Chapter 17

The moment I saw the headline, my heart leapt into my throat. “Local Author Fakes Kidnapping for Publicity Stunt!” The audacity of it was almost laughable, but the reality was far more thrilling. My mother was livid, her face a mask of betrayal and anger as she read the news.

“A marketing ploy?!” she spat, her voice echoing through the house. “Cora, how could you?”

I tried to keep a straight face, to play the part of the remorseful daughter, but inside, I was buzzing with excitement. “Mom, it was just a publicity stunt. You know how hard it is to make it as an author these days.”

She wasn’t buying it, her eyes narrowing as she searched my face for any sign of deceit. “This is serious, Cora. The police were involved, people were worried sick about you!”

I shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “But it worked, didn’t it? Look at the charts, Mom. My book is a hit!”

The police had come and gone, their scolding words bouncing off me like raindrops on a windshield. They couldn’t do anything if I denied being kidnapped, and part of me reveled in the chaos I had caused. Mom and I were lectured about wasting police resources, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.

Haides was real, alive, and in my grasp. The thought sent shivers down my spine, a delicious thrill that no amount of scolding could diminish. I had created him, brought him to life with my words, and now he was out there, a dark and beautiful enigma that only I truly understood.

I retreated to my room, my sanctuary, and opened my laptop. The controversy was everywhere, a firestorm of outrage and disbelief. People were pissed, that much was clear, but their anger only fueled my success. My book, once a mere blip on the radar, had soared to unprecedented heights, securing my financial future and cementing my place in the literary world.

As I scrolled through the comments, the tweets, and the articles, I couldn’t help but smile. They were hooked, every last one of them. The line between Cora Lappa, the florist, and Kore Vasilios, the dark romance maven, had blurred to the point of non-existence. I had become my pen name, a creature of shadows and seduction, and Haides was my masterpiece.

The notifications kept coming, a relentless tide of mentions and messages. My phone buzzed with an alert from my publisher—my book had just hit number one on the bestseller list. [CJ1] The irony of it all was almost too much to bear. I had written about a woman who falls for a man with a fractured soul, and here I was, living out my own twisted fairy tale.

I closed my laptop and leaned back in my chair, a sense of satisfaction washing over me. The world was my stage, and I had just delivered the performance of a lifetime. Let them talk, let them speculate. I had captured lightning in a bottle, and there was no going back.

Haides was out there, somewhere, and I knew it was only a matter of time before our paths crossed again. The thought sent a thrill through me, a tantalizing promise of what was to come. He was a force of nature, a storm on the horizon, and I had invited him into my life with open arms.

“Oh fuck it,” I muttered before opening my laptop again.

I couldn’t believe I was actually considering this, but the decision felt right in the deepest part of my soul. The success of my book had given me the financial freedom to pursue my true passion, to dive headfirst into the world I had created. I was going to quit my job at the flower shop. The thought of it sent a giddy rush through me. No more arranging bouquets for lovestruck fools or pretending to care about the difference between a carnation and a peony. I had bigger fish to fry.

With the royalties rolling in, I could afford to hire a private investigator, someone who could track down Haides. The idea was both thrilling and terrifying. What would I say when I found him? Would he be angry that I had dragged him even more into the spotlight, or would he understand that this was inevitable? That we were always destined to collide?

I spent the rest of the day drafting my resignation letter, my fingers dancing across the keyboard with newfound purpose. I was done playing it safe. It was time to take control of my narrative.

As night fell, I found myself scrolling through social media, my eyes scanning the screen for any mention of Haides. And then, there it was—his profile, as real and tangible as the air I breathed. My heart hammered in my chest as I clicked on his name, my cursor hovering over the “Add Friend” button. With a deep breath, I took the plunge, sending him a friend request. The action was bold, reckless even, but I couldn’t help myself.

I was about to close my laptop when a sudden impulse washed over me. Before I could talk myself out of it, I changed my relationship status to “In a relationship with Haides Anastos.” The words stared back at me, a declaration to the world, to Haides, to myself. It was a gamble, a move that could either draw him closer or push him away forever. Not that I would ever let him go now.

I sat back in my chair, the weight of my actions sinking in. My heart was racing, adrenaline coursing through my veins. I should be scared, but all I felt was alive. I had thrown caution to the wind, and there was no turning back now.

As I crawled into bed, my thoughts were a whirlwind of possibilities. Would he accept my friend request? Would he see the change in my status and come looking for me? I closed my eyes, the darkness behind my lids a welcome respite from the chaos of my mind.

I drifted off to sleep with a smile on my lips, the image of Haides’ darkened gaze full of hunger the last thing I saw before the world faded away. Tomorrow, I would start the search for the man who had consumed my every waking thought. But for now, I let the sweet oblivion of sleep claim me, content in the knowledge that I had set the wheels in motion.

The future was uncertain, but it was mine to shape. And I wouldn’t rest until Haides was by my side, where he belonged.