Chapter 10 THE COST OF BEING SEEN

The estate had never felt so small.

Elara noticed it in the silence first-the way the walls seemed to listen, the way every sound echoed longer than it should. Even the air felt different, thick with something unspoken. Fear, maybe. Or the knowledge that once the world noticed you, it never truly looked away.

She hadn't slept.

The message from the unknown number burned behind her eyes every time she closed them.

Enjoy the spotlight. It won't protect you.

She stood at the window as dawn crept in, pale and cold, washing the city in a light that felt unforgiving. Somewhere beyond the gates, people were already talking about her. Debating her worth. Her sanity. Her intentions.

She wrapped her arms around herself.

Behind her, the door opened softly.

Kael didn't announce himself.

"You should be resting," he said.

She didn't turn. "I don't think I'll ever sleep the same again."

He crossed the room slowly, careful not to startle her. "The gates are secured. Security has doubled."

"That doesn't help," she whispered.

"No," he agreed. "But it buys time."

She finally looked at him then, and something in her expression made his chest tighten.

"You knew this would happen," she said. "Didn't you?"

Kael didn't answer immediately.

"Yes," he said at last. "I hoped it wouldn't be this fast."

Her laugh was brittle. "You brought me into a storm."

"I brought the storm away from you," he corrected. "Maribel would've destroyed you quietly if I hadn't intervened."

"That doesn't make this better."

"I know."

Silence stretched between them, fragile and sharp-edged.

"I saw the comments," Elara said suddenly. "They think I'm using you. That I'm... unstable."

Kael's jaw tightened. "You shouldn't read them."

"But I did." Her voice wavered. "And now I don't know who I am to them. Or to you."

That stopped him.

He stepped closer, close enough that she could feel his presence without him touching her.

"You are not a story," he said quietly. "You're not a strategy. And you're not expendable."

She searched his face, desperate for certainty.

"Then why does this feel like punishment?"

Kael exhaled slowly. "Because visibility is always a price."

By midday, the estate was under siege.

Not physically-but digitally, legally, strategically.

Elias and Rowan occupied the study, voices low but urgent. Screens glowed with headlines, social feeds, internal reports.

"Regulatory board is requesting clarification," Elias said. "Not officially yet, but it's coming."

"And Maribel?" Kael asked.

"She's filing a motion," Rowan replied. "Emergency guardianship appeal. Claiming Elara is being coerced."

Elara froze.

"She can't," she said. "I'm an adult."

"She can," Elias said gently, "if she frames it as psychological manipulation tied to corporate power."

Kael's hands curled into fists.

"She won't get near her," he said coldly.

Rowan hesitated. "Kael... there's another issue."

Kael looked up sharply.

"There's chatter," Rowan continued. "Someone leaked parts of your private security logs. It suggests you've been monitoring threats against Elara before yesterday."

Elara's heart dropped.

"You were watching?" she asked softly.

Kael didn't deny it.

"I was aware of risks," he said. "Yes."

Her voice trembled. "Before I knew?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because Maribel has a history of escalation," he said evenly. "And because I couldn't afford to be wrong."

Elara took a step back, hurt flashing across her face.

"So I was never really free," she said. "I was already being... protected."

Kael turned to her fully now. "You were being safeguarded."

"That's not the same thing."

"No," he admitted. "It isn't."

The room felt suddenly too full, too heavy.

"I need air," Elara said.

Kael moved instantly. "I'll come with you."

"No." She shook her head. "Please. Just-let me breathe."

For a moment, it looked like he might refuse.

Then he nodded. "Ten minutes. Stay within the grounds."

She didn't answer. She just left.

The garden had always been her refuge.

But today, even the roses felt exposed.

Elara walked aimlessly, trying to quiet the noise in her head. She replayed every conversation, every look, every decision that had led her here. Into a life she hadn't chosen-but couldn't walk away from either.

A shadow crossed the path ahead of her.

She stopped.

A woman stood near the far gate, dressed simply, dark hair pulled back. Not security. Not staff.

"Elara Vale," the woman said calmly.

Fear surged.

"Who are you?" Elara asked.

The woman smiled faintly. "A messenger."

Before Elara could move, the woman slipped an envelope onto the stone bench beside her.

"Your benefactor can't protect you from everything," she said. "And loyalty always has a cost."

Then she turned and walked away-vanishing through a service exit before security could react.

Elara's hands shook as she picked up the envelope.

Inside was a single photograph.

Her childhood home.

And a note.

You don't belong to him. Choose wisely.

She didn't remember screaming-but Kael heard it anyway.

Kael reached her in seconds.

"What happened?" he demanded.

She thrust the envelope at him, breath ragged. "She was here. She knew my name."

Kael's expression darkened as he examined the contents.

"They crossed the line," he said quietly.

"Who?" Elara cried.

"All of them."

He turned sharply, issuing commands into his comms. Security mobilized instantly.

Elara grabbed his arm. "This is getting worse."

"Yes," he said. "Which is why it ends now."

She looked up at him, fear and something else tangled in her chest.

"What are you going to do?"

Kael met her gaze without flinching.

"I'm going to make them afraid to touch you."

That should have terrified her.

Instead, it made her pulse race.

That night, Kael sat alone in his private office.

Files spread across the desk. Names. Connections. Weak points.

He made the calls himself.

One to a board member with skeletons in his past.

Another to a donor whose reputation depended on silence.

A third to a man who owed Kael everything.

By midnight, the narrative began to shift.

Articles softened. Accusations vanished. Accounts went dark.

At 2 a.m., Rowan entered quietly.

"You're burning bridges," he warned.

Kael didn't look up. "I'll rebuild them."

"And if Elara finds out the extent of this?"

Kael finally paused.

"That," he said softly, "is the risk I'll take."

Elara lay awake, staring at the ceiling.

She felt trapped between fear and something dangerously close to trust.

Her phone buzzed.

A new headline.

BLACKWOOD DECLARES ZERO-TOLERANCE POLICY ON HARASSMENT. LEGAL ACTION IMMINENT

She swallowed.

Moments later, Kael appeared in the doorway.

"It's quiet now," he said.

"For how long?"

He didn't answer.

Instead, he stepped closer.

"I won't let them take you from me," he said.

The words hung between them-raw, unguarded, terrifying.

Elara's voice was barely a whisper.

"I don't know what I'm becoming."

Kael reached out, stopping just short of touching her.

"Neither do I," he said. "But whatever it is... you won't face it alone."

Outside, the city waited.

Watching.

...