"Explain.".
Chloe was staring at the profile of a mysterious account called @VesperOfYouth when Silas slammed the tablet down in front of her.
"I don't know who this is—".
"I'm not talking about the account," Silas snapped, his hand clamping onto her jaw to force her to meet his gaze. "Why is Julian Thorne going to war for you?".
Lightning flashed outside, illuminating the fury rolling in Silas's eyes. His sharp features looked like they were carved from obsidian.
"Why shouldn't he?" Chloe retorted, her voice steadier than she felt. "He knows the truth. He's standing up for what's right. Is there something wrong with that?".
She tried to push him away, but Silas caught her wrist, his thumb grinding against her pulse point in a way that felt dangerously possessive.
"You have no idea who he is," Silas growled, his breath hot against her skin. "He's a dangerous man, Chloe. 'Justice'? Please. He has an agenda. Don't be fooled by his pretty words, and do not respond to him".
The rain hammered against the windows. Chloe suddenly laughed.
"Mr. Sterling," she said, her voice dripping with mock sweetness, "are you jealous?".
Silas's eyes darkened to a lethal gold. He pulled her closer until their noses brushed. "I don't like other people touching what's mine," he whispered. "Especially a Lycan's mate. You have no idea what that means to a wolf".
"I am not your property," she whispered back.
"You are," he countered, his lips grazing her earlobe. "Don't forget. We are married".
"A human ceremony," Chloe pointed out. "Not a Pack bond".
Silas's expression went ice-cold. He cupped her face with both hands, his wolf tail unspooling from his suit and curling tightly around her waist, dragging her flush against him. "You're pushing me, Chloe. You know there are consequences".
A shiver ran down her spine, but it wasn't fear. She gritted her teeth. "Silas, tell me... why is this @VesperOfYouth account so obsessed with my dead mother?".
It was a burner account—no posts, no followers, but it had liked every single piece of news regarding Chloe's mother.
Silas's body went rigid. His tail instinctively retracted. "How should I know?" he huffed, looking away.
"You don't?" Chloe reached for the tablet to check the IP logs she'd been tracing.
But a flurry of new notifications cut her off:
BREAKING: Tiffany Vance 'Recording-Gate' Scandal
Full Video Leaked: The Truth Behind the Substitute Bride
Tiffany Vance Under Investigation for Assault with a Deadly Weapon
*****************
A leaked audio clip was tearing through the internet like wildfire.
Tiffany Vance's shrill, unmistakable voice echoed in the ears of millions: "...so what if I pushed her? No one cares if she's dead or alive". In the background, the distinctive cough of Marcus Vance could be heard.
Then came the "Full Wedding Reveal." The footage clearly showed Tiffany intentionally tripping a waiter to spill scalding soup onto Chloe's gown, followed by her sneering, "It's not like this dress was ever meant for a stray like you".
But the third viral hit was the nuclear option. An anonymous insider claimed that Chloe had slapped Tiffany because Tiffany had bribed a nurse three years ago to switch Chloe's mother's medication, resulting in her death.
The comment sections exploded:
"Wait, is this a literal homicide confession?"
"I just listened to the leak—she literally said 'Make sure that old woman never wakes up.' It's real!"
"Everyone knows raw audio doesn't lie!"
On Chloe's tablet, the hashtag #InvestigateTiffanyVance was climbing at a terrifying speed. A prominent influencer posted a photo of Tiffany mocking a disabled child at a private gala with the caption: Is this your 'victim'?
As the world debated her life, Chloe stared at the screen, a cold pit forming in her stomach. "How..." she whispered. None of these "leaks" matched her reality. The timing was too perfect.
"It's almost like someone had this all queued up and ready to fire," Silas's voice came from behind her. He leaned down, his hand resting on her shoulder—the heat of his palm seeping through her silk robe. "Julian Thorne is even more efficient than I gave him credit for".
Chloe stiffened, nearly bumping into him as she turned. "Julian wouldn't fabricate evidence like this. These stories aren't true". She swallowed hard, the scent of his cologne—sandalwood and a hint of smoke—filling her senses. "The wedding soup, maybe... but the thing about my mother? It's impossible".
Her mother had died years ago, and Tiffany had been far too young to orchestrate a hospital hit then. Someone was using Chloe as a catalyst to burn Tiffany to the ground.
Silas straightened, his fingers moving to undo his silver cufflinks. "In a PR war, you don't aim to wound; you aim for a headshot". He didn't seem to care about the truth. "People only see what they want to see. And right now? They want a villain".
A phone shrieked nearby, shattering the tension.
Chloe answered, and the sound of shattering glass erupted from the speaker.
"Are you happy now?!" Tiffany's voice was a jagged scream. In the background, staff were frantically trying to calm her down as she trashed a dressing room.
Chloe moved the phone away from her ear, feeling Silas's grip on her shoulder tighten slightly as she hit the Record button.
"What are you talking about, Tiffany?" Chloe asked, her voice calm while her knuckles turned white. "I was just reading the latest updates... about the nurse you bribed three years ago?"
"That's bullshit! That audio is a deepfake!" Tiffany shrieked. "I never said that! That old woman wasn't worth the effort of a phone call, let alone a hit!"
Chloe stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, watching her own reflection against the dark Holloway City skyline. "Is that so? Because the brands you represent just released a joint statement. You've been dropped from every contract, Tiffany. They're suing you for the morality clause".
There was a heavy, ragged silence on the other end.
"You and Julian did this, didn't you?" Tiffany's voice dropped to a low, venomous hiss. "I tracked the IP of the first leak. It came from the Thorne Building".
Chloe's heart skipped. Julian really had...
She forced a laugh, her voice silk-smooth. "You're just now checking IPs? Too little, too late. The Sterling legal team has already filed a defamation suit against you".
Silence again. Then, Tiffany erupted into a manic, inhuman scream. "You're lying! You think that beast actually wants you? He humiliated you at the altar—"
"He was late, yes," Chloe interrupted, catching Silas's gaze in the glass. "But don't forget, Tiffany... I am still the Lady of the Sterling House. And this is just the beginning".