The rain hadn't stopped. It turned the city into a blurred watercolor of grey and neon as Lili sat on her small window seat, her forehead pressed against the cold glass. The image of Leo on the news—standing in that grand ballroom, his hand on Sienna's waist—felt like a brand burned into her mind.
She had turned off her lights. She didn't want to see the textbooks or the emerald dress peeking out from her suitcase. She just wanted the dark.
A frantic, rhythmic pounding at her door broke the silence.
"Lili! Open up! I know you're in there!" Luca's voice was muffled by the wood, but it was thick with an urgency that cut through her lethargy.
Lili stood up, her limbs feeling heavy like lead. She opened the door to find Luca standing in the hallway, dripping wet, his hair plastered to his forehead. He wasn't wearing a coat, and he was clutching a plain white envelope as if it were made of glass.
"Luca? What are you doing here? It's nearly midnight," Lili whispered.
"He couldn't come," Luca panted, stepping inside and kicking the door shut. "He's being watched. My father has security on his tail twenty-four hours a day until the gala. He's a prisoner in that penthouse, Lili."
"I saw the news, Luca," she said, her voice trembling. "He looked perfectly happy to be a prisoner."
"He's a damn good actor," Luca snapped, thrusting the envelope toward her. "He gave me this at the office. He told me if I didn't get it to you, he'd burn the whole company down himself. Read it. Please."
Lili took the envelope. It was heavy, high-quality stationery, but the edges were slightly wrinkled, as if it had been gripped too hard. She sat on the edge of her bed and tore it open.
There was no formal heading. No "Dear Lili." Just his handwriting—sharp, slanted, and hurried.
I saw your face when I looked at the camera today. I know you were watching. I know you hate me. I need you to hate me right now, because it's the only way you'll stay safe.
My father didn't just threaten your scholarship, Lili. He showed me the files. He has private investigators following your parents back home. He knows about the small loan your father took out for the farm. He told me that if I don't sign that merger and stand next to Sienna on Saturday, he will call in every debt your family owes. He will ruin them before Monday morning.
I am a Vance. I was born to carry this weight. But you... you were never supposed to be a target. I am marrying a contract so that you can keep your dreams. I am choosing their safety over my own heart.
Do not come to the gala. Do not look for me. Go back to your books, New Girl. Be the writer you were meant to be. Forget the man who trapped you in a kitchen and nearly broke your life.
I love you. That is my only truth. And because I love , I have to let you go.
—L.
Lili finished the letter, her tears blurring the ink of his initials. The "CEO" hadn't chosen the empire; he had chosen her family. He was sacrificing his entire life to protect people he had never even met, just because they belonged to her.
She looked up at Luca, who was watching her with an intense, expectant gaze.
"He thinks he's being a hero," Lili whispered, her voice finally regaining its fire. "He thinks he can just decide my future for me."
"That's Leo for you," Luca said, a small, sad smile touching his lips. "He'd rather suffer in silence than let anyone help him."
Lili stood up, the letter crumpled in her hand. She wasn't the scared "New Girl" anymore. She was the girl who had survived the mountain, the girl who had challenged a king on a balcony, and the girl who wasn't going to let the man she loved marry a business deal.
"When is the gala?" she asked, her eyes flashing with a sudden, dangerous resolve.
"Saturday night," Luca said, his eyes widening. "Lili, what are you thinking? My father's security is tighter than a vault. You can't just walk in there."
"I'm not just walking in," Lili said, walking over to her closet and pulling out the emerald silk dress. "I'm a guest of the family, remember? Your father said so himself."
She looked at her reflection in the mirror. "He told me not to come. He told me to forget him. But he forgot one thing."
"What's that?" Luca asked.
"He forgot that I'm a writer," Lili said, a sharp, determined smirk appearing on her face. "And I don't like the way this story is ending."