The First Strike

Evangeline left the terrace with her head high, but the moment she stepped back into the grand ballroom, she felt the shift.

The atmosphere had changed.

Whispers trailed in her wake, subtle but sharp. People weren't just staring anymore; they were murmuring behind their glasses, exchanging glances that made her skin prickle.

Something had happened.

Something Killian had set in motion.

Her pulse kicked up as she moved through the crowd, keeping her expression smooth. Years of being in the public eye had trained her for moments like this—when the ground tilted beneath her feet, and she had to pretend she was steady.

Then she spotted Diana Hale, a senior editor at The New York Chronicle, near the bar. The woman was already watching her, a knowing smirk tugging at her lips.

That's when Evangeline knew.

Killian hadn't waited. He had already made his move.

Damn him.

She changed course, striding toward Diana with measured confidence. "I assume you have something to say."

Diana didn't play coy. She tapped her phone, the screen glowing with an article already pulled up. "Oh, I think you'll want to read this yourself."

Evangeline took the phone, her stomach twisting. The headline hit her like a slap.

EVANGELINE SINCLAIR RETURNS—BUT CAN SHE SURVIVE WITHOUT KILLIAN THORNE?

Her grip tightened on the phone.

She skimmed the article, catching phrases that made her blood heat.

Once, she was the queen of New York's fashion world, thriving under Killian Thorne's patronage. But after her abrupt fall from grace, does she really think she can reclaim her throne? Or is she just another cautionary tale of a woman who tried to play in a man's world and lost?

A low hum filled her ears.

This wasn't just an article.

This was a message.

Killian hadn't just planted a seed of doubt—he had rewritten the narrative before she even had a chance to reclaim her own.

He was telling the world that she was nothing without him.

She handed the phone back to Diana, forcing a smile. "Your obsession with my personal life is flattering, really."

Diana chuckled. "Don't take it personally, darling. It's just business."

Evangeline leaned in slightly, her voice dropping to something cool and sharp. "Then let's talk business. You're smarter than this. You know I didn't 'thrive' under Killian—I built something before he ever came into the picture. If you want a real story, maybe dig a little deeper instead of printing his PR strategy."

Diana studied her, and for a flicker of a second, there was something like respect in her gaze. "I guess we'll see if you survive the storm."

"Oh, I'll do more than survive," Evangeline murmured, stepping back. "I'll rewrite the whole damn story."

And this time, Killian Thorne wouldn't get the final word.