Chapter 89
Emily
The tabloid was waiting for me when I walked into my office. It was perfectly folded, strategically placed so I couldn’t miss it Carla wasn’t even trying to be subtle anymore.
The “accidental” delivery had arrived in the form of a courier envelope marked urgent, as if our trade negotiations could wait for glossy celebrity gossip.
The front page stared up at me, bold headline in gilded lettering: MOONLIGHT MATCH: Titanfang Alpha’s Perfect Pairing?
Beneath it was a photograph.
Me and Logan. Sitting close together among the runed stones at silverroot, the pale sunrise glowing behind us. He was looking at me, not at the beautiful scenery, but fully focused on me.
It looked like I was the only person th
mattered to him in that moment.
I sat down slowly, brushing my fingers on the edge of the page and let my eyes scan the rest of the article.
A surprising show of affection from Titanfang’s notoriously stoic Alpha suggests things may be heating up between Logan and
his once–controversial bride.
Sources say the pair staged a romantic moment at a recent event at Silverroot Sanctuary, one so convincing, it had even close insiders whispering: Could this contract have turned to love?
Staged. They thought it was staged.
The writer even praised the ‘clever rebranding‘ of my image: from dormant daughter to philanthropic Luna–in–waiting. A‘ relatable match” for Titanfang’s future.
I let out a soft, humorless laugh. Not because it was funny, but I didn’t know what else to do.
That moment hadn’t been staged. It was before any press were supposed to be there. That had been a genuine moment of connection between us. Honesty and openness.
And the way Logan had looked at me… that hadn’t been a performance. I was sure.
I pushed the tabloid away like it might bite me. No. I wasn’t doing this.
We had a contract. A clean, unromantic arrangement with purpose and practical boundaries. Even if the press wanted to flip between believing we were either faking the whole thing or were some fairy–tale couple.
I knew better. And yet…
I remembered the press of his palm against my lower back as we walked the paths. The way he’d let me speak, lead, be the face of something that had always been so personal to me.
I remembered the warmth in his voice when he told me he sees me even when everyone one else doesn’t.
None of that had been for show.
And that made it worse. I wasn’t supposed to care. I wasn’t supposed to want any of it.
The sharp knock at the door startled me. I jumped, quickly flipping the magazine shut and stuffing it beneath a stack of trade reports. Carla poked her head in, all too innocent.
“Everything alright, Miss Blackwood? Courier said it was important.”
I gave her a tight smile. “Nothing time–sensitive. Just gossip.”
Her eyes flicked to the table, and she lingered too long before withdrawing. I waited until I was alone again before pulling the
Chapter 89
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tabloid back out.
This time I didn’t read the article. I just stared at the photo.
Logan’s intense gaze. My half–smile. Our bodies turned toward each other like magnets.
I could almost feel it again—the way his hand had hovered near mine like he didn’t want to let go.
My thoughts drifted to later and the way he had kissed me so sweetly.
I didn’t realize I was touching my lips unti
It was just a kiss. Just one kiss. But it had broken
fantasy I’d tried so hard not to imagine.
brushed across them.
open And now the whole damn world wanted to believe in the
Worse than that… a part of me wanted to believe it too. He said he wasn’t afraid of wanting me. I wasn’t sure I could say the
same.
I folded the tabloid in half and slid it into the bottom drawer of my desk.
Out of sight. But not out of mind. The image followed me anyway.
But that was the problem, wasn’t it? The ease. The way it made me forget the boundaries that were supposed to keep my heart safe.
Chapter 90
