Chapter — Whispers in Silk and Scandal
The morning after the gala, the entire upper circle of high society buzzed with one headline that outshone every other news story.
> "Caelum Vellaria Confesses His Love for Caliste Winslow."
"Velmore Cousins Rivals in Love?"
"Ex-Wife of Lucian Velmore — the New Lady of Vellaria?"
The glossy tabloids printed it in bold letters. Online platforms exploded with speculation.
Images of Caelum's confident smile at the gala flooded every social feed — his champagne glass raised as he announced, clear and deliberate, "If she will allow me, I wish to court Caliste Winslow — a woman of grace, brilliance, and heart."
The room had gasped. Cameras had clicked like thunder.
The crowd's stunned silence turned into murmurs that rippled through the elite like wildfire.
And now, twenty-four hours later, the wildfire had become a storm.
---
Inside Velmore Corporation, whispers replaced professionalism. Even the polished marble halls seemed to hum with gossip.
Caliste Winslow walked through the lobby with her head held high, but her pulse was a storm beneath her calm surface. Flashing lights greeted her as reporters crowded near the glass doors outside.
The moment she stepped out of the elevator, two assistants stopped talking mid-sentence, pretending to be busy with paperwork.
She could hear them still.
> "Do you think she'll accept him?"
"They'd be perfect together — she deserves happiness after Lucian."
"Still… she's his ex-wife. It's scandalous."
The words clung to her like perfume she couldn't wash off.
Inside her office, she sank into her chair, pressing her fingers against her temple. Her assistant, Liana, entered carefully with a tablet in hand.
"Miss Winslow… the press is calling for a statement. Every outlet from Vogue Elite to Vellaria Today wants to confirm the news. They say Caelum made the declaration last night in front of a hundred guests."
Caliste took a deep breath, her voice even but tight. "And what is Lucian saying about all this?"
Liana hesitated. "He… hasn't said a word. The PR department says he refused to comment. But the board is nervous, Miss Winslow. Your name and his are trending together again."
Caliste closed her eyes. Of course.
She had tried to move past the shadows of her marriage — tried to bury the whispers that once followed her like ghosts. But now, they were all back. Stronger. Louder.
She opened her eyes and said quietly, "Prepare a statement. Something short. Neutral. Say that I appreciate Mr. Vellaria's respect, but that I have no comment regarding his personal intentions."
Liana nodded, but her tone was hesitant. "Caliste… this might not be enough. Everyone's asking — if you and Caelum truly are seeing each other."
Caliste stood, smoothing the front of her ivory blouse. "Then they'll have to keep asking," she said, voice cool. "I won't feed their stories."
She turned toward the window, staring at the skyline that stretched across the horizon — the same skyline she once admired beside Lucian. Her chest tightened at the memory, but she forced herself to breathe through it.
No more ghosts, she told herself. Not again.
---
Meanwhile, across the city, Lucian Velmore sat behind the tinted glass of his office. The morning light cut across his desk, illuminating the headlines sprawled on his screen.
Every article carried the same photo — Caelum standing tall in a crisp black suit, smiling confidently as he made his declaration. And beside the article, inevitably, was her face — Caliste's — frozen mid-laugh at an event weeks ago.
Lucian's jaw tightened.
He wasn't a man who cared about gossip. He had survived worse — political smears, business betrayals, boardroom wars. But this… this was personal.
His phone buzzed.
It was his grandmother, Aster Vellaria.
> "Lucian, dear, you've seen the news?"
"I have." His voice was clipped.
> "Caelum was impulsive, as I feared. He made his feelings public without consulting me. The media won't rest now."
Lucian exhaled through his nose, his fingers drumming against the glass desk. "He's made his intentions clear. Let him handle the fallout."
> "And you?" Aster's tone softened. "Will you really stand by and watch this unfold?"
Lucian's silence was answer enough.
Aster sighed. "You may be calm on the surface, Lucian, but I know that look in your eyes. You think silence protects you, but sometimes silence breaks more than words ever could."
The call ended before Lucian could respond.
He leaned back in his chair, staring at the skyline — the same one Caliste was looking at across the city. His hand tightened into a fist.
He had told himself he was fine. That Caliste's choices no longer affected him. But the image of Caelum smiling at her — his cousin — made something sharp twist in his chest.
---
That afternoon, at the Velmore Building, the storm finally reached its peak.
Caliste was reviewing a fabric sample in the design department when her phone began to vibrate nonstop. Notifications flooded the screen — messages, mentions, interview requests.
Then Liana came running in, breathless. "Miss Winslow! You need to see this."
