The CEO's Stolen Sight

To pay off crushing medical debt, I signed an ironclad NDA and took the place of my glamorous sister to care for her billionaire fianc, Pierceafter a car crash left him blind and dangerously volatile.

The day the doctors removed his bandages, I slipped the cheap ring off my finger, left it on the nightstand, and vanished from his world. We didn't cross paths again until a high-profile business interview. I was just a nobody, a nameless intern reporter fading into the background. He was back on his thronethe ruthless, untouchable heir in absolute control of his family's empire.

The host leaned forward. "We heard that your fiance, Paris, never left your side during your recovery. Are congratulations in order?"

The corner of Pierce's mouth curved. He raised his hand, letting the studio lights catch the band on his finger. "Yes. We'll be officially engaged soon."

Yet, through the lenses of his glasses, his dark gaze bypassed the cameras entirely, pinning me straight to the wall in my shadowed corner.

Chapter 1

Before the interview started, the venue buzzed with whispers.

"The heir we're interviewing today? He's the ruthless shot-caller for the entire empire."

"I heard he went blind five years ago and was exiled from the family. If his fiance hadn't stuck by him and taken care of him, he'd be dead by now."

"Shh, keep your voice down"

I sat off to the side, forcing a stiff smile. My nails dug so deeply into my palms they almost broke the skin.

Kevin, the senior news director, turned around and rapped his thick knuckles hard against the back of my chair. "Piper, go grab me a glass of water."

I had barely reached the water dispenser near the entrance when the heavy double doors swung open. A towering figure stepped into the lobby, surrounded by a wall of bodyguards. The sheer, suffocating pressure of his presence instantly seized my throat, and my nails dug viciously into my palms.

Three years had passed, and Pierce was unrecognizable. The once-slight build of his youth had filled out into a massive, imposing frame, his features now sharp and cut from ice. Those eyes, which used to be clouded and unfocused, were now piercing and freezing.

"Excuse me." His jawline was tight and unforgiving. His gaze swept over my face through the lenses of his glasses with utter indifference, as if I were nothing but a worthless patch of empty air.

He didn't pause for a single second. Flanked by his security team, he walked straight past me toward the stage, leaving behind a cold, crisp trail of cedarwood cologne.

I stood frozen in place. It took a few seconds for the realization to finally hit me.

The two years I spent by his side were the darkest, most broken days of Pierce's life. He was exiled, blind from the crashof course he didn't know what I looked like. It was better this way.

By the time I carried the water back to my seat, the interview was already underway. Pierce sat center stage, his fingers steeped beneath his chin, surveying the room with absolute, unhurried dominance. He was smoothly dissecting their corporate questions.

Suddenly, the side door near the stage clicked open. Paris walked in, flashing Pierce a complaining, overly familiar smile.

"Sorry, Pierce. Things ran long on set. I'm late." Lifting the hem of a stunning champagne gown, she took the seat right beside him.

The entire room fell dead silent for a fraction of a second before immediately buzzing with a thick, suggestive energy.

Kevin took his water, tilting his head to inspect me as if he'd just discovered a new species. "You know, Piper, you actually look a little bit like Paris."

I pressed my lips together, forcing out a hollow laugh. "She's an A-list actress. You're giving me way too much credit."

Of course we looked alike.

She was my biological sister.

"We heard that your fiance, Paris, never left your side during your recovery. Are congratulations in order?"

My throat instantly seized up. I stared at Pierce on the stage.

The corner of his mouth curved up. He raised his left hand, deliberately exposing his ring finger. On it rested a cheap, plain silver band.

It was the exact same ring I had worked extra shifts to buy just to make him smile back then.

It looked absurdly out of place on the hand of the untouchable heir to an empire. Yet he acted like he didn't notice the discrepancy at all, his thumb gently grazing the metal.

"Yes. We'll be officially engaged soon." As he spoke, his gaze swept over the audience.

Intentionally or not, it landed squarely on me, hiding in the shadows of the corner. It lingered for just a few seconds before he pulled away.

