In the lavishly decorated ballroom, everyone drank their drinks while happily chatting with each other. They were all dressed in expensive suits, dresses and jewellery and also were in their best behaviour. It was a very important opportunity for them to get on the good side of the Campbells who ruled in the whole business world besides the Morins and Levinsons. Those three were the most prestigious families in the entire country, They even had their names recognized in the global business world. Everyone feared and at the same time respected them.
Everyone wanted to impress them and be on their good side. Why not? They were considered the elites. The pillar of the country. So it would be their fortune to be able to work with them and for that reason what could be a better opportunity than a party on the occasion of the current CEO of the Campbell Corporation's return? Ayden Campbell is the current CEO of the Campbell Corporation. He took over his family business 5 years ago and brought it to the highest level of success. Two years ago his father Philip Campbell stepped down as the CEO of the company and let his only son take over. After one year of being the CEO, he moved to the United States to expand his business and after successfully establishing his company there he returned a few days ago.
On the honour of his return, his father threw a lavish party for him and invited their business partners, investors, models, politicians and many more important figures.
Among all the glittering lights, shining furniture, chandeliers, sparkling drinks with beautiful men and women, an elegant looking woman stood in a dark corner. Her beautiful dark blue eyes were fixed on something on someone without any blink. She didn't look happy, she didn't look sad. It's just her beautiful eyes seemed empty yet filled with grief.
She looked at the handsome face of the man she had unconditionally loved all those years.
Ayden Campbell.
Her fiancee or should she say, former fiancee? The engagement was over. He had already ended it two weeks ago, yet she was still shamelessly present here. The reason behind her broken engagement?
It's simple.
Simple as the day and night.
He didn't love her and found someone else whom he loved dearly.
Who?
Her sweet cousin.
Natasha Davis.
The beautiful, smart, innocent-looking girl who worked as his assistant. Also, the one who was standing beside him, smiling at the guest like she was his fiancée not her.
Indeed it wasn't her. Not anymore! It was all over already!
The woman smiled bitterly before turning around and grabbing a wine glass from the passing waiter. She drank the red liquid with one gulp and placed the empty glass back on the waiter's tray.
She stared at the woman clinging onto Ayden. She was indeed looking very innocent and beautiful. While dressed in a white and gold evening gown, her beautiful black hair was straightened and hung loosely on her back. He had minimal makeup on her face which made her look like a fairy. The bright diamond ring on her finger shone brightly and almost made the woman looking at her blind.
Her engagement ring!
He gave Natasha an engagement ring when he was still engaged to her!
The woman's heart ached as she looked at the gorgeous couple in front of her. They looked perfect with each other. She watched them without looking around.
Natasha said something which made Ayden bent down a bit to her height and then after listening to her he gave her a nod while the corner of his lips turned into an almost invisible smile. But she could see it. It made him look more handsome.
After a while, she averted her eyes from them. She couldn't stand their lovey-dovey moment anymore. So she turned her heels and made her way in the opposite direction. While walking she stopped in front of the decorative mirror and stared at her reflection.
She was dressed in a full-sleeved black gown paired with a pair of black earrings. She had done her make-up elegantly, with bold red lipstick and dark eyeliner.
They were all her creations.
Where Natasha looked like an angel in her white dress, She looked like a devil.
What an irony!
She wasn't the one who stole someone else's Fiance yet she was the devil. Wasn't God being unfair to her?
She smiled bitterly. God had turned unfair to her the day took away her beloved parents and left her with nothing. And finally, He had decided to take away the only man she had loved all her life. She looked and smiled in the mirror while fixing her brunette hair behind her ears. People used to say she looked like Aphrodite with her long straight hair and dark blue eyes nevertheless, her heart still filled with bitterness.
Even Aphrodite couldn't hold Ayden Campbell. He still didn't fall for her.
"Elea! You are here! I have been looking for you in the whole room. Come, your uncle wants you to meet some important guests." Someone called out in a loud and clear voice making Eleana turn around. Looking at the person standing in front of her, she smiled. Kathleen Campbell, Ayden's mother and also the person who took care of her since her parents died. Her Aunt Kathy.
"I'm sorry, aunt. I was just tired and looking for fresh air." She answered with a smile while taking steps towards Kathleen.
"Oh, honey. It's alright. Let's go, your uncle is waiting impatiently for you." Kathleen hurried her with a small laugh making Eleana smile. She nodded at Kathleen before following her where Philip Campbell was waiting for them.
