The Digital Execution

Maya POV

The contract was still warm in my hands. My phone vibrated, then again and it didn’t stop. I frowned, shifting the contract under my arm as I pulled my phone out. Notifications stacked on top of each other so fast that the screen lagged for a second.

Northridge Spill. I opened it.

[EXCLUSIVE]: The Ice King’s Heart Melts? Sources say Leo Thorne’s rink-side rage was a defense of his secret girlfriend, film student Maya Ellison.

I read it twice, then a third time, slower. My name didn’t look like mine anymore,It looked… staged.”You leaked it.”

My voice came out quieter than I expected, but it still cut clean through the room. Cassandra didn’t look up from her phone. “Of course we did.”

“I haven’t even signed the last page.”

“That’s a technicality.”

I stared at her. “You turned me into a headline before I agreed to it.”

She finally glanced up, calm as ever. “If we waited for your consent, the narrative would’ve already been written without us.”

I felt something tight settle in my chest. Not panic.Just… pressure. Leo let out a short, rough laugh from where he leaned against the wall.

“Welcome to the show, Camera Girl,” he said. “You’re not behind the lens anymore.” I shot him a look” and you’re not the main character you think you are.”

“Never said I was,” he replied, pushing off the wall. “But I’m definitely the one everyone’s watching.”

My phone buzzed again and again. Messages this time.Unknown numbers. Group chats I didn’t remember joining and I*******m requests are flooding in.

I opened one without thinking. Is it true??? How long have you been hiding him? You don’t even look like his type…

I locked the screen. Like if I left it open, it would keep talking.

The office door slammed open.”Is it true?”It was Jax. Loe’s best friend. He looked like he’d run the entire length of campus breath uneven, jacket half-zipped, hair a mess. Behind him, Noah hovered, quieter but just as tense.

Jax’s eyes landed on Leo first. “Tell me the Spill page is making things up again.”Leo didn’t answer right away. He just straightened, pulling that familiar mask over his face. The one who said nothing touched him.

“Go back to the bus,” he said.

“The bus is chaos,” Noah cut in, holding up his phone. “People are already outside. Like an actual crowd. Not just students.”

Jax’s gaze shifted to me.” Her?” he said. Not rude, just… confused.Like I didn’t fit the picture. I crossed my arms. “Try not to sound so shocked.”

“I’m not shocked,” he said quickly. “I just since when” .”Since now,” Leo answered flatly. Jax frowned. “Leo”

“Drop it.”The tone wasn’t loud. But it worked. Jax stepped back, but his eyes didn’t leave me. “This better not be some PR stunt.”

I almost laughed. Leo didn’t.” Out,” he said. Noah hesitated a second longer, then nudged Jax toward the door. “We’ll talk later.”

The door closed behind them. Silence pressed in again.l exhaled slowly, running a hand through my hair. “This is insane.”

“No,” Cassandra said. “This is working.”I turned to her. “You call this working?”She gestured toward my phone. “Check your engagement.”

“I don’t care about engagement.”

“You will.”My phone buzzed again. This time, it wasn’t a notification. It was a call. Chloe my best friend. l stared at the name for a second before rejecting it then a message followed immediately.

MAYA. WHY IS LEO THORNE POSTING YOUR STUFF?

My stomach dropped. I turned to Leo. “What did you do?”He held up his phone, completely unbothered. “Posted.”

“What did you post?”

“A picture.”

“Of what?”He turned the screen toward me. My camera bag.Taken ten minutes ago. Right here in this office. The angle was slightly off, like he didn’t care about framing.

No caption.Just a blue heart. I blinked. “A blue heart?”

“I hate blue hearts.”He shrugged. “Didn’t ask.”

“I hate you.”

“That’s mutual.”

My grip tightened around my phone. “Do you have any idea what you just did?”

“Yeah,” he said, slipping the phone back into his pocket. “I made it real.”

“It’s not real!”

“It doesn’t have to be,” he shot back. “It just has to look like it.”l stepped closer before I could stop myself. “You don’t get to drag me into your mess and then act like this is a game.”

His expression shifted just slightly.” It’s not a game,” he said quietly. “It’s damage control.”

“For you.”

“For both of us,” he corrected. I almost argued. But he wasn’t wrong. That was the worst part. The door handle clicked again. Before anyone could move, it swung open and this time, the noise hit first.

Voices. Shouting. Phone.Crowds.

“Leo! Over here!”

“Maya! Is it true?”

“Are you really dating him?”I froze.

For a second, I didn’t move then Leo stepped forward. Not rushed. Like he’d done this a hundred times.

He paused just long enough to glance back at me “Stay close,” he said under his breath.

“I don’t need” His hand found mine. It was deliberate. Like he was placing a piece exactly where it needed to go.

The noise outside got louder. Flashes hit my eyes the second we stepped out. Too bright.People everywhere.

Students. Reporters. Phones held high like weapons.

“Leo! Did you punch him for her?”

“Maya, how long have you been together?”

“Is this why you lost control?”

My instinct was to pull away. To step back. To disappear. His grip tightened just slightly.

“Look at me,” he murmured. I did. Didn’t mean to. But I did.“Breathe,” he said. I exhaled. Slow.

“Good,” he added. “Now smile.”

“I’m not smiling.”

“Then pretend.”The cameras flashed again. I forced something that probably looked like a smile.

“Leo!” someone shouted. “Is she the reason for the fight?”He didn’t even pause.”Yes.”

The word landed clean and Confident. Like there was no other answer. The crowd reacted instantly, voices rising, phones lifting higher.

Flashes blinded us. Leo’s fingers locked with mine, dragging me into the chaos.

Leo? I whispered, the noise of the crowd fading as I looked at his face.

He didn't look at me. He was staring at a black sedan parked across the street the same one I'd seen following his bus three weeks ago.

Don't look," he hissed, pulling me into the car and slamming the door. "And whatever you do, Maya, don't ever ask me why I really hit him.

“Let’s just focus on giving them a show.”