Chapter six

Liam’s Counterattack

Claire stood frozen, her fingers tightening around the coffee mug in her hands.

“Liam made a move?” she repeated, her voice carefully neutral, though a storm brewed inside her.

Adrian, leaning casually against the kitchen counter, tapped his tablet once before turning it toward her. His sharp gaze never left her, assessing her reaction like a predator studying prey.

“Yes. And he’s coming after you first.”

She scoffed, setting the mug down with a quiet clink. “He already ruined my life. What else could he possibly take?”

Adrian’s expression darkened, his usual smirk nowhere to be seen. “Your credibility.”

With a flick of his wrist, he handed her the tablet.

A headline from the city’s largest media outlet stared back at her:

Claire Donovan: From Convicted Thief to Gold-Digging Fiancée?

Her heart stopped.

Her fingers clenched around the tablet as she scrolled through the article. It was brutal—a complete character assassination.

Anonymous sources claimed she had “seduced” Adrian Blackwood for power. She was a manipulative social climber using marriage to erase her past crimes. That she had always been scheming—first with Liam, and now with Adrian.

Ava’s fingerprints were all over this.

Claire let out a bitter laugh. “Of course. When they can’t destroy me with lies, they’ll use the truth—twisted beyond recognition.”

Adrian leaned against the counter, arms crossed, his dark eyes steady. “They’re trying to control the narrative before we do.”

Claire exhaled sharply, dropping the tablet onto the kitchen island. “And what’s your grand plan, Blackwood? I assume you already have a counterattack in mind?”

His smirk returned, but it was cold. “You catch on quickly.”

She folded her arms. “Then let’s hear it.”

Adrian stepped closer, his presence swallowing the space between them. His voice dropped lower, deadly serious.

“We own the story.”

Claire frowned. “Meaning?”

Adrian’s smirk deepened. “We make them believe every word they printed is true.”

Her breath hitched. “You want to play into their hands?”

“No, Claire.” His voice was silk and steel. “I want to control them.”

A Public Display

By midday, the internet was on fire.

Adrian Blackwood and Claire Donovan had gone public with their engagement in the most extravagant way possible.

A surprise press conference.

A luxury rooftop venue.

A $10 million diamond ring on Claire’s finger.

And Adrian—standing beside her, looking at her like she was the only woman in the world.

Cameras flashed relentlessly as reporters threw questions at them, each more accusatory than the last.

“Miss Donovan, people claim you’re only after Adrian’s wealth. Any comment?”

Claire tilted her head, offering the reporter a charming, deadly smile.

“If I were after money, I would have married Liam Carter.”

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.

Adrian’s fingers tightened slightly on Claire’s waist, his silent approval sending an odd thrill through her.

Another reporter stepped forward. “Adrian, why Claire? Why now?”

Adrian turned to Claire, his expression unreadable.

Then—he cupped her face.

The world froze.

Before Claire could process what was happening, he kissed her.

It wasn’t soft.

It wasn’t hesitant.

It was dominant, calculated, and devastating.

A message.

A warning.

A declaration of war.

The kiss that would set the internet on fire.

The Aftermath

The second they were alone in the car, Claire turned to Adrian, furious.

“You kissed me.”

Adrian adjusted his cufflinks, completely unbothered. “Yes.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Without asking.”

His lips twitched. “Would you have said yes?”

Claire’s jaw clenched.

Damn him.

He leaned closer, the heat of his body making her nerves fray. “The press believed it, didn’t they?”

She hated that he was right.

Her phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number.

Unknown: You’re playing a dangerous game, Claire.

Her breath hitched.

Adrian noticed immediately. “What?”

Wordlessly, she handed him the phone.

His jaw ticked.

Claire swallowed. “Liam.”

Adrian’s expression turned lethal. “Not just Liam.”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

Adrian tossed the phone onto the seat between them, his gaze dark and calculating.

“Someone else is watching us.”

The Bigger Threat

Claire’s stomach twisted.

“Who?” she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

Adrian’s knuckles flexed against the leather seat. “If I knew that, I wouldn’t be sitting here. But whoever it is—” his gaze flicked toward her, intense and unwavering—“they know how to play the game.”

Claire shivered.

She had expected Liam and Ava’s retaliation. She had prepared for their pettiness, their manipulations, their lies.

But this?

This felt like something else entirely.

She turned back to Adrian. “What’s our next move?”

His lips curved into a slow, dangerous smirk.

“Simple.” He reached for his phone, dialling a number. “We find out who else has their hands in this game.”

Claire swallowed hard.

She had spent years plotting revenge, thinking she knew exactly how to destroy Liam and Ava.

But now?

She was starting to realize that she wasn’t just playing against them anymore.

And that meant one thing.

She had no choice but to trust Adrian Blackwood.

For now.