Chapter 2: Public Humiliation
1056 Words
The first headline appeared before sunrise.
HEIRESS ABANDONED AT THE ALTAR!
By six o’clock in the morning, every major news outlet had picked up the story.
Nathaniel Cross Calls Off Wedding at the Last Minute.
The Wedding of the Year Ends in Disaster.
Who Is the Woman That Stole the Groom?
Inside Seraphina Whitmore’s bedroom, her phone buzzed relentlessly.
Buzz.
Buzz.
Buzz.
She lay motionless on her bed, still wearing yesterday’s wedding robe. Her eyes were swollen from crying, but no more tears came. It felt as though her heart had already cried itself empty.
Another notification flashed across the screen.
99+ unread messages.
She didn’t need to read them to know what they said.
Are you okay?
Is it true?
I can’t believe he did that to you.
Then came the crueler ones.
Maybe she wasn’t good enough.
Poor girl… how embarrassing.
Someone had even uploaded a video from the cathedral.
It already had over two million views.
The comments were merciless.
“She stood there like a fool.”
“If he left her, there must be a reason.”
“What a disgrace.”
Seraphina turned the phone face down.
Silence was kinder than the world outside.
A knock came at her bedroom door.
“Seraphina?”
It was her father.
She wiped her face before answering.
“Come in.”
Richard Whitmore entered slowly, looking as though he had aged ten years overnight. His usually neat suit was wrinkled, and exhaustion lined his face.
He tried to smile.
“You should eat something.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“You haven’t eaten since yesterday.”
“I said I’m not hungry.”
Her voice cracked.
Richard sighed and sat beside her.
“This isn’t your fault.”
She laughed bitterly.
“Then why does it feel like everyone thinks it is?”
He had no answer.
⸻
Across the city…
Nathaniel Cross stood on the balcony of a luxury penthouse, staring at the Manhattan skyline.
His phone rang for the twentieth time.
He ignored it.
Behind him, a woman wrapped her arms around his waist.
“You don’t regret it, do you?”
Nathaniel turned.
The woman smiled confidently.
She was beautiful.
Elegant.
Everything the media adored.
Vivienne Ashcroft.
The daughter of Ashcroft Luxury Group’s chairman.
She rested her head against his shoulder.
“You made the right decision.”
Nathaniel remained silent.
Vivienne lifted his chin.
“Our marriage will make us one of the richest couples in New York.”
He forced a smile.
“You’re right.”
Yet…
For some reason…
He couldn’t stop seeing Seraphina’s face.
The moment he imagined her standing alone at the altar, guilt tightened around his chest.
Vivienne noticed his expression immediately.
“You’re thinking about her.”
“No.”
“You are.”
She stepped back, her smile fading.
“Forget her.”
“I already have.”
Had he?
Even he wasn’t sure anymore.
⸻
Meanwhile…
Whitmore Events.
The once-busy office had become eerily quiet.
Employees gathered in small groups, whispering among themselves.
As soon as Richard walked in, everyone fell silent.
His secretary hurried over.
“Sir…”
“What is it?”
She hesitated before handing him a document.
“The bank called.”
Richard opened it.
His face turned white.
“The final loan repayment is due in seventy-two hours.”
“If we don’t pay…”
“They’ll begin legal proceedings.”
Richard gripped the paper tightly.
He had hoped investors would wait until after the wedding.
Instead, Nathaniel’s betrayal had made things worse.
Clients were already canceling contracts.
No company wanted to be associated with scandal.
Whitmore Events was collapsing faster than anyone imagined.
⸻
Back at the Whitmore residence…
Elena Brooks rushed through the front door without waiting to be announced.
She found Seraphina sitting alone in the garden, staring at the roses her late mother had planted years ago.
Elena hugged her tightly.
“I’m so sorry.”
For the first time that day…
Seraphina cried again.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
Just silent tears that refused to stop.
“I wasn’t enough,” she whispered.
Elena pulled away immediately.
“Don’t ever say that.”
“He chose someone else.”
“He chose money.”
Seraphina looked up.
“What?”
Elena took a deep breath.
“I’ve been investigating since yesterday.”
She handed Seraphina a tablet.
“There are photos.”
Seraphina looked down.
Her fingers trembled.
Nathaniel…
Standing beside Vivienne Ashcroft.
At a charity gala.
At business dinners.
On a private yacht.
The photos weren’t recent.
Some dated back nearly a year.
Her breathing became uneven.
“So…”
“He’d been cheating.”
Elena nodded.
“For months.”
Every memory from the past year suddenly felt like a lie.
Every late-night business meeting.
Every canceled dinner.
Every excuse.
He hadn’t been working.
He’d been with another woman.
Seraphina closed the tablet.
This time…
She didn’t cry.
She simply stood.
Her eyes had changed.
The heartbreak was still there.
But beneath it…
Something else had awakened.
Resolve.
“I loved him for five years.”
Elena squeezed her hand.
“I know.”
“I begged fate to give me a happy ending.”
Silence.
Then Seraphina spoke words she never imagined saying.
“I’ll never beg anyone to love me again.”
At that exact moment…
Her phone rang.
Unknown Number.
She almost ignored it.
Almost.
Instead…
She answered.
“Hello?”
A calm male voice spoke from the other end.
“Miss Whitmore?”
“Yes.”
“My name is Elias Rowan.”
There was a brief pause.
“I’m calling on behalf of Mr. Caspian Kingsley.”
Seraphina frowned.
She had never heard of him personally, though everyone in New York knew the name.
Caspian Kingsley.
The billionaire CEO of Kingsley Global Holdings.
One of the youngest and most powerful businessmen in the country.
Why would a man like that be calling her?
Elias continued.
“Mr. Kingsley would like to meet you.”
Seraphina’s brows knitted together.
“For what?”
“I’m afraid Mr. Kingsley prefers to explain that himself.”
Before she could ask another question, the line went dead.
Seraphina stared at her phone.
She had no idea…
That answering that call would change the course of her life forever.
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