Chapter 38 PSA
Adeline and Julian stepped into the hall side by side, their hands linked together in a way that looked natural to anyone watching but felt very deliberate to her. The moment they crossed the entrance, the room came alive. Cameras started flashing almost instantly, bright bursts of light going off from every direction, and the sound of shutters clicking filled the space like a constant hum. Every pair of eyes in the room turned toward them at once, and for a brief second, Adeline felt suffocated.
She kept her expression steady, but inside, there was a flicker of nerves she couldn’t completely ignore. Moments like this always reminded her of who she was and what her name carried. She was Jonathan Carter’s daughter, whether she liked it or not, and that meant her life had never truly been her own. Even when she tried to stay out of the spotlight, it always found its way back to her. She had never been someone who enjoyed public attention, never someone who craved it, but she had learned to use it when she needed to.
There had been a time when she chose to step into the public eye on purpose, not because she wanted fame, but because she wanted acknowledgement. If people talked about her, if they saw her as capable and strong, then her father would have no choice but to pretend, at least in public, that he was proud of her. That had been her strategy for years. It had given her a voice in a world where she had often been ignored.
Still, that didn’t mean she liked it.
There was always a part of her that wished her private life could remain exactly that—private. That she could make decisions without knowing that the entire world would have an opinion about them the next day, but that was not the life she had, and it was not the life she could choose now.
So she did what she always did.
She smiled.
It wasn’t overly bright or fake, but it was enough to look composed, enough to give the impression that she was completely in control. Beside her, Julian looked entirely at ease, like he belonged in this kind of setting. His posture was relaxed, his expression calm, and there wasn’t even a hint of discomfort in the way he carried himself. If anything, he looked like he thrived under this kind of attention.
Adeline noticed it immediately, and a small part of her couldn’t help but feel slightly jealous. Where she had to consciously hold herself together, Julian seemed to move through it effortlessly. He had always been like that, confident, bold, and completely unbothered by the eyes on him. She had often thought of him as someone who enjoyed attention, someone who knew exactly how to use it to his advantage.
To him, this was probably nothing.
To her, it still took effort.
They made their way toward the podium together, their pace steady despite the noise around them. The closer they got, the louder the room seemed to feel, and yet neither of them broke stride. When they reached the front, they paused for a moment, turning slightly toward the crowd as the reporters took advantage of the opportunity. The flashes became even more intense, and for a few seconds, it was nothing but light and sound.
Adeline held her position, her fingers still lightly wrapped around Julian’s hand. She kept her shoulders straight, her chin lifted, and her expression calm as she allowed them to take their pictures. She knew how this worked. These images would be everywhere within minutes, dissected and analyzed by people who had never met her.
After a few minutes, the noise settled just enough for them to begin.
Julian stepped slightly forward, guiding her with him before releasing her hand as he reached for the microphone. His presence shifted instantly, becoming more focused, more deliberate, like he had stepped into a role he knew very well.
“Thank you all for coming on such short notice,” he began, his voice steady and clear as it carried across the room.
The reporters quieted down just enough to listen, though their attention remained sharp, their cameras still occasionally flashing.
“We understand that there are a lot of questions,” Julian continued, glancing briefly across the room before returning his gaze forward. “And we intend to answer as many of them as we can today.”
There was a brief pause, just enough to let his words settle. “However,” he added, his tone shifting slightly, becoming firmer, “we would appreciate it if those questions remained respectful. There’s no need for insults or unnecessary remarks, especially when it comes to my fiancée.”
The word hung in the air.
Fiancée.
It was simple, but it had an immediate effect. A ripple moved through the crowd, subtle but noticeable, and the energy in the room shifted again. The reporters leaned forward slightly, their interest clearly heightened. That one word had confirmed everything they had been waiting to hear.
Adeline felt it too. She didn’t let it show, but hearing him say it out loud, like that, in front of everyone, made something shift inside her. It made everything feel more real, more permanent, even though she knew exactly what this arrangement was.
She stepped forward before Julian could say anything else. There was no way she was going to stand there and let him control the entire narrative. This was her situation just as much as it was his, if not more, and she wasn’t about to let herself be seen as someone who needed to be spoken for.
Julian moved aside easily, a small smile on his face as he gave her the space. Adeline reached for the microphone, her fingers steady as she adjusted it slightly. She took a brief second to look at the crowd in front of her, her expression calm and composed despite everything.
“Thank you for being here,” she began, her voice clear and even.
The room grew quieter, the attention now fully on her. “I know it took me some time to address everything that has happened over the past few days,” she continued. “And for that, I apologize.”
She didn’t rush her words. She spoke at a steady pace, giving herself time to think, to stay grounded, to remain in control.
“There has been a lot of speculation,” she added, her gaze moving briefly across the room. “A lot of assumptions and a lot of conclusions drawn without knowing the full picture.”
She paused again, just for a moment. “Before we begin taking questions,” she said, “I would like to make one thing very clear.”
There was a shift in the room again, the reporters leaning in slightly, waiting. “Yes,” she said simply. “Julian and I are getting married.”
The reaction was immediate. The room buzzed with murmurs, the sound rising and falling like a wave, but Adeline didn’t stop.
“Julian is the man I have chosen,” she continued, her tone steady, almost firm now. “The man I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
She felt Julian’s presence beside her, steady and silent, but she didn’t look at him. Her focus stayed on the crowd, on the message she was trying to deliver.
“And I would appreciate it,” she added, her voice softening slightly but not losing its strength, “if our relationship is not reduced to something scandalous or forbidden.”
Her fingers tightened slightly around the edge of the podium. “This is not a mistake,” she said. “And it is not something to be hidden.”
She let the words settle for a moment before finishing. “It is simply the beginning of something new,” she said. “Something that, hopefully, will not only bring us happiness but also put an end to the unnecessary tension that has existed for far too long.”
She stepped back slightly after that, her expression still composed, her posture still straight.
The room, however, was anything but calm.