Chapter 257: Headlines
Lucy’s fork froze halfway to her mouth.
Her face, which had been warm and relaxed just moments ago, drained of colour at once.
She stared at the television screen with wide eyes, watching the blurry figure on the footage, which she knew without a doubt was herself.
"Brother Alex..." she whispered, her voice tight. "Am I in trouble right now?"
"The identity of the woman remains unknown at this time," the anchor continued.
"Due to the distance and lighting conditions under which the footage was captured, her face is not visible in any of the available recordings. Police have confirmed that no identification has been released, and the woman has not come forward publicly."
Alex, who had already handled everything the other night, watched the report calmly with his coffee in hand. He turned to Lucy.
"Did you hear what she just said?"
Lucy looked clearly too panicked to process anything beyond the fact that she was on television.
"She said your face isn’t visible," Alex repeated steadily. "No one can identify you from that video. The person who filmed it was too far away. You’re fine... relax. I’ve handled it already. Now eat."
Riya immediately got up from her seat and moved to stand beside Lucy, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Lucy, it’s blurry. No one can see your face. No one knows your name. The police report doesn’t mention you. I made sure of that last night."
Riya’s voice was calm and firm. "As far as the world is concerned, this is just a viral clip of an unknown girl. That’s it. Nothing connects back to you. And trust me, there is no way those people are going to come anywhere near our house."
Lucy swallowed hard. But slowly, the panic in her eyes began to fade.
"...Alright," she said quietly.
Alex took another sip of his coffee and turned his attention back to the screen, where the anchor was speaking with a field reporter stationed outside the Zenith Club. He kept watching — he knew the main event hadn’t aired yet.
"—police have taken all five suspects into custody and are currently searching for the driver of the van who fled the scene. The investigation is still—"
The anchor suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
Her hand went to her earpiece, and her expression shifted. She tilted her head slightly, listening to something being relayed to her from the production team. Her eyebrows rose visibly.
"I’m sorry to interrupt," she said, straightening in her chair. "We are now receiving major breaking information related to this case."
The graphic behind her changed.
A new banner appeared across the screen in bold red and white letters:
BREAKING NEWS: MASTERMIND BEHIND ZENITH KIDNAPPING EXPOSED BY ANONYMOUS SOURCE
"We have just received an extensive document from an anonymous source that appears to identify the individual behind last night’s kidnapping attempt outside Zenith Club."
A photograph appeared on screen.
Rahul.
His face filled the television, looking exactly as repulsive in a formal photo as he did in person. A round, sweaty face with narrow eyes and a smile that looked more like a threat than a greeting.
"The alleged mastermind has been identified as Rahul Deshpande, aged twenty-seven, the son of Maharashtra MLA Vinod Deshpande."
"According to the documents received by our newsroom, Rahul Deshpande has an extensive history of criminal activity that has been systematically suppressed over the past several years. The file includes police reports, witness testimonies, and internal communications suggesting that at least four previous cases involving assault, harassment, and intimidation were either dropped or never formally registered."
The screen now showed a series of documents, partially redacted, with highlighted sections.
"Furthermore, the source alleges that MLA Vinod Deshpande personally intervened in multiple instances to have complaints against his son dismissed, using his political influence and connections within the Maharashtra state administration."
The anchor’s voice remained professional, but even she couldn’t entirely hide the gravity of what she was reading.
"We must stress that these documents have not yet been independently verified by our team. However, given the volume and detail of the information provided, we have chosen to report on this as a developing story. We will continue to update our viewers as more details emerge."
The screen cut to a panel discussion that was already being assembled in the studio.
Riya turned slowly and looked at Alex.
He was sitting exactly as he had been the entire time, leaning back in his chair with his coffee cup in hand, looking completely unbothered, as if the news anchor had been reporting on the weather.
Riya genuinely felt like punching someone in the gut, but she controlled herself well.
"That was fast," Riya said with a forced smile.
"Sahil doesn’t sleep much," Alex replied without inflection.
Riya growled under her breath. "He is your lawyer, not your personal assistant. You can’t keep calling him at every hour to handle things like this."
Alex looked slightly ashamed, scratching the back of his head while switching off the TV.
