Here is Chapter 10 of S
The gala ended at midnight.
By 12:07, Lina was curled in the back of Kael's luxury car, hands pressed to her knees, dress bunched around her legs like velvet armor. The city outside blurred like a dream half-remembered—dazzling, loud, and untrustworthy.
Kael didn't say a word.
He didn't have to.
The silence between them was thick and fragile.
She hated how much she wanted to speak. To say thank you or I don't know what just happened or I heard people talking about me and I think something's wrong.
But all she said was—
"…Nice car."
He gave her a side-glance.
Dry. Cool. Almost amused.
"You think?"
"No crumbs in the seats. Unnatural."
That earned a small exhale. Not quite a laugh.
But close.
[System Notification: Your emotional state has dropped below safe levels. Memory reinforcement recommended.]
[Would you like to unlock: "Fracture Point – Phase 1"]
[Warning: This memory may trigger destabilization.]
She stared out the window, voice a whisper.
"…Yes."
[Memory Retrieval: 5 Years Ago]
Rain, endless and grey.
She was fifteen, soaked to the skin, standing outside a rusted iron gate that had once been a school. A girl beside her—Mira—was laughing under a broken umbrella.
"You're too serious, Lina! They won't notice if we sneak in from the back."
Lina shook her head. "We'll get caught."
"Since when do you care about rules?"
"…Since the last time someone did something stupid and I got blamed."
Mira's smile cracked. For a second. Just a flicker.
Then: "C'mon. We'll be quick."
They were not quick.
They were caught.
And only one of them took the fall.
Mira cried, loud and convincing. Lina didn't say a word.
The punishment? Expulsion.
Lina remembered the cold. The betrayal. The way Mira wouldn't look her in the eyes.
And the way the orphanage head sighed when she came back early and bruised.
"You always attract trouble, Vale."
Back in the car, Lina didn't realize her hand was shaking until Kael reached over and gently, quietly, placed his palm over hers.
Not squeezing.
Just… grounding.
"I can call off tomorrow," he said.
She blinked.
"What?"
"The shoot. You don't have to go."
"…You think I'll break?"
"I think you've been broken before. And still showed up."
That shut her up completely.
[System Notification: Emotional Anchor Forming – Subject: Kael Marlowe]
[Stability Threshold Increased. Emotional Recovery Boost +2]
She hated crying.
So she didn't.
But her grip on his hand didn't loosen, either.
The next morning, she woke up in a soft bed.
Not hers.
Still dressed in a silk robe, still dizzy from wine and memory.
For a second, panic twisted her stomach—
Then she heard it.
The low hum of someone making breakfast in another room.
Kael?
Lina padded out barefoot.
He was standing in his kitchen—shirt sleeves rolled up, cutting something green and expensive-looking with absolute focus.
"…You cook?"
"I exist outside boardrooms, Vale."
"That doesn't answer the question."
"I can cook. I just don't, usually."
She folded her arms. "Why today?"
"You looked like you hadn't eaten in a week."
"…Fair."
He plated the food—eggs, avocado toast, some kind of pressed juice.
She took a bite.
Immediately froze.
"…This is actually good."
Kael didn't look up from his coffee.
"Don't sound so surprised."
She smiled despite herself.
Halfway through breakfast, he finally asked:
"Who was she?"
Lina looked up, startled.
"…What?"
"You mumbled a name in your sleep. Mira."
Her heart stopped for a beat.
"Just… someone I used to know."
"Someone who hurt you?"
She didn't answer.
But that was answer enough.
Kael nodded slowly.
"I have people like that too," he said, quietly. "Except they don't show up in dreams. Just regrets."
For the first time, Lina saw something in his eyes that made her ache.
Not mystery.
Not ice.
But grief.
Heavy. Ancient. Buried.
[System Tag Detected: "Shared Wounds"]
Bond Affinity +1 | Trust Thread Strengthening
Later that day, she arrived on set for the new photoshoot. This one wasn't a crowd gala—it was a focused brand campaign. Quiet. Controlled.
Until she stepped in.
Everything paused.
The stylist blinked. "You… you're her, right? The girl from the gala?"
Someone else whispered, "She's trending in four countries."
Lina froze. "I—I just showed up for—"
A tall woman in black waved her over. "Lina Vale. You're ours today. You're the face of this campaign now. Kael's orders."
"…What?"
"He said: Let her be seen. But only on her own terms."
The shoot began.
At first, she fumbled. Wrong angles. Awkward posture.
But then—
[System Calibration: Pose Assist Enabled | Light Sync Algorithm Online]
[Micro-corrections applied. Breathing tempo adjusted.]
She found rhythm.
Confidence.
She looked into the camera and stopped pretending.
For a second, she wasn't Lina-the-broken-orphan or Lina-the-girl-who-was-left.
She was just Lina.
Seen.
Valued.
Real.
By the time the sun dipped behind the studio roof, the photographer was grinning.
"You're a natural. Who trained you?"
She shrugged.
"Life."
That night, she walked through the city alone, headphones in.
The streets weren't scary anymore.
They still shimmered like danger—but now, she shimmered back.
"System," she whispered, looking up at the stars.
[Listening.]
"I think I'm starting to like myself again."
A pause.
Then:
[I've always liked you.]
She closed her eyes, and for once, the tears weren't fear or grief.
They were something warmer.
Maybe hope.
System Log: Lina Vale
Confidence: +6
Visibility: Viral Tier Active
Emotional Anchor: Locked
Past Trauma Phase 1: Integrated
Kael Affinity: 2.5 / 5
Career Momentum: +3
Threat Monitoring: Ongoing
AI Bond: "Sentient Thread" → "Emotional Symbiote"
Unlock: Trust Skill Tree – Tier 1 (Passive Bonus to Relationship Development)
End of Chapter 10