The Master They Underestimated

The champagne had been cooling in its silver bucket for over an hour, untouched.

  Damon sat across the candlelit table, watching the faint blue glow of an iPad screen reflect in Tessa’s gorgeous, lifeless eyes. He had booked the entire penthouse dining room of the Grand Royal Hotel three weeks in advance, all to celebrate his fiancée’s company hitting its three-billion-dollar valuation and finally settle on their wedding date.

  He cleared his throat to get her attention, but Tessa remained glued to her screen, not sparing him a single glance.

  “Let’s eat, Tessa. We’re here to celebrate—”

  “I’m not here to eat, Damon,” she interrupted smoothly. She tossed her iPad onto the table, crossed her legs, and locked eyes with him. Her face was cold, her expression devoid of a trace of emotion.

  Damon blinked, forcing a strained laugh. “What are you talking about? If you’re not here to eat and celebrate, then what are you here for?”

  “I’m here to end our engagement, Damon.”

  Damon froze, his breath catching in his chest. For a moment, his mind went completely blank, refusing to process what he had just heard.

  “Is this... some kind of joke, Tessa?” he asked after a moment, forcing a strained, hollow laugh. “Or is it because work was super stressful today? Don’t worry, I’ll book you a massage when we’re done here. You’ve been working too hard lately.”

  Tessa stared at him for a moment before letting out a quiet, humorless laugh.

  “Do you ever listen to yourself, Damon? I just told you I’m ending our engagement, and you’re talking about massages?”

  His smile faltered. “Tessa, we’ve been together for three years. You can’t just sit here and tell me it’s over without giving me a reason.”

  “Fine. You want a reason?” She leaned back in her chair. “I’ve outgrown you, Damon. I need someone who can stand beside me, someone who belongs in my world.”

  Damon stared at her, struggling to reconcile the woman before him with the woman he had loved for the past three years.

  He remembered the nights she had cried over failed deals, the days she had returned home convinced her company would never survive, and the times she had nearly given up altogether.

  She had never known that he was the one pulling strings behind the scenes, quietly securing the investments and connections that kept her company alive.

  He had done it all without asking for recognition, believing that one day, when they finally got married, they would share everything.

  Now, she was using the very success he had helped her achieve as a reason to leave him.

  “Is this really about money, Tessa?” he asked quietly.

  “It’s about reality.” She shrugged. “Love doesn’t change the fact that we’re no longer compatible. I need a man who matches my status, not someone I have to explain to people.”

  Damon stared at her, his fingers slowly tightening around his glass.

  “I’ve outgrown you?” he repeated.

  “Yes.” Tessa glanced at her iPad. “Look at my life now, Damon. My company is worth three billion dollars. I attend meetings with influential people, negotiate million-dollar deals, and sit at tables you can only dream of. What exactly do you bring to the table?”

  Damon fell silent.

  For three years, he had watched Tessa struggle to build her company. He had been there when investors rejected her proposals, when business partners abandoned her, and when she nearly lost everything.

  He had never told her how much he had done to keep her business afloat. He had never needed her gratitude or expected her to repay him. He had simply believed that her success was their success, and that one day, they would build a future together.

  But now, she was using the very success he had helped her achieve as a reason to leave him.

  “And who is this man?” he asked after a moment.

  "Beckett Sloane."

  The name sounded familiar. After a moment, Damon remembered seeing it on a list of businessmen attending an upcoming investment summit.

  “He’s the CEO of Sloane Industries,” Tessa continued. “He’s ambitious, successful, and understands the world I’m building. We’re better suited for each other.”

  Damon let out a slow breath as the pieces finally fell into place.

  “So you’ve already moved on.”

  “Don’t make this difficult.” Her tone hardened. “I’ll always appreciate what we had, but I won’t sacrifice my future just because we’ve been together for three years.”

  For a moment, Damon simply looked at her.

  He wanted to ask if she remembered the nights he had stayed awake listening to her cry over failed deals. If she remembered promising that no matter how successful she became, she would never look down on him.

  But he swallowed those questions.

  What was the point of reminding someone of promises they no longer cared about?

  Finally, he nodded.

  “Alright, Tessa.”

  She blinked, seemingly caught off guard by his response.

  “Alright?”

  “I’m not going to force you to stay with me.”

  Tessa watched him rise to his feet, clearly expecting a different reaction. She had prepared herself for arguments, pleas, perhaps even anger. She hadn’t expected him to let her go so easily.

  “That’s it?” she asked in shock.

  “What else do you want me to do, Tessa? Beg you to love me?”

  For the first time that evening, she had no immediate response.

  Damon adjusted his jacket, glancing at the untouched champagne and the dinner he had carefully arranged for her.

  “I planned to ask you to set our wedding date tonight,” he admitted. “I thought we’d celebrate your success, talk about our future, and finally take the next step.”

  His lips curved into a faint smile, but there was no happiness in it.

  “Seems I was the only one who came here with that intention.”

  Tessa looked away.

  Damon had a thousand things he wanted to tell her. He wanted to remind her of everything he had sacrificed, every door he had opened for her, and every time he had quietly stepped in when her company was on the verge of collapse.

  But he said nothing.

  If three years of loving her hadn’t been enough to make her see his worth, there was no point in revealing what he had done just to change her mind.

  “Goodbye, Tessa.”

  He didn’t wait for her to respond. Turning on his heel, he walked out of the private dining room, his boots echoing softly against the marble floor.

  The door closed behind him.

  For a few seconds, Tessa remained frozen in her seat, staring at the doorway.

  Then, the phone on the table began to ring, shattering the silence.

  Tessa glanced at the screen before answering on speakerphone.

  “Tessa, sweetie?” a loud, grating voice boomed through the room. “Has that useless leech agreed to leave yet?”

  It was her mother, Victoria Whitlock.

  Tessa didn’t take her eyes off the empty doorway where Damon had just vanished.

  “He left, Mother.”

  Victoria let out a harsh, mocking laugh.

  “Good riddance! Tell him to take his cheap garbage with him. By the way, I threw that worthless engagement ring he bought you right into the trash, along with that pitiful savings ledger he kept for your wedding. Our estate has no room for his junk!”

  Tessa stared at her phone, her brow furrowing.

  “Mother, you didn’t have to do that—”

  “Why shouldn’t I?” Victoria scoffed. “He needs a reality check! He was just a small-time doctor chasing the stars. Did he honestly think he could marry into our family? Now that you have Beckett Sloane by your side, the Whitlock family is going to skyrocket to the top tier of society! As for Damon, he’s a nobody.”

  Tessa didn’t answer. She ended the call and stared at the empty doorway.

  She had expected Damon to throw a tantrum, scream, or beg for another chance when she brought up Beckett. Instead, he had simply walked away without giving her the reaction she had anticipated.

  Her gaze drifted to the candlelit table, the untouched champagne, and the lavish dinner Damon had carefully arranged just for her.

  For some reason, she couldn’t stop staring at the empty doorway.

  Three years together, and he hadn’t even asked her to reconsider.

  Tessa looked down at her untouched dinner, a strange heaviness settling in her chest.

  She told herself she had made the right choice.

  So why did it feel as though Damon had taken something with him when he left?