THE BILLIONAIRE SHE BETRAYED

CHAPTER ONE: "You’re a good man, Damien, but love doesn’t pay bills." Vivienne Hart stood in the middle of their apartment, her arms folded across her chest. Her designer handbag rested on the marble counter, and the engagement ring Damien had given her three years ago lay beside it. Damien Sterling stared at the woman he had planned to marry in six weeks. "What did you just say?" Vivienne sighed impatiently. "I’ve given you three years of my life, Damien. Three years! And what do I have to show for it?" He looked around their modest apartment. He had chosen this life because he wanted to know whether a woman could love him without knowing about his wealth. He had believed Vivienne was that woman. "You have me," he said quietly. She laughed bitterly. "That’s exactly the problem. I have a man who drives an old car and keeps promising that things will get better." Damien’s jaw tightened. "Is this about Alexander?" Her silence answered him. Alexander Kingsley was the son of a wealthy business entrepreneur. He owned luxury cars, attended exclusive parties, and appeared regularly in business magazines. He was everything Damien had pretended not to be. "He’s offering me a future," Vivienne said. "A real future." "Have you been seeing him?" "Two months." For a moment, Damien couldn’t speak. Two months of lies. Two months of stolen kisses and secret meetings. Two months during which she had continued planning their wedding. "And the wedding?" he asked. "There won’t be a wedding." Damien picked up the engagement ring and slipped it into his pocket. "All right." Vivienne blinked in surprise. "That’s it? You’re not going to fight for me?" He looked at her. "Why would I fight for someone who has already chosen another man?" She grabbed her handbag. "Don’t come crawling back to me when you realize what you’ve lost." Damien watched her walk out. Then his phone vibrated. MARCUS: Sir, tomorrow’s Sterling Global gala is confirmed. The board is ready for your public introduction as president. Damien typed his reply. DAMIEN: Proceed as planned. He looked toward the closed door. Tomorrow, the world would discover who he really was. And Vivienne would discover the price of her decision.