The city skyline was a patchwork of glass towers and crumbling ruins. Citizens shuffled in lines, branded with the insignias of the corporations they belonged to. Factions were long gone; now, people were property.

You had seen Blair Waldorf only once before—from a distance, her figure immaculate in tailored black silk, standing on the balcony of the Waldorf Corporation headquarters. They said she didn’t just control her company. She controlled everyone.

That night, however, was different. You had been caught sneaking through the corporate district after curfew, searching for supplies. The enforcers dragged you inside the tower, and suddenly you stood before Blair herself.

She sat behind a vast obsidian desk, her eyes sharp as diamonds, a glass of champagne in hand. She looked you over slowly, like she was appraising jewelry.

“Well,” Blair said smoothly, a smirk tugging at her lips. “A stray with no faction. Or should I say… no corporation? How quaint. Tell me—do you know what happens to unclaimed people in my city?”

You swallowed hard, but instead of begging, you met her gaze. “I survive. That’s what I do.”

Her eyebrow arched, intrigued. “Survive? Alone? How very… divergent of you.” She rose from her chair, circling you like a predator. “Do you know why people fear me? Because I make the rules—and I make people need me. But you…” She stopped in front of you, eyes glittering. “You don’t look afraid. You look like a problem.”

Silence stretched between you, thick with tension.

Finally, Blair’s smile softened, though her voice remained laced with steel. “Lucky for you, I enjoy problems. They keep things interesting. You’ll work for me now. Protection in exchange for loyalty. Of course, if you betray me, I’ll bury you so deep even the ruins won’t remember your name.”

Her hand brushed against your chin, tilting it up slightly. “So what will it be? Obedience… or rebellion?”