ADRIEN'S POV
The words left my mouth before I had time to soften them.
"Come home with me."
She turned to look at me, eyes wide. "What?"
I didn't look at her. Couldn't. Not if I wanted to keep this plan from sounding as calculated as it truly was.
"To my place. Tonight."
"For… what exactly?"
"To clear any lingering rumors of the scandal," I replied, my voice deliberately measured. "We need to be seen together."
She hesitated. I could feel it, even in the silence that followed.
"You've already cleared everything up," she said quietly. "The internet's been wiped clean."
I turned my head, letting my gaze finally meet hers. The passing streetlights cut across her face in fractured flashes. Beautiful. Fragile. Tired.
"Online eyes are easily distracted," I said. "But the whispers… they take longer to silence completely."
"Being seen together tonight. Under my roof. It dispels any lingering doubt more effectively than any press release or deleted article ever could."