The mic was passed to Paris. "Paris, we hear you're currently shooting Director Fletcher's new film. He rarely casts newcomers. Did Pierce pull some strings for you?"

She smiled, embracing the question. "Of course. I've always been extremely confident in my professional abilities, but I won't deny that Pierce has done so much for me. And I am completely worthy of his favoritism."

Her brazen, unapologetic attitude surprisingly won over the crowd, earning a wave of approving murmurs.

Chapter 2

Someone from the press raised a hand. "Could you share a story from when you and Pierce were at your lowest, supporting each other through the dark times?"

The flawless smile on Paris's lips instantly fractured. In the eerie silence, the seconds dragged out into an agonizing crawl.

It took a long moment before Pierce let out a low, frictionless chuckle and took the microphone. "There's nothing much to tell. The memories between her and me are meant for us alone. That's enough."

It felt like I was swallowing shards of glass.

I bit down on my lower lip so hard I tasted copper, sharply dropping my head to avoid his line of sight, my knuckles turning white around my pen. Whenever I closed my eyes, those days came flooding back. A younger, more reckless Pierce had made his fair share of enemies with his untamed arrogance.

Once he was exiled and vulnerable, the cowards came knocking just to kick him while he was down. To protect him, I took the hit, getting shoved down a flight of concrete stairs until I was covered in my own blood.

The sight of it spooked the thugs, and they scrambled away in a panic. I grit my teeth and hauled myself up, forcing my voice into a casual, unbroken rhythm as I walked back to his side. "Come on. Let's go home."

But Pierce suddenly gripped my hand. "You're hurt. We're going to the hospital."

"I'm not"

"I can smell the blood!" His voice suddenly cracked, rising in pitch as tears slipped from those cloudy, unfocused eyes, like stars smothered in ash.

His tense, muscle-corded arms locked around me in a suffocating grip, the sheer force of it threatening to snap my bones.

Then he spoke, but the name that fell from his lips was my sister's. "Paris. When I recover, I'm going to give you the most spectacular wedding in the world."

The rough pads of his thumbs swiped hard across my cheeks, carrying a sick, obsessive desperation.

By the time the interview wrapped, the sky had turned a bruised, heavy gray. A fine drizzle blanketed the world outside the venue.

Kevin patted his pockets and immediately fell back into his favorite habit. "Piper, I left the memory card inside. Run back and grab it."

My sneakers splashed against the wet pavement as I jogged back into the lobby. The elevator display blinked to the ground floor. The next second, the stainless-steel doors slid open.

I stood dead in my tracks, coming face-to-face with the two people inside. Paris had her head tilted, chatting with Pierce about some mundane set drama.

His expression was cold, but he was listening with an undeniable patience. The physical proximity between them was suffocatingly intimate.

At the sight of me, the color drained from Paris's face, morphing into sheer panic and disgust.

"Sorry." I mumbled an incoherent apology, spinning on my heel to take the stairs instead.

Pierce's voice sliced through the air behind me. "Stop."

I froze.

"Weren't you taking the elevator? Get in."

I turned around at a glacial pace, deliberately dropping my voice. "Thank you, sir." He told me to get in, but he didn't yield an inch of space, his towering frame casting a shadow over me.

"You were one of the reporters today? I didn't hear your question."

I lowered my gaze, refusing to look up. "I just graduated and got back to the States. I'm only an intern. I don't have clearance to ask questions on the floor."

"I see." He let out a flat, unreadable response.

Beside him, Paris shot me a vicious, warning glare before looping her arm tightly through his. "Let's go, Pierce. We still have that dinner with Director Fletcher tonight."

Pierce finally severed the eye contact. "Let's go."

Alone in the ascending elevator, I stared blankly at the metal doors, lost in the hum of the machinery. After my parents' divorce years ago, my father took Paris and married into real money, becoming the quintessential trophy husband for a wealthy dynasty. For as long as I could remember, Paris and I had lived on entirely different planets. Until five years ago, when she suddenly tracked me down.

"I'll give you half a million dollars. You take my identity and take care of someone for me."

At the time, my mother had just passed away, leaving behind a mountain of suffocating medical bills. Backed into a corner with zero options, I took the deal.