"That’s done."
He set the remote down and picked up his fork again.
"Let’s not talk about it anymore. All it’s going to do is ruin a perfectly good morning." He took a bite of his now slightly cold omelette and chewed thoughtfully.
"What we should be talking about is what we’re doing today. We are going to the ancient world today. Have you both packed everything?"
He looked at Riya first, then at Lucy.
"So...?"
Riya blinked. "Wait, today? Already?"
"I’ve been gone long enough and there are things that need handling on that side. It’s been almost twelve days since I last went. Nathan, Jacob... they’ve been managing the business on their own, but I can’t keep leaving everything to them forever."
"So I’m finally going to see it," she said slowly, a grin spreading across her face. "I mean, last time you just took me on the mountain and that was hardly any adventure."
"It’s not a tourist destination, Riya."
"I didn’t say it was." Her smile widened. "But you’re not leaving my side for the next few weeks this time."
Alex sighed. He had expected this.
Lucy said, "I would like to see everyone again. Nathan, Jacob, Father... I’ve been worrying about them."
Then she paused, and her eyes widened slightly as if she had just remembered something important.
"Brother Alex... the Suitor’s Challenge. It should be coming up soon, shouldn’t it?"
Riya’s coffee cup stopped halfway to her lips. "The what?"
Alex’s expression shifted. He looked awkward, staring down into his cup, trying to avoid eye contact with Riya. "It’s... a thing."
"A thing," Riya repeated, her voice dangerously flat.
Lucy, not yet skilled enough in modern social dynamics to recognize the warning signs, continued earnestly.
"Lord Edmund McCoy announced it before I came here. He annulled Miss Evelyn’s engagement to Henrik after Henrik was caught stumbling out of a brothel in broad daylight. After that, dozens of noble families sent marriage proposals, so Lord Edmund organized a public competition. A Suitor’s Challenge. A series of tests to determine who is worthy of courting Miss Evelyn."
She paused, then added innocently, "Brother Alex has already decided to enter."
The kitchen went very, very quiet.
Riya set her cup down with a soft clink that somehow sounded louder than it should have.
She turned slowly toward Alex.
"You decided to enter," she said, each word cutting, "a marriage competition. For another woman. And you didn’t think to mention this to me? How many women are there in that world?"
"It’s not what it sounds like."
"What does it sound like then, Alex?"
"Riya, I only entered because Henrik is competing. You know what that guy is like. He’s arrogant, obsessive, and he treats Evelyn like a prize to be won. I couldn’t just stand by and let him..."
"Oh, so you entered out of the goodness of your heart...how touching."
"...Yes?"
Riya stared at him for three full seconds.
Lucy, who had finally sensed that the atmosphere had shifted into dangerous territory, stuck out her tongue oops! and shrank slightly in her seat.
She looked between them with wide, guilty eyes, clearly regretting that she had brought it up at all.
"Big Sister, it’s... it’s true," Lucy offered softly. "Brother Alex really did enter because of Henrik. And Miss Evelyn... she is a very good person. She was always kind to me. I don’t want her to end up with someone like Henrik either."
Riya’s gaze softened, but only slightly. She let out a long breath through her nose.
"Fine," she said. Then she stood up from her chair with a sudden, decisive energy. Her earlier playfulness is no where to be seen. "Then it’s a good thing I’m coming along, isn’t it?"
She looked at Lucy. "Come tell me everything you know about this Miss Evelyn on the way. Everything. What she looks like, how she talks, what she’s good at, and especially how she acts around Alex. I have a feeling we are you going to get another sister soon."
Lucy blinked, startled by the sudden intensity. "Y-yes, Big Sister."
"And the competition," Riya continued, already walking toward the bedroom. "What kind of tests? Who are the other suitors? I want every detail."
"The specific tests haven’t been revealed yet," Lucy said, hurrying after her. "Lord Edmund said the details would be announced on the day itself..."
Their voices faded down the hallway.
Alex sat alone at the kitchen island, surrounded by half-eaten plates and cold coffee.
He sighed, picked up his cold coffee, and drained the rest of it in one long gulp.
It was going to be a very long day.