Izzy_Star_3112

✦ SYNOPSIS ✦

Title: His Cunning Smile

Zayden Vale is everything the world worships—powerful, wealthy, and devastatingly charming. His easy smile fools the public, but those who work under him know the truth. Beneath the kindness lies a calculating mind, a heart made of stone, and a narcissist who believes no one is worth his time. Nicknamed “The Fox,” Zayden destroys competitors with a smile on his face and never lets anyone close enough to touch him.

Elara Blake is the daughter no one sees. The youngest in a family that only values power and image, she’s spent her life being ignored—shipped to distant schools, kept out of the spotlight, and treated like a placeholder. When her family needs a favor from Zayden Vale, they send her—not out of trust, but because she’s expendable.

But Zayden sees her. Not for what she can offer, but for the flicker in her eyes—the quiet fire, the silent defiance. She doesn’t worship him like others do. In fact, she challenges him without saying a word.

To him, she becomes a game.
To her, he becomes a danger she never saw coming.

What begins as a strategic alliance turns into a tangled web of secrets, manipulation, and desires neither of them expected.
And when a narcissist falls in love… he doesn’t fall.
He claims.

His Cunning Smile

Zayden's hand had left a warmth on her back she couldn't shake.

His breath against her ear, his words still clinging to her skin like silk laced with venom—

> "I don't have to act, sweetheart."

Her chest was tight, her head a mess. She needed air. A moment. Something.

Her mother was there—radiant in public perfection, but her eyes sharp.

Before Elara could respond, her mother was already turning, gliding toward the hallway just outside the ballroom.

Elara followed. Slowly. Heels echoing against marble floors.

They stopped in a private alcove, empty except for a tall mirror and muted chandelier light.

Her mother turned, voice low and clipped. "You're drawing too much attention to yourself."

Elara blinked. "I'm sorry… what?"

"The press. Your posture. The way you were standing beside Zayden—like a challenge, not a companion. And that dress—couldn't you have chosen something more demure?"

Her mother's brows pulled together. "What's funny?"

"What's funny," Elara said slowly, stepping forward, "is that you still think you can dress me, control me, and puppeteer me like I'm twelve."

"No." Her voice was firmer now. "You don't get to control how I walk, how I talk, who I smile at, or who I don't. And you chose this damn dress."

"I am not Vivienne," Elara said, taking another step closer. "And I won't live the rest of my life apologizing for being your least obedient daughter."

"Elara," her mother said sharply, "you're embarrassing yourself—"

"No," Elara snapped. "I've been embarrassed. My entire life. You all kept me in the shadows like some shameful secret. Like being me was something you had to hide."

Zayden leaned against the edge of the archway, arms crossed, a slow, amused smirk on his lips.

"How long have you been standing there?" she asked, eyes narrowing.

"Long enough to know I'm not the only one who thinks you look breathtaking when you're angry."

Her mother opened her mouth, flustered. "Mr. Vale—"

He didn't even glance her way. "Mrs. Blake."

And when he stopped just inches in front of her, he said softly—

> "That fire in your eyes? Don't ever hide it again."

For one suspended second, it felt like everything else faded.

His hand almost—almost—lifted to touch her face.

And then a door creaked open behind them.

A butler. Announcing the start of the next segment of the event.

He turned slightly, offering his arm.

Elara stared at him for a beat, then slid her arm through his without a word.

Chapter 21: Uncaged