Chapter 3

Meeting her, I found out the person she wanted me to care for was Piercethe ruthless young heir of the empire. And her brand-new fianc, who had just been in a devastating accident.

"A blind man who's been thrown out like trash by his own family? Who the hell wants to play nurse to that?" Her face twisted in utter disgust. "If I wasn't worried about the PR nightmare ruining my image, I would've broken off the engagement the second it happened."

At the time, Paris had just debuted. She had landed a solid role and her career was on a steep upward trajectory.

Terrified of being canceled by the media for dumping a disabled man, she shoved the dirty work onto me.

Pierce had spent eighteen years getting everything he ever wanted, only to have his entire world shattered overnight. His temper became a living nightmare.

During my first few weeks as his caretaker, he constantly shredded me with icy, venomous insults. I was being paid to do a job, so I swallowed it down and never fought back. Until one afternoon, I went to the cemetery to visit my mom and came back to the house a little late.

He snapped, unleashing that toxic rage again. "Cut the crap, Paris! Stop acting like you actually care!"

He gripped the armrests of his chair, his knuckles turning white. "Don't think I don't know you're repulsed by me! You're just terrified of what the tabloids will say"

He never got to finish that sentence. Because I lunged forward, grabbed the collar of his shirt, and kissed him hard.

Truthfully, it was my first kiss.

I had zero technique, and fueled by a surge of raw frustration, it felt more like an animalistic bite than a romantic gesture.

But Pierce instantly froze.

The fierce red flush spread all the way to the tips of his ears. "You!"

Driven by a spike of wicked defiance, I bit down on his lower lip again. I pulled back just an inch, my hands bracing hard against his broad shoulders.

My chest heaved with rapid, shallow breaths. "Feel that?" I whispered against his mouth. "Do I still feel repulsed by you?"

I handed the memory card back to Kevin downstairs.

He tapped it against his palm, looking pleased. "You're pretty quick on your feet, Piper. Perfect timing, too. There's an industry dinner tonight, and I'm bringing you along to network. In journalism, connections are everything."

I thanked him profusely.

But the second we pulled up to the venue, I spotted a painfully familiar matte-black Rolls-Royce idling in the VIP lot. My blood ran cold. "Is is Pierce's team here tonight too?"

Kevin glanced over his shoulder and shot me a smug wink. "Who do you think I'm bringing you to meet? Don't underestimate my connections, kid."

It was too late to back out. I had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow him inside. Thankfully, the private banquet hall was massive. Bottom-tier interns like me weren't even allowed anywhere near Pierce's inner circle.

Kevin dragged me around, introducing me to a dozen senior executives. "This is our new hire for the year. Sharp kid. Goes by Piper. Come on, Piper, say hello."

As the rookie, I was forced into an endless loop of toasting the higher-ups.

By the end of the night, the room was spinning violently. I barely managed to choke out an apology before slapping a hand over my mouth and bolting for the restroom. I gripped the cold marble sink with both hands, the acidity in my stomach churning upwards. I rinsed the bitter taste from my mouth, splashed freezing water over my burning face, and pushed the restroom door open.

The hallway was bathed in a dim, amber glow. Standing in the shadows by the window was a towering, unmistakable silhouette.

My heart slammed against my ribs. I kept my head down, fully intending to play blind and just walk back to the hall.

I took exactly one step.

Pierce's voice sliced through the heavy silence. His pitch was dangerously low, dripping with a terrifying, unreadable intensity as he dragged out every single syllable. "Pi. Per."

My boots cemented to the floor. I swallowed hard, the sound deafening in my own ears. Slow, deliberate footsteps echoed against the hardwood, closing the distance between us with the rhythmic precision of a predator cornering its prey.

My eyes squeezed shut on pure instinct. The footsteps stopped inches from my shoes. That familiar, intoxicating scent of cedarwood invaded my personal space, radiating a scorching heat that practically burned my skin.

Chapter 4

I opened my eyes and collided with a gaze as dark and dangerous as the midnight ocean.

