The Billionaire's Regret: Ruining My Arrogant Ex

Lies and Limousines

Billionaire's Regret: Previously

Ethan Thorne shattered Elena's heart and self-esteem, but from that, 'Elena Vaughn' was born. With the help of her father's old friend, Marcus Vaughn, Elena has now reached Singapore. She has turned her old wounds and that withered 'yellow rose' into her strength. Three years of rigorous austerity and 'wolf-training' have begun. While Ethan celebrates his victory in India, the stage for his downfall begins in Singapore.

Now onwards...

Singapore's Vaughn Towers towered over the skyline. It wasn't just a corporate office, but the seat of one of the world's most powerful business empires. Marcus Vaughn sat in his luxurious cabin on the 50th floor. As serene as the view outside was, the atmosphere inside was equally tense.

In front of Marcus stood a strikingly beautiful but arrogant young woman. She was dressed in the latest Parisian designer clothing and had a strange arrogance. She was Sienna Vaughn, Marcus's niece. Sienna had just returned from her studies in Paris and felt that, because she bore the surname 'Vaughn,' she alone had a right to the entire empire.

Just then, the heavy door of the cabin opened. Elena and Dolly entered. Elena was dressed in a simple but elegant suit. Her eyes no longer held the same innocence, but a cold, sharp glint. Dolly stood quietly behind her, holding her laptop bag.

Siena swirled her expensive red wine glass and craned her neck to look Elena up and down. Her eyes were filled with hatred and contempt. She slowly walked over to Elena and said with a smirk, "Oh, Uncle! Has the Vaughan estate gotten so cheap now that you've started picking up charity cases from the streets?"

Siena approached Elena, pretending to sniff the air and, wrinkling her nose, said, "Look at the stitching of their clothes... Shame! Uncle, the clothes of people like these still smell of those Indian slums and poverty. Do you really think this girl is worthy of our board meeting chairs?"

Dolly was furious at Siena's words. She opened her mouth to speak when Elena stopped her with a wave of her hand.

Elena took a step forward. The sound of her high heels echoed throughout the quiet cabin. Looking Siena straight in the eyes, she said with a cold smile, "Siena Vaughn... Business isn't run by surname, it's by brains. Inherited things can give pride, not ability."

Siena's face flushed with anger, but Elena didn't stop. Pointing to Siena's expensive perfume, she continued, "And as for my clothes, remember... even your expensive French perfumes can't hide the burn and the lack of hard work inside you. A person who knows how to sweat doesn't need any fragrance in the world."

The cabin fell silent. Siena was stunned. She never imagined this "ordinary" looking girl from India would give her such a befitting reply.

Marcus Vaughn, who had been silently observing all this, suddenly burst out laughing. "Haha! Dad... Calm down, both of you! Siena, your tongue is still as sharp as ever, but remember, Elena is not my guest here, she's my 'student.'"

Marcus picked up a thick file from his desk and placed it in the center of the table. His voice had now become professional and stern.

"It's time to test your abilities. I have a huge Global Tech Merger project ahead of me. This deal is worth billions of dollars and involves the world's largest tech joint ventures. I need separate presentations from both of you at tomorrow morning's board meeting. Whoever has the best strategy and can convince me that we can win this deal... will be in charge of my main office in Singapore and my direct mentorship."

Marcus looked at them with his sharp eyes. "Siena, you have the legacy of the Vaughn name. Elena, you have nothing to lose and the whole sky to gain. Tomorrow at 9 a.m.... in the board room."

Siena gave Elena one last scornful look, slammed her wine glass down on the table, and stormed out. Dolly breathed a sigh of relief after she left.

"Elena! Did you see what a witch she was? Calling us a 'charity case!'" Dolly said angrily.

Elena turned to the window and looked at the tall buildings of Singapore. Her fists clenched. "Let her say it, Dolly. Siena is just an obstacle; my real enemy isn't here, but in India. But if I want to reach Ethan Thorne, I must first win Uncle Marcus's trust. Tonight we won't sleep... Tonight we will write history."

