Chapter 32. The Confrontation Setup

Her phone was already buzzing before she woke.

At first, Lia thought it was her alarm. Then she saw the flood of notifications. Mentions. Tags. Headlines.

Her name everywhere—spelled right this time, which somehow made it worse.

VALE LEGACY: SCANDAL REOPENS LEAGUE INVESTIGATION.

CASSIAN VALE’S FIGHTER LINKED TO PRIVATE BETTING RING.

LIA CHEN: PRODIGY OR PAWN?

She read until the words blurred, then threw the phone facedown on the counter.

The coffee pot gurgled behind her. Her reflection in the microwave looked like someone else—hollow-eyed, lips pressed into a line.

Her wrist throbbed under the wrap.

She flexed it once, winced, and muttered, “Perfect timing.”

Outside, the city was already awake—delivery trucks, sirens, the low hum of winter traffic. Somewhere out there, her face was plastered across feeds she couldn’t control.

***

By the time she reached the gym, cameras were waiting.<