Chapter 7 - The Cost of Loving a King
Despite Damian’s arrest, the damage was done.
The rumor of the fake engagement had leaked to a tabloid before Damian was caught. The next morning, the European board called an emergency meeting.
Ava sat in the penthouse living room, watching the financial news. Vance Global stock was dipping. The commentators were ruthlessly debating whether Julian’s engagement was a fraudulent stunt to manipulate the market.
Julian walked out of his home office, looking exhausted. He poured a coffee, not meeting her eyes.
“The board is threatening to pull out,” Julian said quietly. “They want a sworn affidavit that our relationship is legally binding, or they kill the sixty billion dollar deal.”
Ava’s heart shattered. She looked at Julian—the man who had saved her, the man she had fallen irreversibly, hopelessly in love with. She knew how much this deal meant to his legacy. He had built it from the ground up.
“Then give it to them,” Ava said, her voice breaking.
Julian looked up, his brow furrowing. “What?”
“The contract,” Ava said, standing up, forcing herself to be strong. “We dissolve the contract. I walk away. You tell the press that we broke up due to irreconcilable differences, but that the relationship was real. You save face. You save the company.”
Julian stared at her, his eyes hardening into ice. “You want to leave?”
“I have to, Julian! If I stay, they’ll keep digging. They’ll find out it started as a transaction. I will ruin you!”
“I don’t care about the money, Ava!” Julian roared, slamming his coffee cup down on the marble counter so hard it shattered.
“But you do!” Ava yelled back, tears spilling down her cheeks. “You built this empire to protect yourself, Julian! If you lose it because of me, you’ll resent me forever. I won’t be the woman who tears down everything you’ve built.”
Ava turned and ran into the master bedroom. She didn’t pack the designer clothes. She didn’t take the jewelry. She packed her old jeans, her worn-out sneakers, and her plain black work dress into her small duffel bag.
She walked back into the living room. Julian was standing exactly where she left him, staring at her with a look of absolute devastation.
She took the ten-carat diamond ring off her finger. She set it gently on the kitchen island.
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“I didn’t do this for the five million dollars, Julian,” she whispered, her voice choking on a sob. “I did it because I fell in love with you. But you don’t need a liability. You need your empire. Goodbye.”
She walked out the door, the heavy oak clicking shut behind her, leaving the King of New York entirely alone in his glass castle.
