At the end of the red carpet for the "Sky Queen" launch event, Alya approached in ten-centimeter heels, light surging toward her like a tide.
Her gown was glacial blue, as if an entire snow-capped mountain had melted into a single body.
"Well, well, isn't this the 'washed-up supermodel' who got kicked out by brands years ago?" The woman across from her tilted her head with a smirk, her earrings flashing sharply. "What, here to ride the hype? Or—maybe trying to reinvent yourself?"
The air froze. Cameras flashed wildly.
No one noticed Adiya slipping in through the side door, his black suit wrapped in quiet chill. He stepped beside Alya and subtly brushed her fingertips.
"Reinvent myself?" Alya smiled, her voice soft as a feather grazing a blade. "I'm just here to collect what's owed."
They exchanged three rounds of sharp words, her opponent pressing forward relentlessly, steering straight toward the scandal three years ago—when she was universally hated online, expelled from top runways, accused of sleeping her way up only to be cast aside.
Alya kept smiling—until the other sneered, "Do you really think someone like you belongs on this stage?"
She finally spoke. "Whether I belong isn't your call."
A pause. Her gaze swept across every camera in the room. "After all... I’m the true founder of Sky Queen."
Gasps erupted throughout the hall.
But the real storm broke later that night—in a dimly lit office.
The boss calmly handed her a glass of red wine, his eyes unreadable. "You think you're the player? Alya, you're just a pawn someone chose to move."
He chuckled lightly. "We told you to leave three years ago—that was an order. And now, bringing you back? Also an order."
Alya didn’t take the glass. She stared past the glass wall at the city lights below, then suddenly asked, "Kuku’s stock has surged 300% recently. That new spokesperson they signed… hasn’t been announced yet, right?"
The boss’s pupils contracted sharply.
She turned, her high heels making no sound on the carpet, her voice cold enough to frost over. "Tell the one behind the curtain— the game has begun. This time, I’ll play white."
Fireworks exploded in the night sky, illuminating the entire skyscraper in brilliance.
On a screen, the Kuku logo flashed: 【Global Exclusive Live Stream · The Return of Sky Queen】
And then, Alya’s phone vibrated.
An anonymous message appeared:
「The last thing your father said before he died wasn’t “I’m sorry.”」
「He said: Don’t trust Adiya.」
