Chapter 53

• Adrian POV
• The room was packed with reporters, their cameras flashing, voices buzzing like an electric current. The atmosphere was charged, a frenzy of speculation and rumors. I could feel the pressure building in my chest, the heat rising in my face as I stood at the podium. They were all waiting for me to speak, all of them focused on me, but it wasn’t me they were interested in. It was Elena.
• The rumors had been circulating for weeks now — rumors about Elena’s involvement with the vineyard, her relationship with me, and, worst of all, insinuations about her past. People had begun questioning her credibility, her intentions, and even her loyalty. They didn’t know her like I did, and yet, they were quick to paint her in a light that didn’t come close to who she was.