"Sir." My throat seized up tight. I forced the words out in a low whisper. "How do you know my name?"

He didn't say a word. He just pinned me with that heavy stare for a long moment before finally straightening his towering frame. "Your senior director dragged you around making toasts all night. Every single person in that VIP room knows exactly what your name is."

The memory of Kevin's booming voice made a hot flush creep up my neck.

"I apologize. Kevin is just looking out for the new hires, but he might have been a little overly enthusiastic. If we ruined your evening, I'm truly sorry." I stumbled over the explanation, terrified of getting Kevin blacklisted, and quickly took the blame.

Pierce fell silent again. Under the warm amber lights, his eyes narrowed slightly, a faint, unreadable smirk playing on his lips. "Do I strike you as that petty, Reporter Piper?"

I ducked my head, my voice muffled. "That's not what I meant."

The next second, a heavy, gold-embossed business card appeared right under my nose. "You're still an intern, aren't you? I have a job opportunity. Want to give it a try?"

By the time I pushed the heavy doors open and returned to the banquet hall, the room was still spinning.

Kevin yanked me aside the second I walked in. "You good, Piper?"

I pressed a hand against my cramping stomach, keeping my voice low. "I'm sorry, Kevin. I've had stomach surgery before. I really can't drink much."

His brows knitted together, ready to scold me. But then his gaze dropped, locking onto the gold-embossed card clamped between my fingers. His eyes nearly bulged out of his skull. "Is that Pierce's private business card?!"

I gave a tight nod, my mind flashing back to the hallway just moments ago. It was the legendary, unobtainable private card that bypassed all his handlers and connected directly to the man himself. I knew better than to accept favors for nothing. I had shot my eyes up at him, my guard fully raised, deliberately keeping my voice thick to mask my real tone.

"Why would you hand such a rare opportunity to a nameless intern?"

The corner of his mouth ticked up. "Probably because I find you pleasing to look at."

That was an aggressively Pierce answer. During those two years I spent locked away taking care of him, we had gradually grown closer. He started letting his arrogant, untamed temper show around me. Like during certain moments.

I arched my spine off the mattress, my ten fingers twisting into his thick, dark hair. My erratic, broken gasps completely sold me out. "You're blind, stop moving"

Under the suffocatingly dim light, a younger Pierce tilted his head up. Soft, messy strands of hair brushed against his unfocused, clouded eyes. He swiped his tongue over his lower lip.

His rough fingers slid flush against the side of my neck, pressing down with a heavy, deliberate force. "Everything else on me works perfectly fine," he whispered. "So you need to be louder. Let me hear you."

I snapped back to reality, pulling some random excuse out of thin air to pacify Kevin.

The next day at the office, the department head called me in. He was beaming, his tone dripping with unprecedented warmth. "Piper, pack your bags. We're sending you as a special guest commentator for that hit live-streamed relationship reality show."

But the second I dug into the prep work, my stomach dropped. The very next episode was centered exclusively on interviewing Paris and Pierce. Ever since that press conference, the news of their engagement had absolutely dominated the trending charts. It was a massive PR stunt to build hype for the show.

The comment sections were a total frenzy of obsessed fans.

[ "They survived his lowest point together and now they're meeting at the absolute top! What a god-tier romance!" ]

[ "I heard Paris's family company was practically bankrupt, but Pierce's empire aggressively bailed them out. Now they're back on top." ]

[ "Power couple of the century! You're dead inside if you don't ship them." ]

Chapter 5

I skimmed through the comments at lightning speed before slamming the browser shut.

Natalie, the host of the show, was casually chatting with me while verifying the script. "If we can dig up the actual details of what happened between Pierce and his fiance during those two years, the ratings will absolutely explode."

"" I gripped my pen tight and gave a soft murmur of agreement. Every single event from those two years, every agonizing detail. I knew them better than anyone alive. But I couldn't breathe a word of it.

Backed by the ruthless power and endless resources of the empire, Paris was now an A-list actress at the peak of her career.

The second the broadcast went live, over a million viewers flooded into the stream. Under the blinding studio lights, Natalie kicked things off. "We hear you two are already in the midst of wedding planning. Could you share a bit about your emotional journey together?"

