Chapter 23 #2
“That’s none of your business!”
“Of course it’s my business!” He stood up, towering over me. “You need to break up with him immediately. If you’re seen with someone else, think of the scandal! My reputation—“
“Your reputation?” I shouted. “What about my life?”
“What is wrong with you?” Helios asked quietly. I spared him a glance and he was looking at Valor with open shock.
“You should be happy,” Valor said, his voice dripping with condescension. “Do you know how many women would kill to be in your position? Getting this kind of attention from me?”
“What attention? We are pretending! I’m your handler! I’m not your actual girlfriend, I’m your pretend girlfriend.” My voice cracked with frustration, hands gesturing wildly between us.
Valor gave me a smile. “No, you’re my fake fiancée now.”
I blinked, momentarily stunned by his audacity. The distinction shouldn’t have mattered, fake girlfriend, fake fiancée, both were equally false. But something about his smug correction made my blood boil hotter.
“You can’t just upgrade our fake relationship status without consulting me!” I took a deep breath, trying to keep my voice level. “You need to correct this article. Now. Call the magazine, issue a statement, I don’t care how you do it, but fix this.”
Valor’s face twisted into a smirk. “Can’t do that, I’m afraid. The PR department has already approved the article. It’s official now.”
“Official?” I sputtered. “It’s a lie!”
“If you have a problem with it, take it up with PR.” He shrugged. “Not my department.”
“I’m taking it up with you,” I said through gritted teeth, “because you’re the one who lied. You made this mess.”
He shrugged again, unbothered. “Tough. By the way,” he continued casually, “we have an appearance tonight. Formal attire.”
“Since when?” I demanded.
“Since about an hour ago. The PR team should have just messaged you.”
I frantically opened my messages, and there it was, an urgent notice. I skimmed the contents, trying hard not to scream in outrage. A charity event for Chroma Bay Memorial Hospital. Havoc, Helios, and Valor were all expected to attend.
But it was the attachment labeled “Keeper Bishop: Event Guidelines” that made my rage turned to horror with each bullet point.
· Keeper Bishop will accompany Valor as his fiancée
· Public displays of affection are encouraged to solidify the relationship narrative
· Keeper Bishop should wear the provided engagement ring (delivery scheduled for 5 PM)
· Keeper Bishop should defer to Valor in all public conversations
· Any questions about wedding plans should be met with “We’re still in the planning stages”
This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be happening.
I darted out of the office, my hands shaking. I could hear Helios berating Valor, something that should have shocked me since I’d never heard him utter a cross word, but I didn’t care right now.
The hallway blurred around me as I went back to the elevator, my mind racing with increasingly violent fantasies involving Valor and various blunt objects.
Back in my office, I slammed the door shut and pulled up the Alliance PR department’s contact information. I jabbed at the screen, initiating a video call.
“Alliance Public Relations, Jessica speaking.” A polished woman with a perfect smile appeared on my screen.
“This is Keeper Bishop,” I said, struggling to keep my voice steady. “I need to speak with someone about the Heroes En Vogue article featuring Valor.”
Her smile didn’t falter. “Ah yes, the engagement announcement! Congratulations, Keeper Bishop. The public response has been overwhelming—”
“That’s exactly the problem,” I cut in. “There is no engagement. Valor fabricated the entire thing without my knowledge or consent.”
Jessica’s smile faltered slightly. “One moment, please.”
The screen went blank for several seconds before a new face appeared—Martin Allen, the head of Alliance PR.
“Keeper Bishop,” he greeted me, his expression serious. “I understand you have concerns about the current narrative.”
“Concerns? Valor announced we’re engaged! It’s a complete lie!”
Martin sighed, looking more annoyed than sympathetic. “I’ve been authorized to inform you that the Alliance is extremely pleased with the public response to this development. Valor’s approval ratings have jumped twelve points overnight.”
“I don’t care about his ratings! This is my life!”
