The morning sun slipped through the tall glass walls of Skyview Villa, painting soft gold across Edward's bedroom.
He stirred lazily, rubbing his eyes as the light warmed his face.With a small groan, he turned to the other side of the bed—only to find it empty.
"Huh," he murmured, sitting up. "Did she go to the kitchen?"
The silence answered him. Then he noticed a folded note placed neatly on the bedside stand.
He picked it up and read.
Lina:Mr. Mysterious, thank you for the wonderful time. I really enjoyed being with you.And don't worry — I'm not the type to cling or ask for responsibilities.We're both adults, and I know you don't love me, nor do I expect to be part of your world.I just hope I'll stay as a good memory in yours.—Lina
Edward exhaled softly, then chuckled. "Well… this is more of a letter than a note."
He wasn't angry. If anything, he was impressed. Any other woman would've taken pictures, posted stories, or found a way to latch onto his status. Lina didn't. She walked away quietly — just like he would've.
Edward smirked to himself, picked up his phone, and typed a message.
Edward:Noona, if you really think you can escape responsibility after using my body all night, you're in for a surprise.
Chuckling at his own words, he left the room and headed to the bathroom. After a quick shower, he made himself coffee and toast, enjoying the calm silence of the villa.
Lina's Apartment
Meanwhile, Lina was already facing her best friend's wrath.
Maddy stood with her arms crossed, glaring daggers. "So, Miss Internet Sensation, would you care to explain where you vanished after your viral shopping spree yesterday?"
Lina flinched. "Maddy, why are you so mad this early? Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed or something?"
Maddy barked, "Don't play dumb! You disappeared all night, your stream exploded, your followers went through the roof — and you ignored every call I made! You better have a good reason, or I'm kicking your butt!"
Lina sighed, realizing there was no escape. She sat down and started explaining everything — from the shopping, the stream, the dinner… and the night that followed.
When she finished, Maddy just stared at her. Then—
"What?! That bastard took advantage of you and left early in the morning?!"
Lina groaned, facepalming. "Oh my god, no! I left first, alright? He didn't force anything. It was my choice. I didn't want to look like some clingy baggage, so I left before he even woke up."
Maddy blinked, still fuming. "You idiot. What if he actually liked you? You should've at least stayed for breakfast or something!"
Lina smiled faintly, a little sad. "Come on, Maddy. He lives in Crescent Hill. The guy spends millions like he's buying snacks. There's no way someone like him would ever… you know, look at me that way."
Maddy frowned. "What's that supposed to mean? You're smart, beautiful, and you worked your ass off to get where you are. You literally built everything on your own. You think that's not worth anything?"
Lina laughed softly. "You're making it sound like I'm some kind of heroine. Anyway…" —she reached into her bag and pulled out a box— "I actually have something for you."
She handed it to Maddy.
Maddy opened it — and froze. Inside was the rose-gold Chronos watch Edward had given Lina.
"Lina… are you crazy? This is your gift!"
Lina smiled gently. "Take it, Maddy. You can sell it, pay off your loans, and cover your brother's treatment. I'll survive without a fancy watch."
Maddy's eyes filled with tears. "So that's why you accepted it… damn it, Lina. You never think about yourself, do you?"
Lina laughed quietly and hugged her. "You're the one who helped me since graduation. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't even be here. So don't cry, tigress."
Maddy sniffed, half-laughing through her tears. "You're an idiot. A wonderful idiot."
Just then, Lina's phone buzzed with a message.
She picked it up — and froze mid-breath.
Maddy frowned. "What's wrong?"
Lina just stared at the screen, cheeks burning.
Maddy snatched the phone from her hand — and burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Oh my god, Lina! He texted, 'if you think you can escape responsibility after using my body all night…' HAHAHAHA!"
Lina covered her face. "I hate him."
Maddy was laughing so hard she nearly fell off the couch. "No, you don't. You're screwed, girl — he's coming for you!"