The nights of Delhi were no longer the same for Ethan Thorne as they had been before Elena left. His luxurious office on the top floor of Thorne Towers, once a symbol of his triumph and power, now felt like a desolate cage. The social media video in which he had humiliated Elena in front of the whole world was now outdated. The internet had moved on, people had forgotten that "poor girl," but Ethan?

That night played over and over in Ethan's mind like a horror movie. He stood on the glass balcony of his office, a glass of scotch in his hand, but the intoxication of alcohol was not soothing him.

He said to himself a thousand times, "I'm angry because that little girl ruined my game by disappearing. Why didn't she plead with me? Why didn't she give up?"

But a part of him knew he was lying to himself. He wasn't angry, he was restless. He missed the girl he'd ruined with his own hands. He remembered the innocence in Elena's eyes that had turned to hatred that night, and Ethan's hand would tremble.

That night, drunk and feeling a strange helplessness, Ethan drove his expensive car to the place where everything had begun—the old auditorium where the party had been that night.

It was now silent. The stage from which he'd pushed Elena was now shrouded in darkness. Ethan approached the platform with faltering steps. It was raining lightly outside, just as it had that night. The same scene kept flashing before Ethan's eyes—Elena falling, her being covered in mud, and her looking at Ethan for the last time.

"Why aren't you leaving my mind?" Ethan shouted, his voice echoing in the empty hall.

Just then, amidst the dust and debris on the ground, he spotted something glistening. Ethan bent down and picked it up. It was a small, cheap brass earring. Elena's earring. The earring that had probably fallen out of her ear during the fall that night.

Ethan placed it in his palm. Its polish had worn off, it was caked with dirt. A look of disgust crossed Ethan's face.

"Useless trash!" he said through gritted teeth. "Just like that girl... cheap and worthless."

He raised his hand in the air, trying with all his might to throw the earring away into the darkness. He wanted every memory of Elena to vanish from his life along with it. But, just as he was about to let go, his hand froze in midair.

Instead of throwing it away, his fingers gripped the earring even tighter. Ethan's heart suddenly raced. Sweat beaded on his forehead. He couldn't unclench his fist even if he wanted to.

Ethan Thorne, who used to turn down big business deals in a flash, couldn't muster the courage to throw away a small piece of brass today.

"What's happening to me?" he asked himself, gasping. "I hate this! I hate that girl!"

But his heart was responding to him—it wasn't hatred, it was a yearning Ethan couldn't identify. He brought the earring to his eyes. He remembered how it would touch Elena's cheeks when she laughed. A strange pang rose in Ethan's chest. He didn't kiss the earring, but he tucked it into the nearest pocket of his shirt—right above his heart.

He didn't know that what he'd been preserving as a 'memory' was actually the first sign of his own destruction. That earring had now become a poison for Ethan, slowly eating him from within.

Back in Singapore, it was 3 a.m., but the lights in Elena's room were still on. Dolly was pounding her fingers furiously on the keyboard.

"Elena! I've pulled up all of Siena's past records," Dolly whispered. "There's a huge discrepancy in the data regarding what she's calling a 'global tech merger.' Siena, with the help of a friend in Paris, fabricated reports to impress Uncle Marcus."

Elena, who had been marking points on a large map, slowly turned around. Her eyes were no longer as moist as before. She was now thinking like a predator.

"Siena thinks the Voughn surname will save her," Elena said, her voice steady. "But she doesn't know that even a small mistake in business can be life-threatening. Dolly, can you access those original files?"

"Done!" Dolly pressed a button. "In the next 24 hours, all of Siena's lies will be on the big screen in the board room."

Elena's next move will not only shatter Siena's pride but also mark the beginning of her reign over Marcus Vaughn's empire. Will Elena be able to outwit Siena's tricks? Will Marcus Vaughn understand the lioness he has harbored?

And the biggest question of all—will Ethan Thorne lose his mind under the weight of that broken earring?