She turned the tablet toward her. The live broadcast of a socialite luncheon filled the screen — and on it was Caelum himself, speaking to reporters outside a marble hotel.
> "Yes," Caelum said with calm certainty, his expression warm but confident, "I stand by what I said. Miss Winslow is an extraordinary woman. My feelings are genuine, and I'll wait for her answer — however long it takes."
> "Mr. Vellaria, aren't you concerned about your cousin, Lucian Velmore?" a reporter asked boldly.
Caelum smiled faintly. "Lucian is family, and he knows I would never do anything dishonorable. But this is my decision — and mine alone."
The reporters clamored for more, cameras flashing.
Caliste's stomach dropped. She stared at the screen, speechless. He said it again… publicly.
"Do you want to issue a response?" Liana asked carefully.
Caliste forced a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "No. I won't add oil to a fire."
But deep down, she knew — silence only made people speculate more.
By evening, gossip columns had published endless theories.
Some claimed Caliste had secretly rekindled her romance with Lucian, and Caelum's declaration was revenge. Others said Caliste had always caught Caelum's attention and that Lucian's pride had kept him from acting.
Dinner parties, salons, and business lounges hummed with their names.
> "I always thought she'd go back to Lucian."
"Maybe Caelum's a better match — he's softer, warmer."
"Still… what a scandal. Imagine marrying your ex-husband's cousin!"
The elite fed on rumors like crows on glittering carrion.
---
That night, Caliste sat alone in her apartment, scrolling through the chaos she wished would disappear. She could barely recognize her own face in the photos — always captioned as "the ex-wife," never as "the woman."
A knock at the door startled her.
When she opened it, she froze.
Lucian stood in the hallway — tall, calm, his expression unreadable beneath the golden light.
"Lucian," she whispered. "What are you doing here?"
He didn't answer right away. He just looked at her — as though searching for something he had lost long ago.
"May I come in?" he asked finally.
Caliste hesitated but stepped aside.
The air inside her apartment was quiet, scented faintly of jasmine and paper. Lucian's eyes drifted to the sketches pinned on the wall — the dresses she'd been working on, the same artistry that once drew him to her in the first place.
"You've been busy," he said.
"I try to be," she replied softly. "It keeps me from… thinking too much."
Lucian's gaze darkened, understanding the weight behind her words. "About him?"
She blinked. "If you mean Caelum, then no. About everything else, maybe."
He crossed his arms, leaning slightly against the wall. "You could have stopped him."
Caliste frowned. "I didn't even know he'd say anything. You think I asked for this?"
"I think you attract it," Lucian said quietly. "Attention. Chaos. Emotion."
Her eyes flashed. "You make it sound like a crime."
"It isn't," he said, voice low. "It's just… you."
The silence between them pulsed with something old and unspoken. Caliste turned away, trying to steady her breath. "Why are you really here, Lucian?"
He exhaled slowly. "Because every camera, every headline, every whisper has my name tied to yours again. And because Caelum — my cousin — just told the world he plans to marry you."
She turned sharply. "He what?"
Lucian's jaw tensed. "He announced it tonight at the Vellaria Foundation Dinner. He said — and I quote — 'If she accepts, I will marry Caliste Winslow before the year ends.'"
Caliste's heart thudded painfully. "He shouldn't have done that."
"No," Lucian said, stepping closer. "But he did. And now everyone's watching — waiting to see what you'll do."
Her voice trembled. "And what do you want me to do?"
Lucian's gaze locked on hers, sharp yet aching. "Tell me the truth, Caliste. Do you want him?"
She swallowed hard. "Lucian…"
"Do you love him?" His voice cracked slightly, breaking through his calm.
Her lips parted, but no words came.
Lucian let out a bitter laugh. "You don't have to answer. Your silence says enough."
He turned to leave, his coat brushing against the doorframe — but her voice stopped him.
"I didn't want any of this!" she said suddenly, tears welling in her eyes. "Not the rumors, not the attention — not even Caelum's words. I never wanted to be caught between the two of you again."
Lucian froze.
Her voice softened, trembling. "I just wanted peace."
For a moment, Lucian stood there, torn between pride and longing. Then, without looking back, he said quietly, "Peace doesn't suit people like us, Caliste."
And then he left — leaving her alone in the quiet hum of the city, surrounded by the noise of a world she never meant to awaken.
---
Outside her window, cameras still flashed.
In penthouses and boardrooms, whispers still spread.
And somewhere far above the noise, Aster Vellaria sat in silence, reading the headlines that bore both her grandsons' names — and one woman caught between them.
She closed the newspaper and whispered to herself,
"History repeats — and love is never kind to the Vellarias."