Page 75 of Thirst Trap

“What the hell…” I groaned, dragging mine off the nightstand.

Lucas was already upright, jaw tight, scrolling his screen. He didn’t need to say it, his face said everything.

“Fuck,” I whispered. “It’s out, isn’t it?”

Headlines screamed back at me:

?CREAMS CEO IS @HELMETDADDY_XO

?CEO SLEEPING WITH ASSISTANT — EX-PATIENT EXPOSED

?Inside the Double Life of Lucas Cream: Thirst Traps, Criminal Empires, and Mental Hospitals

My stomach dropped.

“They found the hospital,” I whispered, going pale. “They found me. How…?”

“Don’t panic.” Lucas was already reaching for his suit jacket. “We’re shutting this down.”

“Lucas, what about you?”

He glanced at me, fire steady in his eyes. “Don’t worry, Mrs. Creams. They don’t control the story. I do.”

***

Creams Tower — Later That Morning

The atrium swarmed with cameras, influencers, reporters shouting for blood. Flashbulbs strobed off the marble. Lucas stepped up to the podium, immaculate in charcoal, calm as ever. I stood beside him in crimson, chin high, my hand clenched around his.

“Yes,” Lucas said into the sea of lenses. His voice was steady, almost casual. “I’m @helmetdaddy_xo.”

Gasps.

“It started years ago, when I needed to be seen for something other than my last name. I never expected it to reach anyone. But it did. It reached her.” His eyes cut to me.

“Maddison isn’t just my assistant. She’s my fiancée.”

Chaos erupted. Shouts, scribbles, feeds blowing up.

He didn’t flinch. “And as for her mental health — she’s never hidden it from me. I’m proud of her. She survived more than most people can imagine, and she came out stronger. Braver. More loyal than anyone I know.”

My throat tightened.

“Mental health is not shameful,” Lucas continued, eyes still on me. “You want a headline? Here’s one: Lucas Cream is in love with a woman who fought like hell to be here. And I’ll fight anyone who reduces her to anything less than the queen she is.”

For a heartbeat, the room went still. Then applause. Shouts. Chaos.

***

Backstage

I stood frozen, chest tight. “You… you called me your queen.”

“You are,” Lucas said simply. “I should’ve said it louder. Sooner.”

My breath cracked as I threw my arms around him. “You didn’t just save me,” I whispered. “You claimed me.”

“You were always mine,” he murmured into my hair. “Now the world knows too.”