*AMBROSE*When Ben finally found an excuse to slip away from the crowd I took a gulp of the champagne hoping that it would calm me down.My emotions were all over the place and it was because of this woman.I still couldn't believe that she was the same woman I had an affair with last night.I swallowed hard and Nolan approached me with a smile.He already looked smitten with Ben and it was going to break his heart when he learned the history between Ben and I."I thought you'd like her" he muttered quietly and I gave him a puzzled look."Ben?" I asked curiously and he nodded in response.He took the glass of champagne away from me."You tend to drink too much at social events when you're stressed out."He turned to look at Ben and when their eyes locked she blushed.Fuck.Nolan turned to look at me and I forced a smile."What's there not to like about her? She's pure perfection and I want is best for you son. If she makes you happy then I'm happy as well."Nolan still didn't look con
*BEN*I sighed with relief when Nolan cut in because I was on the verge of crying.What was I thinking last night? Asking some random man to just kiss me.Gosh we didn't even use protection last night and I haven't taken the pill yet.Once we were outside I released the breath I was holding and blinked away the tears."Did my father say something to you?" He asked in a worried tone.I shook my head negatively and remained silent and a lone tear rolled down my cheeks shamelessly.His words cut through me.I let out a shaky exhale.I'm not making the same mistake I made years ago.I'm not letting a man have that kind of power over me. He can't control my emotions. I wasn't just some random gold digger he picked up last night.It felt like it was something more and I was stupid to think that he felt the same way.Clearly I was nothing but a mere petty stop.One night he's being passionate and the next morning I'm met with a complete opposite stranger.I quickly wiped it away."Ben."I
*BEN*It was all smiles for the family when Nolan and his father bid us goodbye and after they were gone my grandfather turned to look at me with a scowl on his face.I crossed my arms over my chest."What were you thinking, Benedykta?!" He yelled furiously.I stared at him in disbelief."What have I done? I'm selling my dignity just to make you richer. What else do you want?" I kept my gaze on my mother and she looked away with guilt.Serves her right."You came home drunk knowing that you could potentially ruin this engagement and I won't let you ruin my plans."I scoffed in annoyance."I'm all doing you a fucking favor by marrying a man I don't even love so you should all be fucking grateful."My grandfather raised his hand to hit but my mother held him back stopping him.I smirked."Are we resolving to violence now?" He remained silent.I already knew my answer.I grabbed my car keys and left the mansion while my grandfather kept calling my name.This is why I moved out.I could
*BEN*It wasn’t long before Nolan showed up at my apartment as he took in my small home. I’m certain that he was probably expecting something grander since I am a Rebel.I cocked a brow at him.“What it’s not to your liking?” He shook his head negatively. “No it’s not the case I thought you were more like a fancy person just like your grandfather” he muttered.I nodded quietly and his gaze lingered on the burnt toast that was on the counter and our eyes locked in a frenzy and we both burst out laughing.I could see the twinkle in his eyes and he was staring at me the way he did after he kissed me yesterday.Nolan offers me his hand and I place my hand in his.He entwines our hands.“You’re perfect” he murmurs and I feel even guiltier for having a one night stand with his father.A few minutes later we are in the car heading to a café close to work because I have a meeting in thirty minutes.Once we got settled at the café we made our orders.“You haven’t r
BEN POVWith everything that was going on in my life I was on the verge of losing my mind and I was caught between two men who were related. The other despised my entire existence and he probably wished that I was never born while the other one made my heart flutter in a way I couldn’t even understand.Was I falling in love with Nolan? I sighed deeply and pulled out my phone to call my best friend.Luckily he picked up on the first ring and I moved the phone from my ear when I heard the blaring music from the background. Okay who seriously gets wasted in the morning?I rolled my eyes at the mere thought.“Hello?” He definitely sounded off.“Where are you?” I asked curiously even though I already knew the answer to my question. He chuckled softly.“I’m sorry Ben, is it a crime to get drunk? I am going through a horrible breakup and the only thing you fucking care about is my location?”He sounded pitchy as usual.It makes me wonder how we are still friends.“
AMBROSE POVI couldn’t get this issue off my mind, and it was clear that the fire that had happened at the vineyard was an accident.Something was definitely fishy, and I couldn’t seem to shake off the feeling that the past had come back to haunt me.I hadn’t even had the chance to face him and tell him about the night I spent with Ben. He was going to be broken when he learned the truth.I groaned deeply and stepped outside for some fresh air because I was on the verge of losing my mind.Maybe leaving New York for a few days would do me some good, and maybe I could finally get rid of the image of Ben and Nolan kissing.I pulled out my phone and decided to call Matteo.He picked up on the first ring.That’s what I liked about him. He was always reliable, and I could count on him.“Ambrose, what do I owe the pleasure of this call?”I desperately needed his advice.I chuckled softly.“There’s a situation, and I don’t want to lose Nolan in the process.”There was silence on the other end
