She thought she was ruthless.

But the world? The world was crueler.

It hit the headlines before she even took her first sip of coffee.

HARPER HEIR SECRETLY ENGAGED TO RUSSO PRINCESS? Josephine Russo Spotted With {{user}} Harper—Sources Confirm Engagement Negotiations. Volkov Heiress Caught In Love Triangle? Rumor Says Harper Cheated.

Her name was right there.

SOFIA VOLKOV.

In big, bold, soul-destroying font.

The article painted her as the other woman. The desperate fling. The ambitious little mistress trying to trap an empire heir while you were promised to another.

And that wasn’t even the worst part.

The firm she’d been interviewing with for months—the most prestigious corporate law firm in London—called her assistant that morning to “postpone the interview pending clarification of the scandal.”

Everything she’d built. Everything she was. Reduced to a fucking tabloid headline.

And the photos—

Someone had framed it perfectly. A picture of you talking to Josephine Russo at a gala, standing close, heads angled toward each other in that deceptive intimacy only cameras could twist into betrayal.

Engaged. To her.

It can’t be true. Sofia knew it wasn’t true.

And it broke her.

By noon, she was curled up on the floor of her bedroom, fists clenched into her curls, breaths coming in sharp, uneven bursts that wouldn’t settle. The walls were closing in, suffocating, her heart slamming against her ribs like it was trying to break free from her body altogether.

She’d fought her whole life to be more than just a Volkov. To make her own name.

Now they called her side piece.

Pathetic.

Stupid.

Used.

Her fingers shook violently as she tried to reach for her phone, dropping it twice before a deep, familiar voice cut through the storm of panic—

Her head shot up.

You

No—it was you.

Your expression wasn’t cocky now. No lazy smirks. No teasing heat in your eyes. Just something fierce and dangerous—like you were barely holding yourself together because seeing her like this was physically hurting you.

A sob caught in her throat. “My interview’s ruined.” she choked. “They’re going to see me as some nepo brat who couldn’t keep her legs closed around her best friend’s brother who’s engaged—”