The echo of Lin Yuyan's heels rang sharp across the cold marble corridor. She didn't slow down. Not even when her lungs screamed for air, or when her heart thudded wildly against her ribs like it wanted out.
Zhao Luchen's voice stopped her cold.
"Lin Yuyan."
She froze, spine rigid.
The hallway outside the press room was still, heavy with tension. He didn't raise his voice, but something in the way he said her name—like he owned it—made her fists clench.
"Don't walk away from me."
She turned on her heel slowly, lifting her chin. "What do you want now, CEO Zhao? A follow-up photoshoot to complete the illusion? Or will you just update my marital status on social media without asking me again?"
His expression didn't change. "I protected you."
She laughed—a bitter sound that scratched her throat. "You humiliated me. In front of the world."
"No," he said calmly. "I gave the world a story they could worship. One that keeps them from tearing you apart."
"Really?" she snapped. "You mean the story where I was tricked into marrying the wrong twin and got paraded like a trophy for your precious company's stock value?"
His eyes narrowed. He stepped closer, close enough that she had to tilt her head to meet his gaze. "I made you untouchable."
She scoffed. "You made me yours."
There it was—his silence. The kind that said she wasn't wrong.
He stepped away first, smoothing down the front of his suit. "You're not walking away from this, Yuyan. Not when the world thinks you're my wife. Not when every camera in this city is watching your shadow."
She walked past him, brushing his shoulder on purpose. "Watch me."
But her escape didn't last long.
Her phone buzzed before she made it to the exit. A new headline lit up the screen.
[BREAKING] Studio Ren Cuts Lin Yuyan From Lead Role: 'Schedule Conflict' or Corporate Pressure?
She felt the blood drain from her face.
It had begun.
When she reached the curb outside the Zhao tower, she didn't hail a car. She just stood there, shivering slightly in the late afternoon chill. She didn't cry. Couldn't.
Zhao Lemin had disappeared. Her career was slipping through her fingers like smoke. And Zhao Luchen had just made sure no one would believe a word she said ever again.
She didn't even realize she'd walked all the way back to her apartment until she was at the door, fingers fumbling with the lock.
And still, the media storm raged.
Her phone screen was a battlefield of trending hashtags:
#LinYuyanSecretWedding
#WrongTwinMarriageScandal
#ZhaoLuchen'sWifeRevealed
Some comments were supportive. But many were venom.
> "She slept her way to the top."
"Two brothers? Desperate much?"
"Another fame-hungry actress playing victim."
Her hands trembled. She dropped the phone.
Then the doorbell rang.
She stared at it, heartbeat spiking.
Another ring.
Then his voice.
"Open the door."
She didn't want to. She didn't want to see him. Not now.
But her body moved anyway.
Zhao Luchen stood there, calm, pristine, and infuriatingly composed. In his hand: a folder.
"What now? Legal documents? More contracts I didn't agree to?"
He stepped inside uninvited. Calmly set the folder on her kitchen island.
"I had your agency's legal team review the fallout. Your endorsement deals are safe—for now. I'm negotiating a new drama for you. The writer wants a married lead."
Yuyan blinked. "You're bribing me."
"I'm investing in my wife."
She wanted to scream. Cry. Tear that calm look off his face.
Instead, she whispered, "Why me, Zhao Luchen? Why not any other woman? Why me?"
His silence stretched until it ached.
Then he said, "Because you're the one who never begged."
Her breath caught.
"Every woman who chased my family wanted something. Influence. Security. Lemin's warmth. But you…"
He stepped closer. His voice softened, almost reverent.
"You fought. Even now, you're still fighting me."
She shook her head, voice cracking. "I didn't want you. I wanted—"
"Him?" Luchen's voice dropped, sharp and wounded. "My brother who lied to you? Who used my name to gain your trust?"
He leaned closer, his gaze dark and unreadable.
"At least I was honest about my cruelty."
She stared at him, stunned.
He stepped back, brushing past her.
"We're hosting a dinner tomorrow. For the board. Be there. Smile. Wear red. They like the illusion of love."
He left without another word.
And Lin Yuyan stood in the ruins of her pride, her career, and her heart—wondering just how far this twisted marriage would go.
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