bus, Lucien. You think I'll just let this slide?"
He paused, as if considering her words. "You'll adapt, Zara. You always do."
Her blood ran cold. She hated how well he knew her. How easily he manipulated the situation. But there was no turning back now. The scandal was in motion, and she was caught in the web.