THE BILLIONAIREANDCLASSMATE
566 Words
Chapter 12: Truth Behind the Ring
Layla didn’t speak to Khalid for three days.
On the fourth, he came down to her floor — no assistant, no bodyguards. Just him.
“I need five minutes,” he said quietly.
She almost said no. But something in his eyes stopped her.
Inside the meeting room, he took a breath. “The engagement isn’t real. It’s not romantic. It never was.”
Layla crossed her arms. “Then why go along with it?”
He looked tired. “Because her father is sick. Because she’s scared. Because she’s in love with someone her family doesn’t approve of.”
Layla blinked, confused.
“She asked for time. I agreed to pretend — just for a few months — until she finds a way out without shaming her father publicly. I was trying to help.”
He stepped closer.
“But I never expected you to show up again.”
---
Chapter 13: The Ring That Meant Nothing
Layla sat down slowly. Her heart was racing.
“You’re not marrying her?”
“No,” he said firmly. “I never planned to. We both agreed it was temporary. She’s not in love with me.”
“Then why didn’t you just tell me that?”
“I wanted to,” he said. “But I didn’t want to make excuses. I wanted to fix it first. End it clean.”
She looked away. “People think you’re engaged.”
“Let them think.”
“Khalid—”
He gently lifted her chin. “I don’t want them. I don’t want her. I want you.”
Her eyes welled. “I don’t know if I can trust this.”
“Then let me earn it,” he whispered. “Every single day.”
---Chapter 16: The Goodbye That Wasn’t Said
Khalid approached her the next morning.
In front of everyone, yet his eyes only searched for hers.
“Layla,” he said quietly. “I know what happened that night. But I want to talk about it. For real.”
She didn’t meet his eyes.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” she said coldly. “It was a mistake.”
His heart clenched. Still, he kept his face unreadable.
“If that’s how you feel…” he nodded slowly. “Okay.”
He walked away.
She didn’t stop him.
But the moment he left, it felt like a part of her breath walked out too.
---
Chapter 17: The Breaking News & The Exit
Hours later, she overheard two coworkers chatting near the elevators.
“Did you hear? Mr. Arman’s fiancée is flying in next week! There’s going to be a charity gala — she’ll be standing right next to him.”
Layla froze.
He said it wasn’t real.
He said he didn’t want her.
So why was she coming?
Why hadn’t he stopped it?
That evening, she checked her inbox.
There it was — the email from the company she had once interviewed with:
> Subject: Job Offer
We are pleased to offer you the position. Relocation assistance included.
You may begin whenever you're ready.
She didn’t hesitate.
By sunrise, her resignation letter was typed and sent:
> Subject: Resignation
Effective immediately.
Thank you for the opportunity.
— Layla S.
As she zipped up her suitcase, she whispered to herself:
“This time, I choose myself.”
- Writer
