Lena Voss had imagined her engagement party a hundred times. None of the versions ended with her standing alone, mascara streaked, as her fiancé announced to the room that he couldn't marry her.
The ballroom went silent first, then erupted in whispers. Champagne glasses froze halfway to lips. Guests leaned in like vultures circling a wounded animal.
"Daniel," Lena's voice cracked. "What are you doing?"
Her fiancé, ex-fiancé now didn't even flinch. He adjusted his tie and looked out over the crowd as if delivering a press statement. "This isn't working. I can't spend my life pretending."
Gasps, Phones lifted, Screens glowed. Her humiliation was live within seconds.
Someone laughed. Not kindly.
Lena's chest tightened, her throat dry. She wanted to scream, to demand an explanation, but Daniel had already walked off the stage. Just like that, three years together ended in front of two hundred people and half the city's media.
She stood frozen, gripping the edge of the podium, while the whispers spread. Words like fraud and scandal hissed through the room.
Across the crowd, one man didn't whisper. He didn't laugh, he simply watched. Tall, sharp suited, face unreadable, Nathaniel Cross.
The Nathaniel Cross,Billionaire, CEO, Kingmaker. His name alone could send stocks crashing or soaring. Why was he even here? She had never spoken to him in her life. Yet in that moment, his gaze pinned her like a verdict.
Lena forced herself to move, to step down from the stage. Heads turned, phones followed. She smiled fake, brittle and walked straight out of the ballroom.
The next morning should have been quiet, private but Instead, Lena's name was splashed across every business blog and gossip site. PR strategist dumped at her own party.Career girl loses ring, loses job.
Her phone buzzed until the battery died. Messages ranged from pity to cruel amusement. The worst came from her boss: a single line email.
"Effective immediately, your contract with Veyron Media is terminated. Please clear your desk today."
She read it twice. Her chest hollowed out. Fired, Just like that.
By noon, she was carrying a cardboard box out of the office while former colleagues whispered behind her. She didn't stop walking until she reached the street.
Her career, her relationship, her reputation. All gone in twenty four hours.
By evening, Lena was back in her small apartment, blinds drawn, lights off. She sat on the couch with her phone in her hand, scrolling headlines until the words blurred.
Every article replayed her humiliation. Every photo froze her in the worst moment of her life.
A knock startled her. Not gentle, sharp.
She opened the door to find Ethan Cole, Cross Enterprises' infamous assistant. Sleek suit, tablet in hand, expression smooth.
"Miss Voss?" he said.
Lena blinked. "Do I know you?"
"Not personally, but my employer would like to speak with you."
Her stomach dropped. "Your employer?"
He gave a small smile. "Nathaniel Cross."
Lena stared at him, words caught in her throat. The man who had watched her crumble last night wanted to see her?
"Why?" she asked.
Ethan didn't blink. "He'll explain himself. Tomorrow. Ten a.m. Cross Enterprises headquarters."
She laughed, sharp and bitter. "Tell your boss I'm not in the mood for games."
Ethan held her gaze. "Nathaniel Cross doesn't play games, Miss Voss. He makes offers. And he doesn't repeat them."
Then he handed her a card with the Cross Enterprises crest and left without another word.
Lena closed the door, card clutched tight in her hand.
She should throw it away. Forget it, hide until the scandal passed.
But deep down, she knew the truth.
Nathaniel Cross didn't summon people without reason. And if he wanted her, it wasn't kindness. It was something else. Something dangerous.