Page 174 of Villainous Rise

A strange calm settled over me. Permission granted. Rules established.

I looked him directly in the eyes. “You couldn’t pay me enough to pretend to be Valor’s fiancée or his girlfriend or his anything. I barely tolerate being in charge of his schedule and training as Havoc’s protege.”

A telling flush spread over Martin’s face. “Ms. Bishop, I understand your frustration, but this is bigger than your personal preferences. The ratings spike from this engagement announcement is unprecedented.”

“My personal preferences? This isn’t about preferences. This is about my actual life that you’re treating like a prop for your PR campaign.”

“It’s temporary,” Martin insisted, spreading his hands. “A few months at most.”

“A few months?” My voice cracked. “Do you have any idea what this is costing me? I have a significant other who isn’t exactly thrilled about seeing headlines announcing my engagement to someone else.”

“This boyfriend of yours,” Martin said, his tone dismissive, “I’m sure he’ll understand it’s just for publicity.”

I laughed. Apparently no one from the Aegis had told Martin just who my boyfriend was. “Oh, he understands perfectly. He also understands that Valor keeps touching me and that he kissed me.”

Martin offered a smooth smile, missing—or ignoring—the warning in my tone. “If this guy actually cared about you, he wouldn’t stand in the way of your career. He sounds insecure but we can certainly draft a non-disclosure agreement for your partner. Perhaps arrange a modest compensation package for his temporary discomfort that might alleviate some of his insecurity. Is he in the private sector? The Alliance has connections everywhere. We could arrange a promotion or a favorable transfer if he feels intimidated by Valor’s public status.”

I stared at him. The image of Martin sliding a corporate check across a table to Cipher flashed through my mind. Cipher would probably laugh right before he snapped Martin’s neck.

“My relationship isn’t up for discussion,” I said firmly. “What is up for discussion is the fact that this fake engagement is crossing lines I never agreed to.”

“Lines can be redrawn,” Martin interjected smoothly. “The Alliance has invested considerable resources in this narrative.”

“What narrative?” I demanded. “The one where I’m so desperate I’d actually want to marry Valor?”

“This conversation is getting us nowhere,” Martin sighed.

“This conversation shouldn’t be happening in the first place!” Havoc’s voice thundered through the office, making Martin flinch. “Annie has given her answer. It’s no. End of discussion.”

“Alright,” Martin finally conceded, shoulders slumping slightly. “But we can’t just put out that it was fake. The public would lose faith in the Alliance’s transparency.”

He nodded to his assistant and my tablet dinged with a new message.

“What’s this?” I asked, pulling up the document he’d sent.

“The break-up contract,” Martin explained, his voice regaining some of its professional polish. “We need to manage this carefully.”

I scanned through the document, my irritation growing with each paragraph. The contract outlined a detailed timeline for the “amicable separation” between Valor and me. Carefully staged appearances. Scripted statements. Coordinated social media posts.

And then I saw it—the clause that made my blood boil.

“You want me to avoid being seen in public with my actual boyfriend until this charade is over?” I looked up, unable to hide my outrage. “For one to two months?”

“Public perception is delicate,” Martin explained. “We need to avoid any appearance of infidelity.”

“Infidelity?” I sputtered. “To a relationship that doesn’t exist?”

I felt a headache building behind my eyes as Martin stared at me, waiting for my answer. The contract sat on the tablet in front of me, a digital prison sentence with an expiration date.

At least there was an expiration date.

“Fine,” I said, not bothering to hide the bitterness in my voice. “I’ll agree to the contract.”

Martin nodded briskly. “Excellent choice, Ms. Bishop. If you’ll just sign here⁠—“

I scrawled my signature. One to two months of pretending to be engaged to Valor. But at least the press whirlwind would die down. There were only a handful of public appearances to handle according to the breakup contract.

But it would end. That was something.