Liyana pressed the answer button, bringing the phone to her ear. "I assume you've seen the news," she said, her voice cool and composed.
On the other end, Damien's chuckle was low, edged with amusement. "Hard to miss when half the world seems to believe we're getting married."
She exhaled, unfazed. "I'll handle it. Celeste's PR team will release a statement dismissing the rumors. This will die down by the end of the day."
There was a pause. Not long, but noticeable.
"And you're sure that's what you want?" Damien's voice dipped slightly, unreadable.
Her fingers tightened around the phone. "This isn't worth discussing, Damien."
"Isn't it?"
Liyana's jaw clenched. "We both know this is nothing but baseless speculation. I suggest you focus on keeping your people under control. Someone leaked this to the media."
Damien hummed in thought, but she wasn't in the mood for his games. "I'll be handling things on my end," she said. "You should do the same."
And with that, she ended the call.
The call ended, but Damien remained still, phone in hand, fingers tapping idly against his desk. His gaze drifted to the headline still open on his monitor, the blurred image of last night's dinner.
Across the office, his secretary, Jonathan Wei, adjusted his glasses, standing with his usual poised efficiency. "Shall I prepare an official statement, sir?"
Damien didn't immediately answer. He should shut this down. He knew that. Yet, a part of him—small, buried—felt something else entirely.
The media had speculated many things about him before. But never something like this.
Never something about Liyana.
And the strangest part? The idea didn't feel… unwelcome.
He leaned back in his chair, a slow smirk playing on his lips.
"Not yet," Damien murmured, steepling his fingers.
Jonathan arched a brow, waiting for further instruction.
Damien glanced at the phone, as if expecting another call from her.
"Let's see how this plays out first."
The media chaos spilled into Celeste, stirring excitement, speculation, and hushed whispers among the employees.
In the open workspaces, employees gathered around their phones, their screens flashing the same headline that had caught fire across the business world.
"CEO Liyana Xu & Lu Group's Damien Lu—An Unstoppable Power Couple?"
Some were skeptical. Others? They were thrilled.
Celeste Employee Gossip
"Can you believe this?" One of the junior designers whispered, eyes wide as she scrolled through the article. "Liyana Xu and Damien Lu? This is huge!"
"Not just huge—it's legendary," another chimed in, grinning. "If this turns out to be true, Celeste's influence will skyrocket. Lu Group and Celeste under one empire? Insane."
"Honestly…" A marketing executive leaned in, lowering his voice. "They'd make a ridiculously powerful couple. Both CEOs, both insanely good-looking. Imagine their wedding photos."
The group giggled, their imaginations running wild.
"Forget business—have you seen how they look standing next to each other? I'm calling it now: #Liyamien is the ultimate power couple."
"I second that! #Liyamien supremacy!"
A few employees had already started saving pictures of Liyana and Damien together, some from past business events, others from last night's dinner. The Celeste Employees' Group Chat buzzed with messages, filled with edits, fake wedding invitations, and even a joking caption:
"The nation's most powerful wedding—WHEN?"
Inside Liyana's Office
Mira shut the door behind her, eyebrows raised. "Boss, you might want to take a look at this."
Liyana, who was reviewing the latest PR draft, exhaled. "Let me guess. The employees?"
Mira handed her phone over, displaying a collage of Damien and Liyana that someone had just posted to Celeste's internal social forum.
"Somebody edited your photo with Damien and added 'Mr. & Mrs. Lu—CEO Edition' beneath it."
Liyana stared at the image. Then, at Mira.
Mira cleared her throat. "They, uh… seem pretty supportive of the idea."
Liyana set the phone down, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Unbelievable."
Mira folded her arms, smirking. "On the bright side, Celeste's employees are treating this as good PR."
Liyana sighed. "Let's put out the official statement. Before they start making wedding invitations."
Mira chuckled. "Too late for that. I saw a 'Save the Date' mockup in the group chat."
Liyana groaned. This day was getting out of hand.
As Liyana reviewed the final proposal documents, Mira's phone vibrated beside her. She glanced at the screen and her expression shifted.
"It's Mr. Qiao, the owner of Westward Plaza."
Liyana's fingers stilled. Westward Plaza. One of the most sought-after commercial properties in the city. Both Celeste and Aurora Grand Hotels had been eyeing it for expansion—but only one could win.
Mira placed the call on speaker.
"Miss Xu," Mr. Qiao's voice was calm, but there was a distinct curiosity laced in his tone. "I assume you've seen the news?"
Liyana's jaw tightened slightly. Of course.
"I have."
"Then let's not waste time," he continued. "If the rumors of your engagement with Mr. Lu are true, then I have no reason to delay any further. I'd be willing to finalize the sale of Westward Plaza to you."
Mira blinked. "What?"
Liyana remained composed. "And if it's not true?"
A light chuckle came from the other side. "Then I'll have to reconsider my options. Both Celeste and Aurora Grand have put forward strong proposals, and competition is tight. But if the two of you are joining forces, well… let's just say, certainty is good for business."
So that's what this was about.
Westward Plaza was a billion-dollar deal, and Mr. Qiao was leveraging the engagement rumors as a factor in his decision.
Mira muttered under her breath, "So, basically… if you and Damien are together, we win the deal without a fight."
Liyana exhaled slowly, her fingers tapping against the table.
This was unexpected. And yet…
Her phone buzzed again.
Incoming Call: Damien Lu.
Of course.