Paris tilted her head toward Pierce, offering a flawless, practiced smile. "I never believed a single word of those vicious rumors meant to destroy him. In my eyes, Pierce has always been, and will always be, the man I love most." She gazed deeply into his eyes, her expression so sickeningly tender it looked ready to melt.

Pierce lowered his eyelashes and let out a low, frictionless chuckle. "Liar. When I first went blind, have you forgotten how repulsed you were by me?"

Paris froze. Her gaze shot over to me on the sidelines, a flash of pure, venomous hatred slicing through her eyes.

But with a dozen cameras locked on her, she had no choice but to force a rigid smile. "I don't really remember that at all. I guess our relationship just kept growing stronger, so all I remember are the sweet moments we shared."

I shot a glance at the real-time comment feed rolling on the monitor behind me.

[ "So freaking sweet!" ]

and similar comments were completely drowning the screen. I set my script down, wrapped my fingers tight around the microphone, and directed my question straight at Pierce.

"It seems you two have slightly different recollections. Is there perhaps a hidden side to the story? Why don't you tell us how you managed to work through that friction?"

I completely expected him to shut the question down. But after a long, heavy silence, Pierce finally spoke.

"When I first lost my sight, I was completely hollowed out. I hated the entire world, and I didn't like her either. She was working herself to the bone, leaving before dawn and coming back long after dark, and still had to squeeze in time to take care of me."

"One day, she was exhausted. She had fish simmering on the stove and ran downstairs to buy salt, forgetting to turn off the burner. By the time she got back, the kitchen was already engulfed in flames."

It felt like someone had shoved a fist down my throat.

In a blurred daze, I was instantly thrown back to that exact evening. The suffocating, blistering heat of the fire still clung to the air. I dragged Pierce out of the smoke-filled bedroom.

I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, slapped him hard across the face, and snarled viciously, "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

My entire body, my very voice, was shaking uncontrollably.

He didn't fire back with his usual venomous rage. Instead, he was dead silent for an eternity, before finally asking in a raw, broken voice, "Wouldn't it be better if I died? Wouldn't that set you free?"

It was in that exact fraction of a second. It suddenly hit me.

The untouchable, arrogant heir of the empire was gone. He was nothing but a broken, terrified stray dog, putting up a desperate, aggressive front.

I shoved him backward into the bedroom, my chest heaving. The walls were scorched jet-black from the flames. I aggressively unbuttoned his shirt one by one, dropping my voice to a harsh whisper. "My dinner is ruined. You're going to compensate me for it."

He instantly caught my meaning. "Are you sure"

I shoved the rest of his sentence back down his throat with a punishing, aggressive kiss. "Pierce, you have never been a burden to me."

That night, it felt like the entire world had shattered and flipped on its axis, leaving no one left alive but the two of us.

Chapter 6

And now, he was dragging the past back into the light. But the flawless fiance sitting intimately beside him was Paris. The entire world was convinced those memories belonged exclusively to the two of them.

The air in my lungs was instantly sucked dry. I clawed desperately at my thigh just to keep myself standing. At this suffocatingly close distance, that dangerous, familiar cedarwood scent radiating off Pierce washed over me. It was overwhelming. All-consuming. And it no longer belonged to me.

He paused. Over the thunderous applause of the studio audience, he delivered his final line. "I will always remember the moonlight that night. It was bright enough to illuminate everything. I couldn't see, but I listened to her talk until the sun came up."

I gripped my pen so hard the plastic nearly cracked, abruptly ducking my head. My throat burned with a bitter, metallic taste. Because I had gone off-script and dragged out secrets no one had ever heard before, the interview was a massive success. By the time the broadcast wrapped, the live stream had shattered ten million viewers.

It was the first time anyone had managed to dig up the unspeakable, hidden past of the empire's ruthless shot-caller. The entire crew was buzzing with adrenaline.

Backstage, Natalie slapped my shoulder. "You're a natural, Piper. That off-script question was so sharp he had absolutely no choice but to answer."

