Empire of Nothing

By Tuesday morning, Nova and Zane were officially the campus power couple — whether they meant to be or not.

There were memes. Stickers. One guy even showed up wearing a "Team Zova" hoodie.

Nova wanted to scream. Or laugh. Probably both.

Zane? He leaned into it like he was born for the spotlight.

"You realize we're trending," he whispered to her between classes.

Nova rolled her eyes. "Why is this our life?"

"Because we're hot and chaotic."

She couldn't argue.

That afternoon, Nova came back to Zane's house to find balloons.

Balloons. Streamers. A table full of food.

And Rina in the kitchen holding a giant cake that read:

"Congratulations Nova & Zane – Engaged in Spirit, Drama in Reality!"

Nova blinked. "What is happening."

"I threw you an engagement dinner!" Rina beamed. "Only close friends and family. No pressure. I even made meatballs shaped like hearts!"

Zane groaned. "Mom…"

"Oh hush. Your siblings are on their way. Kieran made a toast. Sasha brought a tiara."

Nova looked at Zane. "I don't know whether to run or cry."

"Do neither. Grab a crown and commit to the bit."

Dinner was chaos.

Kieran made a speech that turned into a roast.Sasha made Zane and Nova do a fake first dance in the living room.Zane's younger cousin gifted them a "wedding scrapbook" made from printer paper and glitter glue.

Through it all, Nova laughed until her face hurt.

The weirdest part?

None of it felt fake anymore.

Zane leaned over during dessert and whispered, "If we were actually dating, we'd be unstoppable."

Nova raised a brow. "You're annoying."

"You're obsessed with me."

She smirked. "Obviously."

Meanwhile, back at the mansion?

Ryder was pacing.Ethan was silent.Darian was gone.And Max?

Max was watching the viral video of Zane spinning Nova during their "first dance" like it was a threat to national security.

They had no idea what to do.

Because for the first time…

She wasn't waiting for them to change.

She'd already found what she needed.