“The Alliance cares,” Martin replied coldly. “You are to proceed as advised for tonight’s event. The narrative stands.”
My stomach dropped. “You can’t be serious.”
“Very. This comes directly from the top.”
I took a deep breath, trying a different approach. “If it comes from the very top, then I need to speak with the Aegis directly.”
Martin’s eyebrows rose. “That’s not how this works—”
“Make it work,” I snapped. “There are extenuating circumstances that they aren’t aware of that will affect the freaking narrative.” Namely, Cipher and the fact that their darling Valor will die as soon as he finds out.
To my surprise, after a moment of hesitation, he nodded. “Hold, please.”
The screen went blank again, and I waited, pacing my office. When the call reconnected, I found myself facing a harried-looking woman I didn’t recognize, her Alliance uniform rumpled and dark circles under her eyes.
“Keeper Bishop,” she said briskly. “Agent Daniels. What’s the emergency?”
“I’m involved with Cipher,” I blurted out. “Romantically involved. As in, currently sleeping with him. And when he reads this article claiming I’m engaged to Valor, he will kill him.”
Agent Daniels’ eyes widened slightly, the only indication she was surprised by this bombshell.
“Cipher. The Villain. Havoc’s Nemesis,” she repeated slowly, as if making sure she’d heard correctly.
“Yes. That Cipher. The one who’s killed people for less than this. I’m not exaggerating the threat. Valor is in actual danger.”
Agent Daniels held up one finger, then muted her end of the call. I watched her lips move rapidly as she spoke to someone off-screen, her expression growing increasingly tense. After what felt like an eternity, she unmuted.
“The Aegis will take care of it,” she said, her voice clipped and professional. “You are to proceed as planned with tonight’s event.”
“But—”
Agent Daniels’ face hardened. “You signed a contract, Keeper Bishop. Section 12, paragraph 4 clearly states that Keepers will assist with Alliance-approved publicity efforts.”
I stared at the woman on my screen. The cold, corporate reality of the Alliance stared right back. My consent didn’t factor into their equation at all. I was just a prop they could pose next to Valor to boost his approval ratings.
Cipher stepped over my boundaries all the time.
He manipulated situations, backed me into corners, and ruthlessly orchestrated my life so I would have no choice but to fall into his hands.
But he did it because he was terrifyingly obsessed with me.
He owned his darkness. He never pretended to be a saint while he was taking my choices away.
The supposed good guys were stripping away my agency with a sterile employment contract and a fake smile, all for a PR stunt.
Siding with a Villain suddenly made perfect sense.
“Playing fake fiancée wasn’t in the job description. You’re forcing me into a non-consensual relationship with a man I despise.”
“The Aegis has their reasons.” Agent Daniels gave me a pointed look. “This discussion is over.”
The call disconnected, leaving me staring at my reflection in the blank screen.
I was trapped between rage and a very deep, very dangerous resentment toward the people I worked for. This was an actual nightmare.
I bolted from my office. The elevator took forever, each second ticking by like a countdown to disaster. I jabbed the button repeatedly, as if that would somehow make it arrive faster.
As the elevator descended, I pulled out my phone and called Havoc. My hands had finally stopped shaking but the shaking had been replaced by a cold dread in the pit of my stomach instead.
“Annie,” Havoc answered. “What’s wrong?”
“Valor told the press we are engaged,” I said in a rush. “Alliance PR is backing the story. They are forcing me to play his fiancée. Cipher is going to kill him. As soon as he sees the article, he will hunt Valor down and murder him.”
“Fuck,” Havoc said.
Just that. One word that perfectly encapsulated the situation. He knew exactly what kind of monster we were dealing with.
“I have to go find him,” I told him, watching the floor numbers tick down. “I have to break the news before he reads it online.”
“Go,” Havoc said. “I’ll handle Valor.”
I clutched my phone, checking news feeds to see how far the story had spread. It was everywhere. #ValorEngaged was trending. Fan accounts were already posting mockups of what our wedding might look like.
I was going to be sick.