THE BILLIONAIRE'S REJECT

I used to believe love could survive anything. Money. Power. Different backgrounds. Even the cold looks from people who thought I wasn't good enough. I was wrong. The first sign that something was wrong came when Damien let go of my hand. It was such a small thing that no one else would notice. But I did. I always did. We had just stepped into the grand ballroom of the Kingston Hotel. Crystal lights sparkled above us. A live orchestra played soft music while waiters moved between guests carrying glasses of champagne. Everyone turned to look at us. Not because of me. Because I was standing beside Damien Kingston. The future CEO of Kingston International. The man every business magazine wanted on its cover. The man I was supposed to marry in three months. He smiled politely at the guests, but his fingers slipped away from mine. I looked at him. "You okay?" I asked softly. He didn't answer right away. Instead, he fixed the cuff of his black suit and forced a smile. "I'm fine." He wasn't. I had known Damien for five years. I knew every smile he faked. Every time he was worried. Every time he was angry. Tonight, something was different. I tried to ignore the feeling growing in my chest. Maybe he was nervous. This was our engagement celebration after all. The biggest business leaders in New York were here. Politicians. Investors. Celebrities. The Kingston family wanted everyone to witness the announcement. I told myself everything would be fine. "Emilia." A warm voice made me smile. Margaret Kingston walked toward me with open arms. "My beautiful girl." She hugged me tightly. "You look stunning tonight." "Thank you, Grandma Margaret." She stepped back and looked at me proudly. "I always knew you would make this stubborn grandson of mine happy." I laughed. "So did I." Her smile faded for a second. She glanced across the room. "Don't let anyone make you feel like you don't belong here." The words caught me off guard. Before I could ask what she meant, someone interrupted us. "Aunt Margaret." Celeste Kingston appeared beside us wearing an expensive silver gown. Her smile looked perfect. Her eyes didn't. "There you are." She looked me up and down. "The guests are waiting." There was something in her voice that made my skin crawl. I had never understood why she disliked me. No matter how hard I tried, she always treated me like an outsider. I smiled anyway. "I'll be right there." She nodded once before walking away. Margaret squeezed my hand. "Stay close to Damien." "I will." But when I looked around again, Damien was gone. My heart skipped. I spotted him near the stage speaking with Arthur Kingston. Arthur rarely attended public events anymore. The founder of Kingston International looked older than the last time I had seen him, but his eyes were as sharp as ever. He noticed me watching. For a brief second, he smiled. Then Celeste stepped between us. Arthur's smile disappeared. Something about that small moment made me uneasy. I walked toward Damien. Before I reached him, my phone vibrated. Unknown Number. I almost ignored it. Instead, I opened the message. My blood turned cold. Leave now if you want to save yourself. I frowned. Another message appeared immediately. You were never meant to become a Kingston. I looked around the ballroom. Hundreds of faces. Hundreds of conversations. Who sent this? I quickly typed back. Who are you? The message failed to deliver. The number no longer existed. "What happened?" I jumped. Damien stood beside me. I locked my phone. "Nothing." He stared at me. "You don't look okay." "I just got a strange message." "What message?" I showed him my phone. He read it quickly. His jaw tightened. "It's probably someone trying to ruin tonight." "You think so?" "Ignore it." He handed my phone back. "I'll have security look into it later." I wanted to believe him. I really did. Then the host walked onto the stage. "Ladies and gentlemen." The room became quiet. "Thank you for joining the Kingston family on this wonderful evening." People applauded. I looked at Damien. He finally smiled at me. A real smile. My fear slowly disappeared. Maybe I had imagined everything. The host continued. "Before Mr. Damien Kingston makes his announcement, we have something special to present." Damien frowned. "I didn't plan anything." Neither did I. The large screen behind the stage suddenly lit up. At first it showed photos of Damien and me. Our graduation. Our first vacation. Our engagement. People smiled. Someone even clapped. Then the screen went black. A video appeared. I froze. It showed me sitting across from a man inside a restaurant. The video had no sound. The angle was strange. The man handed me a folder. I accepted it. The video ended. The room became silent. Another image appeared. A document with the Kingston International logo. Then another. Bank transfers. Private emails. Confidential contracts. None of them were real. I had never seen them before. Whispers spread through the ballroom. "What is this?" "Corporate leaks?" "Did she steal company files?" My hands started shaking. "This isn't real." I looked at Damien. "It isn't." He wasn't looking at me. His eyes stayed on the screen. Another image appeared. This time it looked like I was hugging the same man outside the restaurant. The angle hid his face. It looked intimate. Too intimate. I felt sick. "I don't know him." My voice barely came out. "I swear." Someone in the crowd laughed. Another person whispered loudly. "So she used him for money." "I knew she was too ordinary for this family." My chest hurt. I reached for Damien's hand. He stepped back. Just one step. But it felt like the ground disappeared beneath my feet. I stared at him. "Damien..." His face had turned cold. Cold enough to make me forget every smile we had ever shared. He slowly looked at me. Then he asked the question that shattered my heart. "Tell me the truth, Emilia." His voice was low. "So everyone can hear it." "What truth?" "Were you ever with me because you loved me..." He paused. "Or because you wanted everything my family could give you?"