Chapter 3; Photos

Claire woke up with a massive headache pounding her skull, feeling the unfamiliar weight of silk sheets against her skin. She blinked at the soft glow of morning light filtering through heavy curtains, disoriented and uneasy.

Something wasn't right. This wasn't her room.

As she tried to sit up, her breath caught at the sight of the man lying next to her. Leon Yu.

Her mind raced, flashes of the gala coming back to her—polished floors, soft music, and fleeting moments of nervous interaction with Leon. He hadn't spoken to her after saving her from the fall. But this? Waking up beside him? This hadn't been part of the plan.

Before she could make sense of the situation, Leon stirred. His dark lashes fluttered open, and the icy grey of his eyes met hers. For a moment, there was silence, a charged pause before his expression hardened.

"What is this?" he asked, his voice low but brimming with barely controlled anger.

"I-I don't know," Claire stammered, clutching the sheet to her chest.

Leon's brows furrowed as he sat up, his gaze sweeping the room with sharp precision. "You don't know?"

"No, I—" she faltered, her pulse pounding in her ears. "I don't remember how I got here." she answered honestly.

His jaw tightened, and he exhaled sharply, running a hand through his tousled hair. The tension in the room was suffocating.

Before either of them could speak further, Leon's phone buzzed on the nightstand. He grabbed it, his eyes scanning the screen, and his expression darkened.

"What?" Claire asked hesitantly, her stomach sinking noticing his expression.

Leon turned the phone toward her, the screen displaying a series of photos. Her heart dropped as she saw the images: her and Leon, lying in bed together, clearly taken in this very room. There were also pictures including ambigious shots of her fall.

"Care to explain this?" he demanded, his tone like ice.

Claire's throat went dry. She hadn't expected this. Aaron had said that she just had to create some minor scandal, and she thought that the fall was enough, but this, he really went as far as drugging them.

Noticing Leon's icy glare still fixed on her "I... I don't know," she said stuttering, lowering her gaze.

Leon let out a bitter laugh, the sound devoid of humor. His sharp gaze cutting into her. "So what exactly am I supposed to believe? That we just magically ended up in the same bed?"

Claire bit her lip, struggling to maintain her composure. "I don't remember everything," she said finally, which wasn't a lie. The drink Aaron had handed her the night before felt suspicious in hindsight, but she couldn't voice her suspicions, besides it didn't taste weird and she only had one glass.

Leon stood, his broad frame radiating barely restrained fury. Thankfully nothing happened last night seeing that they still had their clothes on "The media is going to eat this up," he muttered, more to himself than to her.

Claire flinched. The weight of what had happened pressed down on her, but she couldn't break now—not when Aaron's plan demanded her silence.

"Leon, I—"

"Save it," he interrupted, his voice cold. "Whatever your intentions were, you've succeeded in dragging me into your mess."

Claire's heart twisted painfully, she didn't like the way he doubted her when she, too, was a victim but she kept her expression neutral. "Im sorry i dont know how this happened." she explained.

A knock at the door cut the tension.

"Mr. Yu, your driver is waiting," came a muffled voice from the hallway which she assumed was his assistant.

Leon didn't answer immediately, his sharp gaze still pinned on Claire. After a tense moment, he grabbed his jacket from a nearby chair and headed for the door.

"This better not be a setup" he said flatly, pausing just long enough to deliver the warning before disappearing into the hallway.

---

Back in her apartment, Claire paced the small living room, her stomach twisting with guilt and anger. She couldn't believe Aaron had gone this far without telling her.

Her phone buzzed on the counter, and she snatched it up, Aaron's name flashing on the screen.

"What did you do?" she demanded the moment she answered.

Aaron's laugh was light and unbothered. "Good morning to you too, Claire."

"Don't play games with me, Aaron. You drugged me, didn't you?"

"That's quite the accusation," he said smoothly. "I simply provided the tools. You're the one who ended up in Leon's bed."

Her grip on the phone tightened. "This wasn't the plan. You said it would be a minor scandal—something easy to fix. And I created that when I fell and he caught me, but this...Now there are photos, Aaron!"

"Exactly," he said, his tone calm despite her rage. "And those photos will force Leon to act. He's always so careful about his image. This will make him vulnerable. Plus, my father will pressure him more to bring you over"

Claire's stomach churned. "You're using me as a pawn."

Aaron chuckled. "Pawn is a strong word, dear. Don't forget— I'm helping you. I'm the one keeping your mother alive in that VIP ward. If you want her to stay there, healthy and alive, you'll do me this little favour and follow through with this."

She clenched her jaw, hating how easily he manipulated her. "I won't lie for you again," she said, though the conviction in her voice wavered.

"You won't have to," Aaron replied. "The truth doesn't matter anymore. The media will fill in the gaps, and Leon will have no choice but to play along. I just set the ball in motion. From now on everything will fall in place. It's up to you now"

Before she could respond, Aaron ended the call, leaving her standing in silence.

Claire sank onto the couch, burying her face in her hands. The scene from last night replayed in her mind: how she was led from the bathroom, half-conscious, to that room. She clenched her fists tight.

She felt trapped, caught between Aaron's scheming and her guilt. But no matter how much she wanted to escape, the thought of her mother kept her tied to the plan.

For now, she had no choice but to see it through.