*BEN*Nolan and I were having dinner together.There was just something about the way he constantly looked at me.I always felt flustered under his gaze.Our eyes locked in a frenzy and Nolan slowly leaned in for a kiss and before his lips could meet mine my phone started ringing and I pulled away with a chuckle."Sorry."He nodded quietly and I fished the phone out of my phone.I swallowed hard when I saw Ambrose's name flashing on the screen.I answered the call and placed the phone to my ear and excused myself.Once I was far enough from Nolan I sighed softly."Ambrose?" There was silence from the other end of the line.Saying his name out loud still did a number on me."Benedykta."I swallowed hard."Why are you calling me?" I cut straight to the point."I wanted to apologize for what I said to you at the engagement. I was angry but I shouldn't have crossed the line." I frowned."That's it?"The words left my lips before I could stop them.He chuckled softly."Were you expectin
BEN POVNolan was quick to jump to his father’s aid before he ended up committing murder in broad daylight.When the journalists didn’t respond to what Ambrose had asked, he turned to look at me, and our eyes locked in a frenzy, and my heart skipped a beat.He defended me, even though he barely knew the whole story.Nolan was trying to calm his father down, but Ambrose brushed him off and went into the building, and I remained frozen on the spot as the reporters continued to take pictures of the whole incident, and I could definitely sense a lawsuit coming in.I found myself walking past Nolan with my mind still reeling from the shock.As soon as I walked in, I could hear people murmuring about me, and I ignored them and went to the ladies' bathroom to cool off.I turned on the faucet and glanced in the mirror, staring at my reflection, and I saw a broken girl staring back at me.Tears rolled down my cheeks, and I let them fall this time because there was no one to see my vulnerable s
BEN POV Maybe I had reached my breaking point this time around. The news about my adoption seemed to be making matters worse, and for a split second, I almost thought I had lost my damn mind. My grandfather’s words still cut deep, and they kept repeating over and over in my head until I had reached the peak of insanity. I sighed deeply and pulled out my phone. I wanted answers from my so-called mother, but I didn’t mean to be ungrateful; after all, they raised me and gave me this life. Nevertheless, it felt like I was never their daughter but just a charity case. Fuck it. I was going to do it. I was done playing safe. I dialed her number, and she picked up on the third ring. “Benedykta?” I smiled to myself. How could she pretend for so long? She was acting like a saint, blackmailing me to help my dad pay back the debt if I married Nolan, but little did I know that every single action was for their personal gain. I was nothing but a mere puppet in their game.
**AMBROSE POV** When I finally went back home, I felt defeated. A part of me still had high hopes of winning Ben over, but once again she had rejected me and chose to push me away. This feeling was eating me up from the inside, and the pain within was ready to consume me, and all I had to do was just accept it. The hatred in Nolan’s eyes said it all. It was clear that we had lost that bond forever. I still wanted to make things right. I brought the glass of whiskey to my lips as the pale amber liquid burned my throat. Drinking myself into oblivion tended to numb the pain. I lowered my gaze. “I failed you, Katherine…you had only given me one task before leaving this world, and that was to take care of our son, Nolan, but I failed, and instead, I am the one responsible for his misery.” A lone tear rolled down my cheek. “Katherine…maybe things would be better off if I was the one who died that night. You and Nolan would have been happy without me.” I felt someone
BEN POV Everything else finally made sense. I was never their granddaughter; for years, they chose to keep the truth from me. Even if I was abandoned, where were my biological parents? Tears continued to roll down my cheeks. “Is that why you’ve always been harsh toward me? You never loved me because I was never your blood, and I finally understand you always treated me like an outsider.” My grandfather sighed deeply, removing his glasses. “No,” he muttered firmly. Our eyes locked in a frenzy. “You don’t get to turn the tables… Benedykta, because this family took you in, and I personally ensured that you always had the best. You went to one of the best elite private schools in the country, and I made sure that you went to Germany for college. I did everything for you, and yet you’ll always be ungrateful.” His voice was laced with bitterness.I sniffled softly. “I never asked you to adopt me… I never fucking asked you for this lavish lifestyle. All I ever wanted was
