The Price of Control

, cameras ready, had somehow gotten wind of my location and swarmed the entr

e your project was cancel

out your split from

t his relationship

, pushing forward, their microphones like weapons. I was already weak, and their relentless hounding made me feel even more dizzy and exposed.

esence instantly commanding the attention of the press. He moved with an easy authority, placing

back into the room, his touch feeling like a brand on my skin. It was a calculated move, a performance for the publ

I shrugged off his arm. "

xpression unreadable.

orary reprieve, but I hated that I needed his help, that he could still control the narrative so easily. Th

eir faces merging into a grotesque mask of deceit. I saw my grandmother' s face, her eyes filled with a familiar disappointmen

e, now. I got out of bed and started packing my few belongings into a small bag. My mother' s condition was

m this time, but a local man in a simple plaid shirt, his face kind and

ld Eleanor Vance' s granddaughter was in this room.

rds. Before I could answer, a shadow fell over us. Li

d between me and Marcus, his body a physical barrier. The air grew thick