Undercover Billionaire

Chapter 3

Nathan’s voice broke the fragile silence between them.

“I’m sorry, Natasha,” he said quietly, his eyes steady as he spoke. “But we can’t date anymore. I tried, really hard, but I can’t do this.”

The words landed like a slap.

Natasha felt heat rush through her chest, anger and hurt twisting together until she could barely breathe. She clenched her hands beneath the table, fighting to keep herself composed as tears welled in her eyes. She wiped them quickly, forcing a smile that didn’t quite hold.

“Babe,” she said, her voice trembling, “we can work this out. If there’s anything I’m doing wrong, just tell me. I’ll stop. I promise.”

Nathan looked away for a moment, then back at her. “Natasha,” he said gently, “I like you, but as a friend, not a girlfriend. I’m sorry, but I can’t date you.”

Her heart pounded wildly as panic set in. “I’ll do anything to make you love me,” she pleaded. “Just tell me what to do, babe.”

Nathan shook his head slowly. “This relationship can’t work between us. Let’s just stay as friends. Please try to understand.”

Something in Natasha snapped.

She pushed her chair back abruptly and slammed her hand against the table. The sharp sound echoed through the restaurant, drawing curious stares from nearby diners. Her face was flushed, her eyes blazing with fury and heartbreak.

“If I can’t have you,” she said coldly, her voice shaking with rage, “no one else will.”

Without waiting for a response, she turned and stormed out, her heels striking the floor.

Nathan sat frozen for a moment, stunned. Slowly, he exhaled and shook his head, disappointment weighing heavily on him. He reached for his glass, took a long drink, and closed his eyes, hoping the cool burn would steady his thoughts.

A while later, he stood, left the table, and headed out to his car and zoomed off.

Natasha didn’t remember the drive home.

She only remembered the moment she stepped into her apartment and the silence swallowed her whole. The door barely closed before everything inside her broke loose. She flung her clutch onto the couch, swept a vase off the table, and sent pillows crashing to the floor. The room echoed with the sound of shattering glass and muffled sobs as she sank, crying until her chest ached and her head throbbed.

Her phone buzzed.

Then buzzed again.

She reached for it with shaking hands.

“Hey babe, how did the proposal go?”

“I can’t wait to see your ring!”

The words blurred as fresh tears spilled over. A broken sound tore from her throat, and she dropped the phone onto the carpet, burying her face in her hands. The hope she had carried all day collapsed completely, leaving only humiliation and heartbreak behind.

Moments later, the phone rang again.

She hesitated before answering, already knowing who it was.

“Nata, my daughter,” her father’s familiar voice came through the line. “How did the date go? Did he propose?”

“No, Dad,” she sobbed. “He didn’t. He broke up with me.”

There was a sharp pause on the other end of the call, followed by a low, angry breath. “What?” Nelson said, his voice hardening. “How dare he do that to my daughter. He’s going to pay for this.”

Natasha clutched the phone tighter. “Please, Dad,” she cried. “Help me. Talk to him. Talk to his father. Please, make Nathan see reasons to come back to me.”

Nelson’s tone softened slightly, though the anger remained beneath it. “You deserve better, Natasha,” he said firmly. “There are millions of men in this world who will worship you. You don’t need to beg anyone to love you.”

But his words brought her no comfort.

After the call ended, the apartment fell silent again. Natasha curled up on the bed, still dressed in the gown she had chosen so carefully, tears soaking into the pillows. Exhaustion finally pulled her under, and she cried herself to sleep.

After the call with his daughter ended, Nelson stood alone in his study. The carefully controlled calm he showed the world cracked, replaced by a rage he rarely allowed himself to feel. His hands clenched at his sides as the reality sank in, his plans had been ruined.

For years, Nelson had lived in the shadow of his closest friend, Walter. While Walter stood at the very top as the wealthiest man in the country, Nelson remained seventh most powerful, respected, but never first. The jealousy gnawed at him quietly, constantly. He wanted more than success. He wanted dominance.

Nathan had been the key.

Nelson had always intended to use his daughter’s closeness to Nathan to his advantage. Through Natasha, he hoped to gain access, ideas, strategies, insights that could elevate Redline Industries beyond its limits. And if that failed, he believed he could still influence Nathan himself, shaping him, extracting what he needed through emotional ties and obligation.

But now, that path was closed.

Nathan had walked away. And with him went Nelson’s best chance to surpass Walter.

The thought made his jaw tighten. He poured himself a drink, then another, the burn of the alcohol doing little to cool his anger. The room grew hazy as he drank heavily, replaying everything that had gone wrong, missed opportunities, broken alliances, the humiliation of remaining second to a man he once stood beside as an equal.

Eventually, exhaustion overtook his fury. Nelson slumped into his chair, the glass slipping from his hand, and drifted into a restless, alcohol heavy sleep, his ambitions unresolved, his resentment only growing deeper in the dark.

After ending things with Natasha, Nathan returned to his life. There were no dramatic changes, no public signs of turmoil. He attended meetings, signed documents, and moved through his days as he always had, composed, efficient, untouchable. Yet beneath the routine, something restless had begun to stir.

One afternoon, while driving through the city, his attention was caught by a young boy weaving carefully through traffic on a scooter, a delivery box strapped behind him. The boy looked tired but focused, purposeful in a way Nathan hadn’t felt in years. He watched him disappear down the street, and a thought surfaced, unexpected, persistent.

“What if I lived a normal life?”

What if he stepped away from boardrooms and bodyguards and experienced the world as an average citizen?

The idea took hold.

Nathan imagined himself delivering food, navigating unfamiliar streets, meeting ordinary people with ordinary lives. No titles. No expectations. Just freedom. The more he thought about it, the more it felt like the answer to something he hadn’t known he was searching for.

Without hesitation, he applied for a pizza delivery job.