2025-02-14 00:36:06"There’s no way I marry you, Benjamin."
Emily said, staring at the small box in front of her with cold eyes.
Benjamin was still on the floor. He remained on one knee, staring up at her in confusion.
Emily let out a bitter smile and shook her head.
"You really thought I’d say yes?"
"Benjamin, let’s be honest," she said, her voice calm but distant. "The gap between us has grown too wide. Can’t you see it?"
"I run a successful company. And you? You have nothing."
"Nothing?" Benjamin repeated in disbelief.
Maybe in her eyes, they came from different financial worlds. But he had believed, truly believed, that she loved him for who he was.
Clearly, he had been wrong.
Maybe Emily did love him. But she never cared about love. All she cared about was profit.
Even though Benjamin wasn’t the nobody she thought he was.
"We've been together for three years," he said, his voice steadier than he felt.
Emily sighed, her expression indifferent.
"Look, I’m sorry, Benjamin," she said, though there wasn’t any apologize in her tone. "You’ve been good to me. Better than anyone."
"But if all I wanted was ‘good,’ I’d just get myself a puppy."
Benjamin’s stomach twisted.
A puppy?
Everything he had done for her, out of love, and she saw him as nothing more than an obedient dog?
"I need someone who’s good for my business."
"Marriage is a profit and loss statement, Benjamin. And you? You bring me no benefits."
Benjamin felt something inside him snap.
"You can't be serious." His voice was low, almost deadly quiet.
The door to her office swung open, and another woman strutted in.
Her pencil heels clicked against the carpet, each step deliberate, demanding attention.
Celine.
"Perfect timing," he muttered under his breath.
Celine had been Emily's best friend since high school. They shared a lot more than just good looks.
She always played watchdog, ensuring Emily’s decisions as CEO of Strat Corporation were flawless.
Her sharp green eyes flicked over the scene.
The balloons, the little red box, the man kneeling one knee on the floor.
And she let out a low whistle.
"Oh, wow," she sneered. "Someone actually had the balls to propose."
"Stay out of this, Celine," Benjamin said, his tone measured. "This is between Emily and me."
Celine smirked, crossing her arms.
"Last time I checked, there was no ‘Emily and you.’"
"My girl’s been patient enough."
She shot Benjamin a look of mock sympathy.
"Sure, you two had a thing in college. Maybe you even saved her life once or twice. But three years?" She scoffed. "That’s more than enough payback for your worthless efforts."
Benjamin clenched his fists in his pockets, keeping his anger on a tight leash.
"This is just because you think I’m poor?" He directed his question at Emily, each word carefully measured.
“What if I tell you, I’m not the one you thought.”
“I have money, and I have power.”
“Will you change your mind?”
Emily didn’t answer and just frowned slightly.
Celine burst out laughing beside her.
“Come on, don’t be ridiculous. You have nothing but your old pants.”
She smirked and dropped a bigger bomb.
"And our Emily won’t change her mind. In case you don’t know, she’s already moved on."
" She’s engaged to Marcus Roberts!”
“The dashing, wealthy, and powerful catch she deserves. Unlike you, he can support Emily’s business!"
Benjamin’s head snapped toward Emily so fast it nearly gave him whiplash.
"Emily, is this true?"
Emily met his gaze, her face unreadable.
Although there was turbulence beneath the surface, her composure never cracked.
"Leave, Benjamin," Celine cut in, her voice sharp. "Emily has said all she needs to say. This is where it ends."
"Pack up your little circus of a proposal and take your cheap, junkyard ring with you."
She laughed, nudging the red box toward him with the edge of a folder.
Benjamin stared at Emily, a thousand thoughts swirling in his mind. He never thought it would end like this.
Not after three years of standing by her, supporting her.
He had stood by her for three years.
He had loved her.
And yet, in the end, he was nothing to her.
Slowly, he picked up the box and slipped it into his pocket.
“You will regret this, Emily.” Benjamin said quietly.
With one last look at Emily, he walked out of the office.
Celine smirked as the door clicked shut.
"Good riddance," she said. "That was way easier than I thought."
She turned back to Emily with a victorious grin.
"Now, let’s get back to the real wedding plans. Trust me, babe, you’re making the smartest decision of your life."
Emily nodded faintly. "Of course," she murmured.
Marrying Marcus was the smart choice. He would bring her wealth, power, stability.
Benjamin was a loss she couldn’t afford.
Yet, as the sound of his footsteps faded into the distance, an emptiness settled in her chest.
Why did it feel like she had just lost something irreplaceable? Something more valuable than all the wealth and power she could ever gain?
***
Benjamin stood inside the elevator, a heavy weight pressing against his chest.
After everything he had done behind the scenes to support her, she had tossed off their relationship like toilet paper.
His sharp grey eyes glowed with restrained anger. A storm he had learnt to control over the years.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the small, dull red box, which he had offered to Emily for his proposal.
He flipped it open, and a shiny red stone dazzled as it caught the elevator light.
The Dragon's Eye.
A red diamond so deep, so vivid, it looked like the eye of a dragon.
