The fake wedding photos had done exactly what May intended: set the internet ablaze and draw Alexa out from her last shadows of control.
Every headline screamed their names:
"Shane Kingston's Secret Wedding?"
"May Anderson Claims the Queen—In Lace and Lust"
"Ex-Wife Alexa Moreau Responds in Tears and Rage"
And Alexa? She wasn't quiet anymore. Not even close.
That same evening, Shane and May returned from Italy to find the penthouse swarming with paparazzi. Security had to push through the crowd. Shane was calm—cold and composed in her black suit, glasses hiding the burn in her eyes. But May saw the tension in her jaw, the slight twitch in her fingers.
"What's next?" May asked as they finally shut the door behind them.
Shane didn't speak.
She just walked over, pulled May against her, and kissed her hard. Like she needed to taste something real. To ground herself in May's mouth, her skin, her warmth.
May melted into it—but she could feel it: Shane was holding on by a thread.
Then—the elevator dinged.
Shane stiffened.
They weren't expecting anyone.
Seconds later, the door slammed open.
Alexa.
Drenched from the storm outside, eyeliner smudged, her designer heels clicking across the marble like gunshots.
May stepped protectively in front of Shane.
Alexa's eyes locked on Shane. Not May.
"You kissed her like that in front of the world," Alexa said, voice shaking. "In my dress. On our anniversary."
May scoffed. "You're insane."
Alexa ignored her. "That was my ring once. That was my body she held like that. She whispered those same things to me—when we were tangled in sheets that cost more than this entire penthouse."
Shane stayed still. A lion watching a snake.
"I forgave you once," Alexa hissed, stepping closer. "When you left. When you disappeared without even telling me why. But this? You think I'll let you humiliate me in front of the world?"
May crossed her arms. "You want humiliation? Go cry on another video call."
Alexa snapped.
She lunged.
In an instant, May grabbed her wrist—but it was Shane who moved faster.
Shane slammed her hand against the wall beside Alexa's head, pinning her there without touching her, towering over her like thunderclouds ready to break.
"Don't ever touch her," Shane said, voice like ice under pressure. "Not while I'm breathing."
Alexa trembled.
"But you touched me," she whispered. "You loved me once."
Shane's voice dropped—low and deadly. "I don't even remember what your skin feels like."
Alexa blinked, stunned. That cracked something in her. Her chest rose with ragged, uneven breath.
"I'll ruin you," she whispered.
Shane leaned in closer. "Try. But you're already forgotten."
May stepped beside her then, sliding her fingers through Shane's. Their hands linked—unshakable.
Alexa's eyes dropped to their interlocked hands, to the matching bite mark Shane still wore on her collarbone, half visible under her unbuttoned shirt.
She let out a scream. An actual scream.
"You're mine!" she shrieked, voice shattering with betrayal. "You were always mine!"
Then—security burst in and pulled her away.
Alexa fought like a wild thing, heels skidding on the floor, hair falling over her face. "I'll burn it all down, Shane! Everything you love—I'll turn to ash!"
The door slammed behind her.
Silence.
May looked at Shane—who was still frozen, chest heaving, teeth clenched.
"She's not done," Shane finally said, voice quiet. "She's going to try something else. I know her. She's going to dig deeper. She's going to find a way to hurt you."
May stepped in front of her, eyes fierce. "Then we burn her first."
Later That Night
Shane didn't speak much. But when she took May to bed, she worshipped her—like she needed to remind herself what was real. Who was hers.
She stripped May slowly, kissed every inch of her skin like she was mapping sacred territory. And when she entered her—deep, steady, breathless—it wasn't just lust. It was possession. Devotion.
Shane didn't just make love that night.
She claimed May.
And as May cried out her name, shaking beneath her, Shane whispered against her lips, "No one will take you from me."
The news was still fresh, the scandal scorching hot.
Alexa's public meltdown had already gone viral.
