Chapter 4
639 Words
I took the apple and bit into it.
"I'm done."
I threw back the blanket, got out of bed, and immediately called a moving company.
"Go to the penthouse in Building 12 of Riverside Bay. Clear out everything that belongs to me. Even the trash in the garbage can."
Two hours later, the movers video-called me. Half of everything in the apartment that belonged to me was gone. Even the matching couple mugs I'd bought had been smashed before being thrown away.
My eyes landed on the plain silver ring sitting inside a drawer. The cheap band Edward had casually tossed to me years ago.
"Throw that away too."
After ending the call, I didn't block Edward's number. I simply muted him.
*****
When Edward returned to the apartment, he found half the place completely empty.
Instead of panicking, he smiled arrogantly at Nia, who was lounging on the couch.
"Forget about her. She's just pulling another stunt, trying to make me give in by running away. We've been together for ten years. She'll never be able to let me go. When the wedding day comes, she'll crawl back wearing that cheap backup wedding dress and beg me to marry her."
*****
I sat in the backseat of a limited-edition Maybach as it drove through the gates of the most prestigious family estate in the capital.
Ten years ago, for Edward, I'd refused the marriage alliance my family had arranged. My grandfather had disowned me for it.
Now I was finally home.
Inside the estate's grand hall, every elder of the family stood waiting.
Charles walked toward me. Then, in front of everyone, he dropped to one knee. He opened a velvet jewelry box. Inside rested an unbelievably beautiful pink diamond.
The legendary Pink Star, worth three hundred million dollars.
He slowly slid the ring onto my finger.
"Eleanor, welcome home. I told you, one day, I'd give you the wedding you truly deserve."
*****
On the wedding day, the ballroom at the top floor of the Hilton Hotel was packed with celebrities, business tycoons, and the most powerful families in the capital.
Edward stood on the stage in a custom-made tuxedo. He glanced at his watch and smirked confidently.
"Mr. Jones, Ms. Stone still isn't here. Should we delay the ceremony?" His assistant asked anxiously.
Edward waved him off. "No. She wouldn't dare not show up."
His eyes remained fixed on the tightly closed golden doors.
"Start the music."
The wedding march began right on schedule.
Everyone in the room turned toward the entrance.
Nia sat in the front row, swirling a glass of wine, already waiting to watch me make a fool of myself.
Then, the golden doors slowly opened.
I wasn't wearing the cheap backup wedding dress Edward had prepared. Instead, I stepped inside wearing a couture wedding gown worth eighty million dollars. More than ten thousand genuine South African diamonds shimmered across the flowing train.
The man walking beside me wasn't my father. It was Charles, the world's most sought-after actor, whose fortune was measured in the hundreds of billions.
The smug smile froze on Edward's face. His eyes locked onto the arm linked through Charles's.
His voice cracked. "Eleanor! What the hell are you doing? You actually found some random guy to make me jealous? And you even rented a fake designer dress? Aren't you embarrassed?"
I walked calmly to the center of the stage. Then I let go of Charles's arm.
Charles reached into his pocket and took out a velvet ring box. He opened it. Inside rested a breathtaking diamond ring.
Charles slowly dropped to one knee. Then he slipped the ring onto my finger.
"Marry me. My princess."
Edward lunged toward me, reaching for my wrist.
Before his hand could even touch me, Charles sent him flying with one brutal kick.
- Writer