It was a masterpiece, worth a staggering 10.5 million dollars. Rare. Irreplaceable. Even "being successful" like Emily couldn’t dream of affording. Not to rent, let alone own.
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Latest Chapter
Chapter 90
The air smelled like dust, smoke, and fear. Benjamin stood at the edge of the ruined street, staring at the enemy’s fortifications in the distance. The new faction had been tightening their grip on the city for weeks now, cutting off supplies, spreading propaganda, and making it harder for his people to hold their ground.This battle was crucial. Lose here, and everything he’d worked for in the last year would start crumbling.He could hear the low rumble of machinery in the distance. Armored trucks, heavy weapons, and men ready to fight for the faction’s leader. The man who had become Benjamin’s newest rival. The man who, in a strange way, reminded him of himself.Benjamin adjusted his jacket and took a deep breath. His men were waiting for his signal. They trusted him to lead them through this.“Once we breach that wall,” his second-in-command, Mason, said, “it’s going to be chaos. They’re well-prepared.”Benjamin nodded. “That’s why we can’t give them time to think.”He was about
Chapter 89
Benjamin had been expecting this day. He didn’t know exactly when it would come, or what form it would take, but he knew sooner or later he would have to look his new enemy in the eye.The media blitz against the new faction had landed like a thunderclap. The files, the proof, the recordings all laid out for the world to see. Governments debated it. News anchors repeated Benjamin’s name like it was suddenly part of the political weather. People called him bold, reckless, dangerous. And somewhere out there, the leader of that faction had been watching too.The meeting request didn’t come in the form of a polite email or a quiet invitation. It came in a much more direct way.A convoy of sleek black SUVs rolled up outside one of Benjamin’s safehouses not the public headquarters, but one of his private, guarded locations known only to his closest circle. The vehicles stopped, doors opening in unison like a scene from a film. His people were immediately on edge. But then a single fig
Chapter 88
Benjamin Moore stood by the wide glass window of the penthouse, staring out at the city lights. It was late, but the streets still glowed like veins of gold in the dark. The hum of the traffic below was distant, muted by the thick walls. Inside, the air was tense. Everyone knew what they were about to do. And everyone knew there would be no going back.The new faction had been making moves, quietly, strategically. Their influence was spreading in places most people didn’t even notice. But Benjamin noticed. He always noticed. And now, it was time to respond.Amanda sat at the round table, scrolling through her tablet, double-checking the files they had compiled. “We’ve got everything,” she said, her voice steady but sharp. “Every bank transfer, every secret deal, every shady meeting they thought was hidden.”Darius leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “The question is, how loud do you want to make this? Once it’s out there, you can’t pull it back.”Benjamin turned slowly, his expres
Chapter 87
It had been a long, exhausting week. The kind of week where the air always felt heavy and even coffee tasted like it was fighting to keep you awake.Emily was alone in her office that evening. The others had gone home, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to leave. Her desk was buried in reports about the new faction. Trade routes they were trying to control, secret accounts they’d been siphoning money into, names of people quietly switching allegiance. All important. All urgent. But her mind wasn’t really on any of it.She just needed… a break.Her eyes drifted to the corner of her desk, where an old storage box sat. It had been there for weeks, untouched. A courier had dropped it off while she’d been away on a mission with Darius, and she hadn’t bothered to go through it. The label was vague. Just her name in faded black marker.Something about the box suddenly felt… inviting.Emily slid it closer, brushed away a thin layer of dust, and opened it. Inside were stacks of old files, p
Chapter 85
The attack came without warning. One moment, everything was calm. Timothy Williams was in his office, reviewing some documents, as the late afternoon sunlight spilled across his desk, when the first explosion rattled the building.The sound wasn’t deafening, but it was enough to make the glass tremble in its frames. He froze for half a second, his mind trying to make sense of it. Maybe construction work nearby? But the second blast ripped away any chance of that excuse. The floor shook, the alarms began to wail, and his assistant burst in with panic written all over her face.“Sir, we need to evacuate now!” she shouted.Timothy didn’t argue. He grabbed his phone and his jacket, following her toward the emergency stairs. The building’s security guards were already shouting orders, but it was chaos, people pushing, papers flying, the air filling with dust.Down in the street, it was even worse. Several black SUVs had blocked off the road. Masked men with rifles were moving in formation
Chapter 84
The “Architect” was gone. His network, once spread across borders and hidden in shadows, had collapsed like a rotting building. For most people, that should have been the end of it. The big villain was gone. The nightmare was over. Life could go back to normal.But Benjamin knew better.Nothing in this world just vanished without leaving a hole. And in the underworld, holes didn’t stay empty for long. Something, or someone, always rushed in to fill them.He saw the signs early. Small movements. Quiet deals. A few familiar faces resurfacing in places they shouldn’t be. The men and women who had once worked under the Architect weren’t just disappearing. They were regrouping. And at the center of it all was someone new.This new leader wasn’t like the Architect. There were no grand speeches about destiny or higher callings. No whispers about fate. No mysterious visions.This one was… simple. Practical. Dangerous in a way that didn’t need magic or prophecy.Their name was Adrian Vale.Ben
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