**Victor and Emily**
Bloody hell, thats Emily! Victor nearly choked on his coffee as the realisation hit him. Hed been sitting in a quaint little café on the high street, flipping through the paper, when her face leapt out at him from the front page.
No, it cant be. He tossed the newspaper aside and slumped back into the wicker chair. Thinking about her always brought back memories hed rather forgethis student days, hopelessly infatuated with that stunning girl whod played him like a fiddle. Hed been finishing his maths degree at Oxford when shed just started, fresh-faced and impossible to ignore. Shed caught him staring in the library and struck up some innocent conversation. And just like that, he was hooked.
Turned out she was hopeless at maths. Hed written her essays, crammed her with cheat sheets before exams, but nothing helped. Soon, her entire academic career was a disaster. Later, he wondered if shed even got into Oxford legitimately. Eventually, shed had enough. By the end of her first year, she dropped outand dumped him.
Were too different, shed said bluntly. Id only make you miserable. Youre a decent blokefind someone who suits you.
And that was that.
Now here she was, splashed across the front of some tacky tabloid. What the hell had she done? He snatched the paper back.
The article detailed the biggest scandal of the season. Some European royala notorious playboyhad swept a nightclub dancer off her feet. A whirlwind romance, an engagement announced at a posh London hotel. A proper sensation. And in the middle of it all? Emily, his Emily, about to become a princess. Shed come a long way.
Will you be ordering anything else? The waitress eyed him expectantly.
Right. Hed been hogging the table too long.
Stepping outside, Victors gaze locked onto the grand entrance of the very hotel where Emilys engagement was set to take place. My Emily, he caught himself thinking again. Damn it. That old wound, buried deep, had just split open. He hadnt forgotten her at all.
Before he knew it, he was inside, pushing through the crowd in the ballroom. A concert was underwaysome pop group blaring, half-dressed dancers strutting across the stage. The air was thick with anticipation. Victor squeezed to the front, not wanting to miss a thing.
The lights dimmed. A purple haze swirled up from the stage, glowing under the spotlights. The drums kicked inthe opening bars of *Starlight Forever*, that overplayed anthem. Dancers writhed at the edges, but the centre remained empty. Thenflash! A beam of light, and there she was. A ghostly figure, spinning slowly, waist-length hair flowing, dressed in a sheer teal gown that fluttered as if caught in a breeze.
Victor squinted. His stomach dropped. Thats Emily.
No, it cant be. He looked away, then back. She seemed taller, more polishednot the fresher he remembered, but a full-blown star. But it *was* her.
The reporter beside him was spellbound. Hed got an anonymous tip about a sensational performance and hadnt regretted coming. This was goldthe future princess, dancing onstage when shed refused every interview request. And she was stunning.
Then the dance changed. The music throbbed, but Emily wasnt spinning anymore. She arched back, trembling in time with the beat. A belly dance. The crowd went wild. Phones shot up, cameras flashed. Thenher dress slipped away, pooling at her feet.
Scandal.
A champagne bottle hurtled from the crowd, glinting under the lights. Someone had lost it. The bottle shouldve hit herbut instead, her figure *exploded* in a burst of light. Glass shattered somewhere backstage. The curtains dropped. Lights up.
Victor exhaled smoke, leaning back in his chair. Theyd met that morninghed tracked her down. Now, in a café, Emily propped her chin on her hands, listening.
I knew it was a setup, he said. I work in AI. The dim lighting, the hazeit was a hologram. They scanned your old club performances, digitised your moves. Lasers, smoke, and boomyoure dancing naked onstage.
He smirked. I filmed it. The bottle went right through you. Ill post it, expose the whole thing.
Emily sighed. Dont. The prince already called off the engagement. His mum put her foot down. Honestly? Im relieved. I never believed in fairy tales. She smiled faintly. But the publicity? Priceless. A lingerie brand offered me a contract. Big money. I landed on my feet.
Her fingers brushed his cheek. Youre a good man. But wed ruin each other. Find someone proper. And forget me.
She stood, walked away without looking back. Victor watched her go.
**Lesson learned:** Some loves are like fireworksbright, blinding, and best admired from a distance.
