Chapter 3: The Gilded Debut

The penthouse was silent, Adrian had left ten minutes ago. Lila sat in the center of the massive, rumpled bed, clutching the sheets to her chest. She was naked, vulnerable, and legally bound to a man who treated empires like chessboards.

The memory of Marcus’s face—purple with rage, eyes bulging as he stared at Adrian’s signature on the contract—was the only thing keeping the chill at bay. Adrian hadn't just saved her; he had weaponized her.

Her phone, rescued from the depths of her discarded wedding dress, buzzed violently on the nightstand. The caller ID flashed a name that brought the first real breath of air to Lila’s lungs: Sophie.

Lila swiped her thumb across the screen, and the face of her best friend exploded into view. Sophie was in her apartment, her blonde hair a chaotic mess, clutching a wine glass as if it were a holy relic.

"Lila! Oh my god, Lila!" Sophie screamed, her face pressed so close to the camera her features distorted. "I’ve been calling you for three hours! I saw the news, is it true? Are you alive? Are you... wait. Is that silk? And are you... naked?"

Lila pulled the sheets tighter around her shoulders, a faint flush creeping up her neck. "Sophie, breathe. I’m okay. I’m... I’m at Adrian Sterling’s penthouse."

"Adrian. Sterling." Sophie’s jaw literally dropped. "The Shark? The man who makes billionaires cry for their mothers? Lila, the internet is melting. Look!"

Sophie held up her tablet to the screen. The headlines were scrolling in a frantic, neon blur: RUNAWAY VANCE BRIDE SNAGGED BY STERLING. THE ALLIANCE OF THE CENTURY? THORNE EMPIRE CRUMBLES AS STERLING DECLARES MARRIAGE.

"It’s everywhere," Sophie gushed, her eyes sparkling with a mixture of terror and vicarious thrill. "You’re trending higher than the Royal Family! You went from being a debt-payment for a creep like Marcus to being the Queen of the Sterling Empire in under an hour. You’re popular, Lila! You’re iconic!"

Lila let out a shaky laugh, leaning back against the velvet headboard. "I’m a contract, Sophie. That’s all.. He needs a stable image, and I need... well, I need to not be Marcus Thorne's property."

"Oh, please," Sophie rolled her eyes, taking a massive gulp of wine. "Nobody looks at Adrian Sterling and thinks 'stable image.' They think 'sin on a stick.' And speaking of sin..." Sophie’s eyes narrowed, leaning into the camera. "You’re in his bed. Naked. In the middle of the day. Lila Vance, did the Shark bite?"

Lila’s heart did a slow, heavy roll in her chest. The phantom sensation of Adrian’s hands on her skin, the way he had claimed her as if she were a territory he was prepared to defend to the death—was still too fresh.

"It was... intense," Lila whispered, her voice betraying her.

"Intense? Girl, I’ve seen photos of that man. If he looked at me like that, I’d forget my own name," Sophie squealed, starting to pace her living room. "Was it amazing? Tell me he’s as good as the rumors. Tell me he didn't just sign the contract with a pen, but with... you know."

"Sophie!"

"What? We’re best friends! I need the details! You’re living every woman’s forbidden fantasy. You get to be with the dream guy while your parents probably have their jaws on the floor." Sophie stopped, a wicked grin spreading across her face. "Oh god, can you imagine Arthur’s face? He sold you to Marcus, and you traded up for his biggest rival. And Linda? Lila, Linda is going to turn a shade of green that hasn't been discovered by science yet. She’s wanted Adrian since the day she learned what a billion dollars was."

The thought of Linda brought a cold shiver to Lila’s spine. Her sister's envy wasn't just petty; it was predatory. "She’ll be livid. She’ll think I stole her life."

"You didn't steal it; you won it," Sophie countered. "Just wait until you walk into the Vance estate on Adrian’s arm. They’ll have to bow to you. The 'Cursed Child' is now the Sterling Matriarch. It’s the ultimate face-slap!"

Lila looked down at the silk sheets, her mind drifting to what Adrian had said before he left. 'I’m going to finalize the Al-Hamad deal. When I return, we go to your father. We show him the new order of things.'

"He’s coming back for me," Lila said, more to herself than to Sophie. "He said we’re going to meet my parents to announce the debt absorption officially."

"He’s absorbing the debt too? Lila, he didn't just marry you; he bought the whole damn bank," Sophie gasped. "He’s protecting you. In his own cold, terrifying way, he’s marking his territory."

The doorbell to the penthouse chimed—a deep, melodic sound that made Lila jump.

"I have to go, Sophie. Someone’s at the door."

"Wait! Don't hang up! Is it him? Is the Shark back for round two?"

Lila looked at the security monitor beside the bed. It wasn't Adrian. It was a fleet of three women in black uniforms, pushing racks of clothing that looked like they had been raided from the boutiques of Paris.

"It’s dressers," Lila said, stunned. "He sent people to dress me."

"Of course he did," Sophie sighed dreamily. "He doesn't want his prize in rags. Go, get beautiful. Wear something that makes Linda want to jump off a balcony. Call me after the confrontation!"

Lila ended the call, the silence of the room returning, but the air felt charged. She watched the women enter the room, their movements synchronized and silent. They laid out a gown of emerald silk, shoes that cost more than her father’s car, and a set of diamonds that felt like ice against the heat of her skin.

As the women began to work—brushing her hair, painting her lips, draping her in the spoils of Adrian’s victory—Lila looked at herself in the mirror. She didn't recognize the woman looking back. The fear was still there, but beneath it, a new, sharp defiance was beginning to bloom.

She was no longer the girl in the torn lace wedding dress. She was the weapon Adrian Sterling had chosen.

Two hours later, the elevator dinked.

Adrian stepped out. He hadn't changed, but he looked different. There was a dark satisfaction in his eyes, a glint of a man who had just closed a circle of revenge. He stopped, his gaze raking over Lila in the emerald gown.

The silence stretched, heavy and suffocating.

"The Al-Hamad deal is finalized," he said, his voice a low, vibrating silk. "The world knows you’re mine. Now, it’s time to tell your father."

Lila stood up, the diamonds around her neck feeling like a collar, one she wasn't sure she wanted to take off. "Adrian.."

Adrian walked toward her, his hand coming up to cup her jaw. His thumb brushed over her lower lip, his touch possessing and cold. "Address me with a pet name.. the dressers, the public is listening close"

He leaned down, his breath ghosting over her ear.

**

As they stepped into the private elevator, Adrian’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He glanced at it, a grim smirk touching his lips. He didn't show Lila the message, but as the doors closed, she caught a glimpse of the sender’s name on the screen.

Sender: Linda Vance

Message: I have what you asked for, Adrian.

Lila’s heart stopped. The emerald dress suddenly felt like a shroud. As the elevator descended toward the confrontation with her parents, she realized she doesn't know anything about the man beside her aside from what the media says. What if she has ended up in the wrong hands?

Why did her sister text Adrian?

what does she not know?

She walks out the elevator deep in thought.