The Bride They Rejected

Chapter One: The Man She Chose(Part Two)

The apartment smelled of vanilla and butter.

A small chocolate cake cooled on the kitchen counter, its glossy ganache reflecting the warm pendant lights above. Elena had spent nearly two hours making it from scratch, even though Mrs. Rosa insisted she could have one delivered from the finest bakery in Manhattan.

But Adrian always said homemade tasted different.

More personal.

So Elena baked.

She stepped back to admire the dining table one last time.

Two candles.

Fresh white roses.

Crystal wine glasses.

The vintage watch sat in its silver wrapping beside Adrian's plate, waiting patiently like she was.

A soft smile curved her lips.

Maybe she was hopelessly romantic.

Sophia certainly thought so.

"One day," her best friend loved to tease, "you're going to love someone so much you'll forget to love yourself."

Elena had laughed every single time.

"That's dramatic."

"No," Sophia had replied with a grin. "That's you."

The memory made Elena chuckle.

She reached for her phone.

8:17 p.m.

Another message.

This time from Sophia.

"Happy anniversary, beautiful! ❤️"

"Has Mr. Perfect spoiled you yet?"

Elena smiled as she typed.

"He's stuck in a meeting."

"We're celebrating later."

The reply came almost instantly.

"Of course he is. Being the future CEO never ends.

Don't let him off too easily. Make him grovel a little. 😏"

Elena laughed.

She could almost hear Sophia's voice.

She had met Sophia just months after meeting Adrian, and somehow the three of them had become inseparable.

Movie nights.

Weekend brunches.

Holiday trips.

Sophia was the sister Elena had never had.

When Elena's grandmother passed away two years earlier, it had been Sophia who slept beside her for three nights straight, refusing to leave her alone with her grief.

There wasn't a single secret Elena hadn't shared with her.

Not one.

Not even the betrothal.

Especially not the betrothal.

"I still don't understand why you're scared."

Sophia had asked the question over coffee one autumn afternoon.

Elena stirred her cappuccino absentmindedly.

"You've never met him."

"I don't need to."

"But what if the stories aren't true?"

Elena snorted softly.

"You sound like my grandmother."

Sophia leaned forward.

"So tell me."

"What exactly have you heard?"

Elena sighed.

"What haven't I heard?"

"He fired an executive in front of six hundred employees."

"He bought a rival company just to destroy its owner."

"They say nobody has ever seen him smile."

Sophia raised an eyebrow.

"That's it?"

"That's enough!"

They both laughed.

Then Elena grew quiet.

"I don't want a marriage that starts because two old men shook hands before I was born."

"I want someone who chooses me."

Sophia smiled gently.

"Adrian chose you."

Those words had stayed with Elena.

Whenever doubt crept in...

She remembered them.

Adrian had chosen her.

Not because of an agreement.

Not because of duty.

Because he loved her.

Or so she believed.

The clock chimed nine.

Still no Adrian.

The candles had burned halfway down.

The pasta she'd prepared had gone cold.

She considered calling him.

Instead...

She opened i********:.

Big mistake.

The first post that appeared belonged to the official Moretti Group account.

A photograph of Adrian standing beside several executives.

Caption:

Closing another successful acquisition tonight.

She smiled.

See?

He really was working.

She felt guilty for doubting him.

Just as she was about to put her phone away...

Another post appeared.

This one wasn't from the company.

It was from a young socialite attending the same corporate event.

The video lasted only eight seconds.

People laughed beneath glittering chandeliers.

Champagne flowed.

Music played.

The camera swept across the room...

And there was Adrian.

Not discussing contracts.

Not giving a speech.

He was laughing.

A real laugh.

The kind she hadn't heard from him in weeks.

Before she could feel relieved...

The camera moved again.

Someone stepped beside him.

A woman.

The clip ended before Elena could see her face.

She frowned.

Probably another guest.

Nothing more.

She locked her phone.

She refused to become one of those women who searched for reasons not to trust the man they loved.

Trust mattered.

Suspicion destroyed relationships.

At least...

That's what Adrian always said.

At 9:42 p.m., the apartment door finally opened.

"Elena?"

His voice drifted through the hallway.

She hurried out of the kitchen, her disappointment dissolving almost instantly.

"There you are."

Adrian looked exhausted.

His tie hung loose around his neck, and the top button of his crisp white shirt had been undone.

"I'm sorry."

He crossed the room and kissed her forehead before she could speak.

"The meeting ran longer than expected."

She breathed in the familiar scent of his cologne.

For a moment...

Everything felt right again.

"It's okay."

"No," he said, brushing a thumb across her cheek. "It's our anniversary."

"I ruined it."

She smiled softly.

"We still have the rest of the night."

His gaze shifted to the dining table.

The candles.

The flowers.

The cake.

And finally...

The neatly wrapped gift.

"You did all this?"

"I wanted tonight to be special."

A flicker of something crossed his face.

Guilt.

Real guilt.

He walked over and pulled her gently into his arms.

"I'm the luckiest man in New York."

Heat rushed to Elena's cheeks.

"You always know what to say."

"Because it's true."

She closed her eyes.

This.

This was why she stayed through the disappointments.

The missed dinners.

The cancelled dates.

The endless work calls.

Because moments like these reminded her of the man she'd fallen in love with.

She didn't know...

That guilt and love could look almost identical.

As Adrian embraced her...

His phone vibrated inside his jacket pocket.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

He stiffened.

Barely enough for Elena to notice.

"I should turn that off," he murmured.

"Work?"

He nodded.

"Always."

He stepped away and slipped the phone from his pocket.

The screen lit up for less than a second.

Just long enough for one name to flash across it.

Sophia.

He turned the phone over before Elena could read the message.

"Sorry," he said easily. "The board never sleeps."

She nodded without question.

"Go ahead."

"I'll wait."

Adrian looked at her for a long moment.

Then smiled.

A smile so practiced...

So effortless...

That no one would have guessed it concealed a lie.