The world arrived in Corban like a tidal wave of flashbulbs and foreign accents, transforming the quiet harbor city into a glittering stage for redemption and reinvention. At 9:00 a.m., the first private jet touched down at Corban International (sleek white fuselage emblazoned with the logo of Laken’s newly launched beauty empire, 'Cinder & Frost').

Reporters from Kretia, Balmor, and even the distant archipelago nations swarmed the tarmac, their cameras hungry for the woman ...