The Name She Left Behind
The crowd hadn't recovered from the shock of King Albanian testing the pill himself. Students were still buzzing, filming, screaming into phones. Professors whispered among themselves, unsure whether to resume protocol or simply pack up.
Valerie didn't move.
She just stood there, her breath caught halfway in her chest, eyes locked on the place where King had stood.
"Val?" Tina nudged her arm.
Valerie blinked, slowly turning. "That man…"
Her voice was a whisper, fragile, like it would break if spoken too loud.
"Do you know him?" she asked, swallowing hard.
Tina gave a short, shocked laugh. "Know him? Valerie—that's King Albanian. The King. The Albanian Conglomerate, ten global companies, capital's economic backbone—the almighty King. Who doesn't know him?"
The words hit like a windstorm. Valerie's hands shot up and covered her mouth.
Her knees nearly buckled.
Him.
Her breath came in short bursts as her mind spun back to that night—the night—the soft sheets, the dim Suite light, the smell of whisky and sandalwood. The man she'd offered herself to like she had nothing left to lose. The man whose eyes lingered on her like she was something fragile he didn't want to crush.
The one who didn't touch her like a stranger. Who held her after.
Who she thought was just a tired businessman.
She thought he was… a nobody.
Her lips trembled. "No… no no no…"
She had offered to pay him for the night—*
She sank onto the nearby bench, her face in her hands.
Tina crouched beside her, worried. "Val, are you okay? Why are you—do you know him?"
Valerie shook her head slowly, the past colliding with her present.
"I didn't know he was… him," she whispered.
"He's the man," Valerie said, barely audible. "The one from that night."
Tina's eyes widened. "Wait. That night? The Suite that save you?"
Valerie nodded, breath unsteady. "I… I thought he was just some man. A random client. I thought maybe he pitied me. I even—I even considered leaving money on the nightstand when I snuck out. All I left was my name. Just my name…"
Tina gasped, clutched Valerie's hands. "You mean to tell me you lost your virginity to King Albanian?!"
Valerie buried her face in her palms again. "Tina… I gave myself to him. I thought I was taking control. I thought he'd forget. And now… he shows up here. Just like that."
Her heart thundered in her ears.
"Did he… come because of me?"
She looked back toward the distant marble hallway where King had disappeared.
Tina watched her, stunned. "Val… he recognized you. I swear. The way he looked at you? That wasn't business."
Valerie tried to breathe, tried to center herself, but everything spun.
"I thought I vanished that night. I thought I'd erased myself."
"But what if I didn't disappear at all?"
Tina looked around nervously, seeing more students watching them, whispering, phones hovering nearby.
"Let's get out of here. You need a quiet place."
Valerie waved her hand.
"I'm fine, I can manage." She is good at enduring, she has to endure it like she used to.
---
The large auditorium had gone eerily quiet.
All eyes remained glued to the front, where King Albanian sat on the specially prepared observation platform. The most powerful man in the capital had just upended the entire event by offering himself as a test subject.
Even the livestream counter exploded—nearing a million views within seconds.
Sophia sat in stiff silence, every muscle locked. Her fingers were cold.
Valerie stood near the back with Tina, arms crossed, eyes unreadable.
The judges gave one another unsure glances, clearly unsettled. One of them cleared his throat.
"Your Majesty… we advise against—"
King raised a single hand.
"It's settled," he said calmly. "Miss Valerie claims her formula is authentic. Miss Sophia's supporters say otherwise. Let's test that claim. Publicly."
His assistant leaned closer, voice low and urgent. "Sir, this isn't necessary. You haven't slept in days. What if—"
King didn't even look at him.
"That's precisely why I'm the best test subject."
He turned slightly, his voice carrying to the crowd.
"I've just returned from a trip spanning four countries in five days. I haven't had more than two hours of rest. And for someone like me, there is no such thing as a real night's sleep."
"So," he continued, eyes narrowing with razor focus, "let's start with the one everyone is praising."
He pointed at Sophia's pill.
A lab assistant in white gloves brought the pale, flower-engraved capsule forward. The scent from the sample was faint, sweet—reminiscent of expensive perfume.
King took the capsule and examined it in his palm. The audience watched, breathless.
"Presentation: Elegant. Scent: Manipulated," he said plainly.
Then he popped the pill into his mouth, swallowed it dry.
The countdown began.
The judges looked anxious. Sophia clutched her skirt tightly, casting glances at her mother who sat stiffly in the VIP guest area.
Five minutes passed.
Nothing.
Ten minutes.
King adjusted his cuffs, staring into the crowd, impassive. The assistant leaned closer again. "Sir? Anything?"
He ran a hand through his hair. "No change. Still feel like I could punch through concrete."
Twenty minutes.
King stood up, slow and steady, then walked back to the table.
"Well?" he asked coolly, turning toward the judges.
They fumbled for words.
Sophia's smile had faded. Her knees wobbled beneath her expensive skirt.
"It's supposed to work over time—" one judge offered.
"No," King said sharply, silencing him.
He picked up the second capsule—the one made by Valerie.
No engraving. No added polish. It looked ordinary, even rustic.
King lifted it closer to his nose. In contrast to Sophia's, this one smelled… earthy. Natural. There was a trace of bitterness, of roots, of something wild.
And yet, it reminded him of the hotel.
Of her.
He swallowed the pill without a word.
The silence in the auditorium was as thick as oil.
One minute… two… five.
Then something shifted.
King blinked.
He rolled his shoulders slightly. Then leaned back in the chair. His breathing slowed—notably so.
At minute ten, he exhaled deeply.
Then he looked up at the ceiling like it was the first time he'd noticed its color.
"I can feel it," he said, almost surprised.
He glanced toward the assistant. "It's not sleep… but my body isn't fighting itself anymore."
The judges gawked.
"What exactly are you feeling, sir?" asked one.
"Clarity," he said simply. "A steadying stillness."
He looked out over the crowd again, then directly at Valerie.
For a moment, everyone else faded.
You again.
He knew it now—without doubt.
Sophia's eyes filled with dread as murmurs flooded the auditorium.
"His whole face changed."
"He looks calmer already."
"Did you see that? He smirked—King never smirks."
Valerie didn't speak. She didn't gloat. She simply held his gaze, expression unreadable.
Meanwhile, on the livestream, comments poured in like a tsunami:
"King Albanian took HER pill!"
"What does she know that Sophia doesn't?"
"This girl… is the real deal."
"Forget beauty, give me results!"
Sophia's hands shook at her sides.
Her mother's face turned to stone.
Valerie's lips moved, barely a whisper.
"I never made the pill to impress," she said.
"I made it to heal."