But the second she turned around, the words died in her throat. Pierce and Paris were walking straight toward us.

Pierce's gaze swept over me, cold and indifferent. "Did you prep today's questions?"

I gave a stiff nod.

Paris smiled, though the look in her eyes was venomous. "You certainly know how to hit a raw nerve, Reporter Piper. But let me give you a friendly reminder. Stick to basic professional ethics. Don't go obsessing over things out of your league."

I didn't say a word. I just shifted my gaze back to Pierce.

His expression was carved from ice. He gave a flat, authoritative order. "Reporter Piper is highly capable. From now on, you will handle all media liaisons with my corporation."

Paris's head snapped toward me. She couldn't mask the raw panic and hatred bleeding into her eyes. She cornered me in a deserted hallway, her eyes narrowed with disgust.

"Piper, you really are a greedy bitch. You took the money from me back then. What the hell are you doing back here?"

I stared at her, my face completely blank. "I graduated. I came back to work."

A simple, indisputable fact.

"Work? Do you think I'm a complete idiot, Piper?" She suddenly snapped, hurling her designer bag straight at me. "Get the hell out of here. Tell him you're voluntarily stepping down from the liaison position, or I swear to God, I'll ruin your life!"

Her Herms hit the marble floor with a heavy thud. The clasp busted open, spilling her expensive makeup everywhere.

I didn't even flinch. I just turned on my heel and walked away.

Paris made good on her threat. I suddenly started hitting brick walls at every turn. High-profile assignments that were guaranteed to be mine were abruptly handed off to other interns.

But right before clocking out one evening, the department head called me into his office. "There's a massive annual development summit next month. You're going to host it."

I froze, the air stalling in my lungs as he continued. "Pierce personally requested you."

After work. Parked on the curb right across from my office was that painfully familiar matte-black Rolls-Royce. The tinted window rolled down, revealing Pierce's sharp, impassive profile.

"If you're so damn curious about my past, Reporter Piper, why don't you come ask me yourself?"

I ducked my head, avoiding his piercing stare. "I have no intention of prying into your private life, sir. It was strictly for work."

"Even if it was for work, I gave you my private card. You could have called me to ask."

I pressed my lips into a tight line. "There was no need."

Chapter 7

Because in that split second, it completely hit me. Three years had already passed.

He was Pierce, the untouchable shot-caller. He was no longer that explosive, feral boy who would snap at me, only to immediately cling to me like a miserable stray, begging for kisses and comfort after I scolded him.

Paris's family was losing power. Without Pierce's silent consent and total indulgence, there was absolutely no way she would ever dare to target me this openly. Maybe to him, that dark past was nothing but a humiliating stain. Something he wanted entirely erased.

I turned to leave. Pierce's voice snapped like a whip behind me. "Stop."

He shoved the car door open, closing the distance with his long legs to physically block my path. "Reporter Piper. Let's talk."

I clutched my bag tight against my chest, forcing the words through a tight throat. "What exactly does the CEO want to talk about?"

The corner of his mouth ticked up. A flicker of helpless frustration bled into his dark gaze. "Work. Is that acceptable?"

Over the next two weeks, Pierce tracked me down two more times. He came to verify the critical decisions I would be announcing at the upcoming summit. Right before leaving the last time, as if suddenly remembering something, he slid a sealed document toward me. "An unannounced, massive tourism project. It's a direct partnership with the state. You can announce it at the summit as your own exclusive scoop."

I fell silent for a long moment. I took the folder and muttered a rigid thank you.

When Kevin found out, he practically cornered me. "I'm telling you, Piper, Pierce definitely appreciates your work. Why don't you casually drop a hint about Paris blacklisting you?"

I kept my eyes locked on my hosting script, forcing a stiff smile. "There's no need. Do you honestly think he'd go after his own fiance for a nobody reporter?"

The day of the summit arrived. The venue was packed to the walls. The center VIP seat reserved for Pierce sat empty.

Under the blinding flashes of a hundred cameras, I stood at the podium, actively announcing the empire's upcoming corporate partnerships. Suddenly, a male reporter bolted up from the crowd, pointing a finger straight at me. "Where the hell did you steal classified data like that?"