Lina sighed, hiding her smile behind her hands. "Yeah… maybe I am."
Skyview Villa
After breakfast, Edward dropped onto the couch, coffee in one hand and his phone in the other.
He opened Instagram first, then X. His feed exploded with mentions, edits, and fan-made posts. Everywhere he looked — "Mr. Mysterious."
Edward chuckled quietly, scrolling through."Mr. Mysterious, huh? Guess that's what happens when you buy silence in bulk."
He smirked. "So that's what fame looks like, huh? No wonder rich people never run out of audience."
He leaned back, stretching. "Alright, Sugar. How much do I have left from the mission funds?"
"Still a good amount to play with." Edward sipped his coffee, the hint of a grin on his lips. "Let's make our first post memorable."
He opened his X app, typed slowly, and hit post:
@Mr.MysteriousHello everyone, thanks for following me. To make our first interaction memorable — I'll buy the top-liked suggestion you guys make. Limit: $3 million. Go wild.
He set the phone aside and smiled. "Let's see how fast the internet burns itself out."
Edward leaned back on the couch, watching his phone screen light up like wildfire.Notifications were pouring in faster than he could read — likes, comments, tags, edits, theories.
He smirked. "No kidding. Guess three million dollars still speaks louder than words."
Within minutes, his post had already crossed half a million likes.The comment section was chaos — requests ranging from the ridiculous to the absurd.
@JetBlackRose: "Buy me a house, daddy."
@Sectmaster: "Would you like to buy Flower welding technique?".
@TheRealChocoBabe: "Buy me a yacht and I'll name it after your silence 😭."@BrokeGenius: "Can you pay my student loans? They only cost like... my soul."@WildStreak: "Just adopt me at this point."
Edward scrolled lazily, the corner of his mouth curving slightly."Same world, new clowns," he muttered.
Then one comment caught his eye — sitting neatly at the top, gaining traction faster than the rest.
@LinaVerse:'If you're really building your foundation, start with land — not brands. Buy property, not noise. Real roots don't fade with trends.'
Edward paused, reading it twice.Simple, direct, and clever — just like her.
He refreshed the feed again. Lina's comment had already crossed half a million likes.
And the replies were… something else entirely.
@LuxLuna: "Wifey material speaking facts 🔥🔥🔥.
@TrendLab: "She's the only one giving business advice instead of begging for gifts 😭👏
@TeaWithMira: "So she's beautiful and smart? No wonder he bought her that watch 😏 @SimpForMister: "Lina's his girlfriend, confirmed. She's protecting the empire already 😭@BillionBae: "Buy the land, King! Listen to your Queen!"💍
Edward couldn't help it — he laughed, shaking his head. "Queen, huh? You guys move fast."
Edward swiped through a few of the trending tags. Fan edits were already circulating — clips of him walking beside Lina in the mall, slowed down and overlaid with dramatic music. Captions like "Every king has his queen" and "She steadies the silence" were everywhere.
He rubbed his temples, still smiling. "The internet's delusional."
Edward leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees. "Use it, huh…"
"So basically," Edward said, smirking faintly, "I'm getting free marketing because people think I'm in love."
He took a sip of his coffee, staring at the glowing city outside the window."Well then," he murmured, "let's make the illusion useful."
Edward opened his X app again and typed his next post slowly — short, controlled, and deliberately vague.
@Mr.Mysterious:Land holds value. Not just money — legacy. Thanks for the reminder, @LinaVerse.
He hit post.
Within five minutes, it was everywhere.
@TrendPulse: "HE TAGGED HER. OH MY GOD HE TAGGED HER."
@RichTalkDaily: "Power moves. Power words. The man just turned a comment into strategy."
@ShippingAddict: "That's not a post — that's a public love letter in CEO language."
Edward smirked at the madness filling his screen. "You weren't kidding, Sugar. The internet really is the biggest battlefield."
He leaned back, eyes calm, a faint glint in his expression."Then let's keep building the empire… one illusion at a time."