𝐁𝐨𝐲𝐬 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 - 𝑩𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒇 (𝑨𝑴𝑩𝑾)

42: PRIZM

Liliana's pov

The blinding flashes didn't stop. I froze, my breath catching in my throat as voices surrounded us like a storm.

"Who's the girl, Chan?"

"Are you dating?"

"Is this a secret getaway?"

My hands trembled, and I instinctively took a step closer to Chan, my heart thundering in my chest. I could barely see through the flashes, my mind racing. This wasn't supposed to happen. This couldn't happen.

"Enough!" Chan's deep voice cut through the chaos like a whip.

For a moment, the noise ceased. The paparazzi stilled, their cameras lowering slightly as they exchanged uneasy glances.

Chan stood tall, his jaw clenched and his voice dripping with frustration. "Get out of the way. I need to sleep before work tomorrow. You've got your pictures-now leave us alone."

The silence that followed was heavy, oppressive even. And then I heard it. A soft chuckle, light and almost playful.

My heart sank. Who's laughing at this right now?

The chuckle grew louder, spreading like wildfire through the crowd. Some of the paparazzi were now snickering, their laughter oddly coordinated. Confused, I glanced up at Chan, who was frowning deeply.

Then, from behind the crowd, I spotted her-Mariah. She emerged, clapping her hands, her grin so wide it could've split her face.

"Gotcha!" she hollered, her voice dripping with mischief. "It's a prank!"

For a moment, my brain didn't process what she'd said. A prank? This whole thing? My knees almost buckled with the wave of relief that crashed over me.

"A prank?!" I echoed, my voice cracking, my eyes narrowing as my heart started to slow.

Mariah threw her head back in laughter, walking up to us with an air of triumph. "You should've seen your face, Liliana. Oh, priceless!"

"You did this?!" I spluttered, my body finally coming out of its frozen state.

"Not just me," she admitted, gesturing toward the "paparazzi," who now removed their fake press badges, some giving sheepish waves. "It was a whole team effort. Chan was in on it too!"

I spun toward him, betrayal flashing across my face. "You knew?!"

Chan rubbed the back of his neck, looking uncharacteristically sheepish. "Well, I... It was Mariah's idea, and I thought it might be... fun?"

"Fun?" My voice went higher, disbelief laced in every syllable. "I thought my life was over! I thought you'd ruined-"

Mariah cut me off, slinging an arm over my shoulders. "Oh, come on, Lili. You're too uptight sometimes. Consider this your initiation. You handled it like a champ!"

I glared at her, though the relief bubbling inside me made it hard to hold onto my anger. "I hate you. I really, really hate you."

"You don't mean that." Mariah grinned, pulling me into a quick hug.

Chan laughed softly from behind me. "You've gotta admit, it was pretty convincing."

"Convincing?!" I whirled around, pointing a finger at him. "You were terrifying. That whole 'get out of the way' speech? I was about to faint!"

He shrugged, his lips twitching like he was trying to suppress a smile. "You're welcome?"

I crossed my arms, trying to look mad, but the tension in my body had all but dissolved. The weight of panic was gone, replaced with exasperation.