I hardened my jaw, my tone dropping to ice. "My collaboration with the corporation was done through entirely legitimate channels."

"Legitimate? A slut who spreads her legs to sleep her way to the top has no right to use that word!" he roared, completely ignoring the shocked gasps. "I have the proof right here!"

Paris stormed the stage, her sharp stilettos clicking against the floorboards. She snatched a microphone, a vicious, venomous thrill flashing in her eyes. She locked her eyes on me and let out a dramatic, condescending sigh. "Piper, it's completely normal for a bottom-tier reporter like you to be dangerously obsessed with Pierce. I was originally going to save you some dignity, but you just refuse to stop digging your own grave."

The massive projector screen behind me abruptly flickered, switching from the corporate presentation to several highly explicit photos. And the woman in those photos was me.

"You spammed his phone with these filthy pictures. You showed up at his hotel room in the middle of the night wearing nothing but a slip dress. And here is the security footage of you checking into a room with your department head."

Right on cue, the screen behind me shifted again. Under the dim lights of a hotel entrance, the video showed me and my boss walking through the lobby side by side.

"A repeat offender like you"

Right in the middle of the deafening uproar, the main double doors of the banquet hall blew open. Pierce strode into the room, impeccably dressed in a razor-sharp tailored suit. His freezing gaze swept across the chaos.

It dragged right over my face, without pausing for a single fraction of a second.

My stomach crashed as if a massive, freezing block of lead had been slammed into it. My fingertips lost all their color from how hard I was gripping the podium. The blinding spotlight pinned me to the stage. It felt like a brutal, public execution in front of hundreds of people.

The crowd instantly erupted into venomous whispers.

"Doing something that filthy? She's a complete disgrace to the industry."

"That is so cheap. Absolutely disgusting."

"Zero professional ethics! Blacklist her permanently!"

Chapter 8

I didn't look at anyone else. I just kept my eyes dead-locked on Pierce.

I watched him turn his head toward Paris. "What did you just say?" he asked, his voice entirely devoid of emotion.

Paris's eyes immediately reddened, tears welling up right on the edge of falling. "Pierce, she's playing you. She purposely disguised herself as a feature reporter to get close to you, just to steal classified data and sabotage the entire corporation. Even her spot hosting this summit todayshe slept her way to get it!"

Pierce fell silent for a long moment. Then, his freezing gaze shifted back to me. "Do you have anything to say?"

Did I have anything to say?

Looking into the pure, venomous hatred and twisted satisfaction flashing in Paris's eyes, a sickening sense of absurdity washed over me. She was only two years older than me. We shared the exact same blood, the same parents. After our mother died, we were supposed to be the only real family each other had left in this entire world.

I straightened my spine and let out a cold, dark laugh that dripped with irony. I gripped the microphone so hard my knuckles turned white. "What I want to say isMr. CEO, your fiance is pulling desperate lies out of thin air to frame me."

"If your blind love for her means you're going to stand there and let her fabricate facts to ruin me, I will document every single word of this circus in today's press release. The public isn't blind. If the shot-caller of this empire can't even distinguish basic facts, I highly doubt anyone can trust the projects he develops."

Whether it was the untamed, arrogant boy from the past, or the ruthless, cutthroat billionaire standing before me now. A blatant, public threat like that should have triggered his rage.

But it didn't. He simply stepped into the blinding spotlight, taking slow, measured strides onto the stage. He stopped just a few feet away, standing on the exact same level, his towering frame locking me in place.

His voice dropped to a terrifyingly soft whisper as he called my name. "Piper."

A sudden, suffocating burning sensation clawed up my throat. I refused to stand there and listen to him defend Paris for another second.

I turned my head away, biting out every single syllable. "Every single accusation thrown at me today is a complete, fabricated lie. My interactions with Paris's fianc, Mr. CEO, have been strictly professional. We have had zero private contact"

"Zero contact?"

My sentence was brutally cut short by Pierce's low voice. "You gave me a ring, and now you have absolutely no intention of taking responsibility for me