Chapter 13
The night was wonderful.
Every detail of the engagement party had been precisely planned–a large ballroom, a sea of prominent guests, and a love tale that the world had no option but to believe.
Aria stood at the heart of it all, her champagne glass in hand, clad in a custom silver gown that shimmered under the golden lights. The diamond ring on her finger caught the mirror, a symbol of everything she had built, everything she had become.
Liam stood behind her, effortlessly charming as he entertained their visitors. He was cool, collected–exactly what she needed.
Exactly who Adrian Marsden was not.
The concept should have felt like victory.
Then why did she feel that storm brewing?
She took a leisurely sip of her drink, ignoring the whispers around her. The media was already having a field day with the engagement, speculating whether this was a true love story or just another play in the game of power.
Aria didn’t care what people thought.
This was her story to tell. And tonight, she was going to end it on her terms.
But she should have known Adrian wouldn’t let her. Not without a struggle.
Adrian had never felt this type of desperation before.
Not when he established his empire from the ground up. Not when he confronted cutthroat business rivals. Not when he lost everything, only to regain it with measured precision.
But losing her? Losing Isabella? That was a loss he couldn’t survive.
He stood outside the huge hotel where her engagement party was in full swing, his heart thumping
The security at the entry had already denied him twice. But Adrian wasn’t leaving.
Not tonight.
SO
hard
it
felt like it may burst through his ribs.
Not without seeing her one last time.
The guards were muttering into their earpieces, waiting for orders, possibly from Liam.
That bastard has everything now.
Adrian gritted his teeth. He had been so many things in his life–a businessman, a king among men, a cruel leader. But never had he been a beggar. Not till today.
Ignoring the calls of security behind him, he pushed through the doors.
The instant he stepped inside, everything stopped.
The music. The laughing. The chats.
And then, as if the world had halted, his sight found her.
She stood at the far end of the ballroom, brilliant, untouchable–everything he had lost.
His breath caught in his throat. And then she spotted him.
For a time, just a second, something sparked in her expression. Shock. Pain. Then, just as soon, it was gone. Replaced by chilly apathy. That was what broke him.
That was what made his knees crumble beneath him.
And then Adrian Marsden did the one thing he never dreamed he’d do.
He sank to his knees. In front of everyone. In front of her. Gasps resonated through the room.
People turned, muttering, murmuring.
The formerly invincible Adrian Marsden was now on his knees, broken, desperate.
He didn’t care. All that mattered was her.
His voice was husky, filled with passion he couldn’t swallow. “I can’t live without you, Bella.”
Aria stood frozen. He had called her that name. That name that no longer belonged to her.
She swallowed the lump in her throat, ignoring the searing ache in her chest.
She had prepared for this time. She had rehearsed it in her thoughts over and over.
And yet… Seeing him like this.
A man who once had the world at his feet, now kneeling before her, imploring, breaking- It unnerved her.
Liam stepped forward, his presence solid beside her. “I think it’s time for you to leave, Marsden.”
Adrian didn’t even glance at him. His eyes were fixed on het. The only thing that had ever mattered “Please,” he muttered. “Tell me it’s not too late.”
Aria let out a quiet breath, her fingers clenching around the stem of her glass.
She had already made her decision. And yet, for a single second, her thinking deceived her.
Menemies. The way he used to hold her. The way he used to utter her name. The evenings she spent wrapped in his arms, believing he was hers,
But then, just as quickly
The betrayal came pouring back The lies. The nights he spent with her. The way he had led her feel she was the only one, when she was nothing more than a conventence. Her heart grew chilly again.
She stepped forward, her shoes clicking across the marble floor.
The room was silent. Everyone was waiting
She glanced down at him—the man who had once owned all and now had nothing
Her voice was faint, but it pierced through the silence like a razor.
Chapter 13
“I loved you, Adrian.”
His breath hitched.
“But love doesn’t survive betrayal.”
The final blow. The final goodbye. And then–She turned and walked away, leaving him kneeling in his ruin.
The whispers in the room grew louder.
The journalists had already documented every moment. The cameras had filmed it all.
Adrian Marsden–the once untouchable man—had just been destroyed in front of the entire world.
Liam placed a hand on the small of Aria’s back, urging her toward the exit.
“You okay?” he muttered.
She breathed, keeping her posture straight. “Yes.”
And yet, as she strode out into the darkness, leaving behind the ruins of the man she once loved-
She couldn’t shake the notion that it wasn’t over. Not yet. Not entirely.
The headlines came first.
“Adrian Marsden’s Public Breakdown at Aria Laurent’s Engagement Party–A Billionaire Brought to His Knees.”
“The Night Adrian Marsden Lost Everything–Public Humiliation or True Heartbreak?”
“Aria Laurent Walks Away, Leaving Her Past in Ruins.”
The visions followed–Adrian on his knees, eyes vacant, holding the fabric of his suit like he could hold himself together.
But he couldn’t. Because everything had already gone apart.
Days passed. Then a week.
Adrian disappeared from the public spotlight.
No press statements. No sightings. No business meetings.
For the first time in his life, Adrian Marsden was nowhere.
The world whispered, wondering what had become of him.
But the fact was far less glamorous than the rumors. The penthouse was silent.
