The atmosphere inside Celeste's executive suite was tense.
Mira had barely slept. Her instincts as Liyana's secretary had always been sharp, but ever since Qin Xieren's reappearance in their lives, a gut feeling had been tugging at her relentlessly. The recent media leaks, the subtle jabs toward Liyana's leadership, and the eerily timed online posts criticizing Celeste's ethics—it was all too coordinated.
And now, she had something.
Mira sat hunched over her laptop, eyes scanning a spreadsheet Zhen had sent her late last night. As Damien and Aiden suspected, a series of anonymous transactions were made to a mid-sized digital PR firm that specialized in 'reputation management'—a term often used to sugarcoat blackmail, manipulation, and rumor campaigns. The recipient of the funds? A shell company under Qin Xieren's former classmate.
She cross-checked the dates. Every payment aligned with a spike in online slander targeting Liyana—accusations of nepotism, false rumors about her relationship with Aiden, even claims that Celeste underpaid its models. And all of it had reached a boiling point just as wedding preparations with Damien were beginning to make headlines.
A knock at her door startled her.
Aiden stepped in, dressed down in a simple black shirt and jeans. "You found something?"
Mira nodded slowly. "It's not direct. But it's enough to prove a link. Qin Xieren's name won't appear outright, but she's using intermediaries. And this PR firm? They've run shadow campaigns before. Zhen confirmed their involvement in a similar attack on a rising tech CEO last year."
Aiden moved closer, peering at her screen. His expression darkened. "She's going too far."
"She's desperate," Mira murmured. "She's trying to destroy Liyana's image right before the engagement goes public. She knows Liyana's power in the fashion world, but if public opinion turns, it could put Celeste—and the wedding—at risk."
Mira paused and turned toward Aiden. "We need to tell Liyana and Damien."
Aiden's gaze was steady. "Yes. But we do this carefully. If we move too fast, she'll cover her tracks."
Mira's eyes narrowed. "Then we trap her with her own game."
Later that afternoon, in Celeste's penthouse meeting room, Mira sat across from Liyana and Damien. Zhen and Ruoxi had joined via video call, their faces tight with concern.
Mira presented the files: timestamps, transaction logs, screenshots of the anonymous article submissions, and her summary. Damien remained silent, his fingers interlaced in front of his face as he listened.
Liyana's expression barely changed, but her eyes were icy with fury. "She wants war. Fine."
"I don't think she realizes how many of us she's up against," Zhen commented, leaning forward from his screen. "She thinks she's playing chess. But she doesn't realize we've already seen the board."
"Publicly, we stay quiet for now," Damien said finally. "No denial. No reaction. Let her think we're oblivious. But internally, we prepare. Mira, can you collect more detailed reports—any direct communication, email traces, personal connections?"
"Already on it," she replied.
"Good," Liyana said, standing up, spine straight. "She wanted to test my patience. She'll learn exactly how cold I can be."
That evening, Qin Xieren sat in her luxury condo, sipping wine and smirking at the subtle chaos she believed she'd orchestrated.
"She hasn't responded publicly," she muttered to herself. "So predictable. Weak little heiress hiding behind Damien's shadow."
Her phone buzzed. A notification from her planted source: Another article queued up for tomorrow. This one hits Celeste's diversity hiring stats.
"Perfect," Qin whispered.
She didn't know that the walls around her were closing in.
She didn't know Mira had found the smoke trail.She didn't know Zhen and Ruoxi were running quiet surveillance.And she certainly didn't know that Liyana Xu had stopped playing defense.
Not anymore.