CHAPTER SEVEN

You're now the centre of attention

“Abigail Carter—Gold Digger or Master Manipulator?”

“Luke Vandell’s Sudden Marriage: Scandal or Strategy?”

“Who Is Abigail Carter, and Why Did Luke Marry Her?”

The headlines were brutal.

Abigail's stomach twisted as she browsed through the comments on her phone, her face plastered on all the main news sites.

"She must have trapped him."

"Another nobody chasing wealth."

"Luke could have any woman. Why her?"

The weight of their accusations pressed against her chest, suffocating. She threw the phone on the bed and exhaled sharply, willing herself not to care.

A knock on the door. She didn’t turn.

Luke’s voice was calm. “You’re awake.”

“Hard to sleep when the world is calling you a gold digger,” she muttered, arms folded.

He stepped inside, unreadable as always. “It was expected.”

Abigail turned to him, eyes flashing. “Expected?” She let out a bitter laugh. “You knew this would happen?”

His gaze didn’t waver. “You married me, Abigail, that implies that you are now the center of attention."

Her fingers curled tightly, pressing into her palms. “And it doesn't bother you?” She asked.

A pause. Then, smoothly, “No.”

Her stomach dropped. Of course, he didn’t.

Luke Vandell was untouchable. Scandals rolled off his back like rain, but she wasn’t like him. She wasn’t raised in wealth, wasn’t trained to ignore the knives thrown her way.

She turned toward the window, the morning sun casting sharp streaks of light across the floor. “They hate me.”

“They don’t know you,” Luke corrected.

“Exactly.” She faced him. "And yet they have already determined who I am.”

His face remained straight , but she caught the flash of something in his eyes—something unreadable.

A buzz sound came from his phone. He looked at it, took a deep breath then put it back into his pocket like he was uninterested in whatever that was.

Abigail narrowed her eyes. “What was that?”

“Nothing.”

She bent her head forward. “You’re lying.”

His lips curved—not a smile, more of a silent dare. “Be careful, Abigail.”

She stepped forward, ignoring the warning in his tone. “You knew the media would come for me. But this… this isn’t just speculation. It’s targeted.”

Luke’s silence was answer enough.

Abigail’s mind spun. Someone was feeding the press. Someone who wanted her destroyed.

Then, realization struck.

She took a sudden breath, your mother did this, didn't she?”

This time, Luke didn’t even pretend to deny it.

Abigail’s heart pounded. She had expected resistance from Kate Vandell, but this was war. The woman wasn’t just displeased—she was orchestrating an attack.

“She’s making sure they hate me,” Abigail whispered, more to herself than to him.

Luke’s jaw tightened. “Kate has always known how to shape a narrative.”

Abigail let out an unsteady breath. “And you’re just letting her?”

His gaze was fixed on her. “I handle things my way.”

Her pulse hammered in frustration. “And what about me? Do I just sit here while she feeds them lies?”

Luke’s voice was calm but final. “You get used to it.”

Her blood ran cold.

She searched his face, looking for something—anything—that proved he wasn’t as indifferent as he pretended.

But there was nothing.

The man in front of her was untouchable.

And she was entirely on her own.

The walls were suffocating.

Abigail grabbed her coat and stepped outside, willing to get some fresh air. But the moment she reached the sidewalk, a wave of flashing cameras and shouting voices crashed over her.

“Abigail! Did you trap Luke into marriage?”

“Are you after the Vandell fortune?”

“Is Luke already regretting his decision?”

She inhaled sharply, heart pounding as microphones thrust toward her. The crowd pressed in, eager for a slip-up, a reaction—anything to feed the next headline.

She turned, ready to retreat, but more cameras blocked her path. A journalist, quicker than the rest, stepped in front of her.

“Silence won’t help you,” he said smoothly, eyes sharp with anticipation. “The world already sees you as nothing more than a social climber.”

A flush of anger cut through the fear. Abigail straightened, her pulse steady now. “Is that so?” she said coolly, bending her chin forward. “And I suppose you believe everything you read?”

The journalist blinked, caught off guard. The cameras clicked faster.

She continued, voice firm. “People love scandals, don’t they? But you might want to ask why no one questions his choices. Why is it so easy to blame the woman?”

A murmur rippled through the crowd. A shift. The journalist hesitated, sensing the moment slipping from his control.

Abigail didn’t wait for another question. She turned and strode back inside, her pulse thrumming.

Luke was waiting.

She barely had time to close the door before his voice cut through the air. “What the hell was that?”

She faced him, still riding the high of standing her ground. “That was me not letting them walk all over me.”

His gaze darkened. “I told you to ignore them.”

“And I told you I won’t be silent.”

Tension crackled between them. Abigail didn’t back down, meeting his stare with quiet defiance.

Luke studied her, something unreadable flickering behind his cold exterior. Then, instead of arguing, he exhaled, running a hand through his hair.

“You have no idea what game you just started.”

She stepped closer. “Then maybe you should start playing, husband.”

His jaw tightened.

Abigail wasn’t going to let this go. If Luke wouldn’t address the rumors, she would. But to her surprise, when she demanded they confront Eleanor,  Luke simply grabbed his coat and said, “Let’s go.”

....

At the Vandell estate, Eleanor greeted them with her usual composed indifference, sipping tea as if she hadn’t fueled the media storm. But before Abigail could say a word, the air shifted. A soft, knowing chuckle echoed through the room.

“Now, this is a surprise,” a voice drawled.

Abigail turned—standing there, draped in effortless elegance, was Obetta.

The woman the world once expected to be Mrs. Vandell.

Tall. Poised. Smiling like she already knew how this would end.

Their eyes met.

And just like that, the game changed.