Clips of her screaming in Shane's penthouse were all over social media. The dramatic shove from security. The cracked eyeliner. Her shrill voice echoing: "You're mine!"
And yet, she wasn't done.
Not by a long shot.
Two nights later, Shane and May attended a charity gala hosted by one of Shane's old business allies—a high-profile event, cameras everywhere, and perfect for damage control.
Shane looked lethal in a jet-black suit, crisp shirt unbuttoned just low enough to tease. Hair slicked back. Cufflinks worth more than most cars. Power oozed from every step she took.
May, beside her, looked like temptation sculpted into a dress—ruby red, backless, slit high, lips to match. She wore the color like blood, like war. Her hand never left Shane's arm. She wanted everyone to know.
Especially Alexa.
Because yes—she was there too.
Draped in silver sequins, sipping champagne, pretending like the world hadn't watched her break.
When Shane and May entered the ballroom, Alexa turned.
Shane looked lethal in a jet-black suit, crisp shirt unbuttoned just low enough to tease. Hair slicked back. Cufflinks worth more than most cars. Power oozed from every step she took.
May, beside her, looked like temptation sculpted into a dress—ruby red, backless, slit high, lips to match. She wore the color like blood, like war. Her hand never left Shane's arm. She wanted everyone to know.
Especially Alexa.
Because yes—she was there too.
Draped in silver sequins, sipping champagne, pretending like the world hadn't watched her break.
When Shane and May entered the ballroom, Alexa turned.
Her eyes locked on Shane. Her smile cracked as she saw their hands clasped. Her throat visibly tightened when she saw May—looking like every wet dream she'd never have.
Shane barely acknowledged her. Cold, unreadable.
But May?
May smiled.
And then she leaned in, slowly, dangerously, brushing her lips over Shane's cheek.
Shane's breath hitched—only for a second.
Then May whispered, just loud enough for Alexa to hear:
"Look at her, baby. She's dying to be you."
Shane smirked.
Alexa took a step forward. "Shane. A word."
May turned, her eyes like razors. "She's busy."
Alexa ignored her. "Alone."
Shane stared at her for a long, tense second. Then—shrugged.
"I'm not hiding," Shane said. "So say what you came to say."
Alexa stepped closer. "You can't erase me. We were real. That night in Paris—you begged me to stay. And I did. I stayed while you built your empire. And now she gets to—"
She didn't finish.
Because in that moment, May cupped Shane's jaw, tilted her face up—and kissed her.
Hard. Possessive. Deep.
Right there. In front of Alexa.
It wasn't sweet.
It was claiming.
Shane didn't pull away. Her hands gripped May's waist, pulling her closer as the kiss deepened. People were watching. Cameras were flashing. But none of it mattered.
When they finally parted, May licked her lips and whispered, "Still think you're the one she begs for?"
Alexa's face was white-hot fury. Her fingers curled into fists.
"You think this is love?" she hissed. "She'll use you, too. She always does. Ask her why she left me. Ask her what she did."
May didn't blink. "You want me to ask? Fine."
She turned to Shane, lips brushing her ear. "Tell me, baby. What did you do?"
Shane's jaw clenched. Her voice was quiet—but it cut like glass.
"I ran. Because I saw what loving her would turn me into."
May smiled slowly, her hand drifting over Shane's chest. "Then thank god you ran. Because this version of you? She's mine now."
Alexa's scream cracked the air—raw and heartbroken.
She threw her champagne glass. It shattered on the floor, drawing gasps across the room.
Security rushed in.
Shane didn't move.
May didn't flinch.
They just stood there—unshaken—while Alexa was dragged out for the second time that week.
But this time, there were witnesses. Reporters. Cameras.
And as Alexa disappeared down the hall, Shane whispered against May's temple, "You didn't have to do that."
May turned her face to Shane's. "I wanted to. She needed to know she lost."
And deep down, Shane knew—this wasn't over.
But tonight?
They had won.