Devil's Prisoner of Love by Prefer

Gemma looked as if she'd seen a ghost. Her voice wavered as she muttered, "How could this happen? Impossible. This is absolutely impossible."

Just that morning, she'd watched Heather storm out in a rage, even slapping her twice. Candy had been declared allergic-Gemma had heard it with her own ears.

But now, Candy stood right in front of her, dressed to perfection, her makeup flawless, with not the slightest hint of the rash Gemma had banked on. To make matters worse, Candy was performing the theme song for the promotional video. Whether intentional or not, the smile on Candy's face felt like a dagger, sharp and mocking.

Gemma squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her fists until her nails dug into her palms. A chill swept over her, though she couldn't tell if it was the cutting wind or the icy dread settling in her chest.

She had lost. Completely.

Her carefully laid plan had detonated in her face. She'd hoped to use Candy's supposed "allergy" to wreck Heather's reputation, undermine Ian's recent progress, and, above all, throw Aurora's product launch into chaos. She'd imagined Aurora's frustration, her humiliation.

But now, the castle of her schemes had crumbled. Her dream of revenge lay in ruins. Worse, her failure wasn't just personal-she was staring down the very real prospect of being fired by Sun.

If her plan had succeeded, the fallout wouldn't have mattered. Losing her job would've been a small price to pay for the damage she could've inflicted on her rivals. But instead, not only had they escaped unscathed, they'd triumphed. Gemma stood there, drowning in her defeat, while Candy's bright, mocking eyes seemed to pierce straight through her.

The laughter and music from the crowd felt distant and cruel. Gemma's chest tightened, smothering her. She couldn't bear it. Without so much as a glance back, she slipped away from the bustling scene.

Aurora's launch event was nothing short of a spectacle. The venue pulsed with energy- music, laughter, and celebration spilling out into the night. In contrast, Marcos' event was bleak, lifeless, and already fading into irrelevance.

Marcos had underestimated Aurora from the start. He'd dismissed her efforts as amateurish, confident that his reputation alone would carry the day. He hadn't bothered to put much thought into the early stages of promotion.

but

song was an instant hit, pulling the crowd toward Aurora's

into place-timing, location, and execution. The result was a dazzling celebration that felt less like a product

underwhelmed in the spotlight, had no special performance planned. The entire event felt rushed

Marcos' strategy grew impossible to ignore. "This is boring,"

out the other party," another

that, the crowd

live-streaming the event, making the excitement accessible

the nearly empty room, felt humiliation creeping up her spine. She

appointment," she muttered to Susan, her

She'd only agreed to attend as a favor, and with the event turning into such a disaster, she saw no

about to let this debacle tarnish her reputation. She slipped out, taking her

the time she was gone, Marcos' launch event

buzz of excitement

had been produced. Half of those

the celebrity endorsement, the emotional resonance of the promotional campaign, and the exclusivity of the product had created

pre-order. Aurora's team had planned for this, offering a pre- order system for the second batch. Customers could pay a deposit to secure their bottle, guaranteeing delivery before

buyers even ordered extra bottles for friends, while

overwhelming success by

was a wasteland. Tens of thousands of bottles sat