BEN POV The moment he finally left, I slumped to my knees and broke down crying. Why was I this way? I don’t know why I couldn’t just tell him the truth and get this over with, but something held me back. I broke out of my thoughts when I heard my phone ringing, and when I checked the caller ID, it turned out to be Clay. I wiped my tears and sniffled softly before answering the call. “Hey.” He remained silent from the other end of the line. “Ben, why are you doing this to yourself? He was right there with you… that man truly loves you, and I know that he won’t abandon you, but please stop pushing him away.” I sobbed bitterly. “I’m sorry, I just couldn’t tell him the truth… but it’s probably selfish of me to do this. Maybe this is for the best because I’ll be leaving the country in a few days.” He sighed deeply. “Ben, I know that you’re upset right now, but don’t make any drastic decisions… Besides, do you really want to leave your best friend behind? I can’t let
AMBROSE POVI hadn’t heard from Nolan since the wedding was canceled, and ever since that horrible incident, his cellphone has been switched off. It was the same thing with Ben; she never answered any of my calls, but at least I had peace of mind because she was in the company of her best friend. I was just glad that she was safe.I was having a cup of coffee in my apartment when my phone began to ring. I fished it out of my pocket, placing the device to my ear. It was Matteo.“Hello?”“Ambrose, how are you holding up?” he asked in a worried tone.I sighed deeply. “Well, I’ve lost the two people I love. The only thing keeping me sane is the damn company.”“Well, I had warned you to stay away from that girl the moment you knew who she was,” Matteo taunted, and I rolled my eyes.“If you have nothing better to say, I am going to hang up.”“Wait, don’t hang up…I called because I have news about Zane Gray.”Upon hearing his stupid name, my whole mood dampened. “What did you find out?”“Wel
BEN POVI was done with this damn family. I was done being the sacrificial lamb. This time I was going to live my life on my own terms, and no one was ever going to tell me what to do. Once I finally stepped outside, I took a calming breath because I didn’t want to start crying in this hospital. I ran my fingers through my hair. “Benny.” It was my dad’s voice. I turned around and found him watching me. “Did Grandpa send you here with another warning?” I taunted quietly and crossed my arms over my chest. He shook his head negatively. “No, I came here on my own actually because I wanted to make sure that you’re okay.” I stared at him in disbelief. “Does it look like I’m okay? You just stood there and let Grandpa call me a prostitute all because I fell in love with someone else.” He sighed deeply. “He could have used less harsh words, but just know that your grandfather cares about you and he’s just devastated by how the wedding went.” I rolle
BEN POV I had begged Clay to drive me back to my apartment, but he refused to let me spend the night alone, fearing that I would do something crazy—and he wasn’t wrong. Clay lived in a two-room apartment in town, and a part of me felt like I was invading his privacy. He went upstairs as I sat on the couch, looking around his apartment. It had been a while since I had come here. I gave him a small smile. “Thank you for letting me crash here, Clay.” He wrapped his arms around me. “Hey, don’t mention it. Besides, you are welcome to stay as long as you want.” Clay was the nicest human on the planet, and he was stuck with me dealing with my issues. I was truly a bad friend. He propped himself beside me, sighing deeply. “You’ve been awfully quiet for someone whose wedding got called off.” I rested my head on his shoulder. “I just feel relieved that I won’t have to marry Nolan under false pretenses, and I wanted to come clean about my affair with Ambrose, but this i
NOLANI felt so stupid for not seeing the signs. I should have noticed the way he constantly stared at her; maybe I would have saved myself from feeling this heartbroken. I left my car behind and found myself aimlessly walking as the world around me continued to burn in chaos. My own father had betrayed me in the most unthinkable way, and of all women, why did he have to choose Ben? Why her when he knew how much I loved her? I still couldn’t get that nasty scene out of my head. Cars blared past me, and at this point, I honestly didn’t give a fuck because the media got all the drama that happened at my wedding on camera. I was already a dead man. “Nolan, please stop.” I could hear him calling me from behind, but I didn’t dare look back. He wasn’t worth forgiving. Fuck him. When he eventually caught up with me, he grabbed my arm, and I spun around, punching him in the face. He staggered back, holding his face as his eyes met mine. I swallowed hard. “S
BEN POV I had imagined this moment way too many times in my head, and at each conclusion, the end results were always the same. No one supported my relationship with Ambrose. The world called me a homewrecker, and Nolan had lost his father because I couldn’t keep my legs closed. My family had disowned me, and worse of all, my grandfather had cut me off from the family business. My efforts of becoming CEO of New Way Group went down the drain, and to top it all off, I was pregnant, constantly battling with the guilt that continued to consume me. I broke down, crying as my worst nightmare came to light. My mother stared at me in disbelief and she began to slowly walk towards me. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out, and I shook my head sternly, praying that she wouldn’t question me about the paternity of the baby in front of everyone. Instead, she grabbed my arm painfully as tears rolled down her cheeks. “I know that you never wanted to be in this contract marr