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"There you are, My darling! I have been looking for you for so long! Where have you been?" As soon as Eleana and Kathleen reached Philip Campbell's sight, his warm and concerned voice welcomed them. His words were directed towards Eleana with a concerned look. Eleana couldn't help but smile at him before grabbing one of his arms and hugging him from the side."I was getting bored so I went to grab some fresh air. I'm sorry if I made you worried, Uncle!" Eleana apologized while looking down and holding Philip's left arm tightly. Philip shook his head and freed his left arm from Eleana's clutch before wrapping the same arm around her.
"Oh, Elea Darling! You don't need to apologize when you did nothing wrong. I just wanted you to meet some of my old friends." Philip assured her while informing her of the reason why he was looking for her. Eleana looked at him and then smiled.
"Yeah, Aunt already informed me about that," Eleana informed him while smiling at Kathleen who smiled back. In the meantime, when Kathleen was looking at Eleana and her husband's sweet conversation, she couldn't help but smile but at the same time, her heart ached for her darling.
She had raised the girl since she was only 10 years old after her parents, who were her best friends, died in a tragic plane crash. Eleana's parents Cole Davis and Sidney Davis were her and Philip's high school friends. The sudden tragic death of them shook them to the core. But they managed to stay calm and took Eleana with them as Eleana's parents had made a power of attorney even before they had died. According to the power of attorney if something ever happened to them their only daughter would be under Philip and Kathleen Campbell's care along with their all businesses properties and shares until she turned 21.
That's one of the main reasons why Eleana grew up with Campbell's instead of her relatives who were still very much alive.
Kathleen came back from her thoughts when her only son Ayden called her. He was her dearest son and also the reason for her beloved daughter's heartbreak. Kathleen and Philip had always considered Eleana as their daughter. They were very happy when they got to know that their son was dating her and after a few years proposed to her.
Their dream of having Eleana as their real daughter almost came true until Ayden went to the USA a year ago and returned a few days ago with Natasha Davis, Eleana's cousin, Lincoln and Maria Davis's daughter, Ayden's current fiance.
To be honest, Kathleen and Philip were very angry with her decision. But Eleana talked to them and took a promise from them to forgive Ayden and accept Natasha so they had no choice but to swallow their anger and displeasure and behave normally around them.
"Mom? Are you alright?" Ayden's concerned voice once again brought Kathleen from her thoughts. She looked at Ayden and forced a smile before shaking her head and looking towards the woman holding Ayden's left arm.
Natasha Davis.
The reason why her beloved daughter is in pain.
"No, honey. I'm alright. Just busy with some thoughts." Kathleen replied while averting her eyes from Natasha who passed her a sweet innocent smile. She then looked at Eleana who was busy looking down.
She couldn't even bear to look at the pair. Her heart ached again for her. On one side was her only son and on the other side was the girl she had considered as her daughter. She was in such a big dilemma.
But still, she knew what her son did to Eleana was wrong and that's why she would never accept the poisonous homewrecker woman.
"Ok." Ayden nodded and turned towards his father who was silently standing there while holding Eleana. He stared at her for a while. He didn't get to see her much after the day he had informed her that he wanted to break the engagement and wanted to marry Natasha in future.
Even after he arrived at the venue he only got a few glimpses of her. So when he finally got the chance to see her from close he couldn't help but stare at her a little longer.
His cold grey eyes looked at her from head to toe. She was looking stunning in the black gown and matching jewellery. Just by looking at them, he could tell they were created by her. She was always that beautiful and talented.
"Ayden, let's go. Mr Cameron and Mr Mathews are waiting for us. They want to collaborate with Eleana for her upcoming jewellery designs. It's a big opportunity for our Princess!" Philip announced happily while grabbing Ayden's attention. He then smiled at Eleana proudly who simply smiled back at him.
"Congratulations Elea! I'm so happy for you." Suddenly Natasha, who was quietly standing beside Eleana came forward and pulled Eleana into a hug. Eleana was startled for a while but she managed to balance herself and hugged her back unwillingly.
"Thanks." She threw a fake smile in Natasha's direction who grinned and nodded before returning to Ayden's side.
Eleana turned her heels and held Philip's arms.
"Let's go, Uncle. We should not keep them waiting for too long." She said and Philip nodded before they both made their way towards the waiting clients followed by Kathleen, Ayden and Natasha.
Meanwhile, the whole time Eleana could feel his eyes on her, watching her every move carefully with those cold grey eyes. It gave her chills down her spine nevertheless she managed to ignore those intense stares and keep her heart calm.
But it wasn't as easy as it seemed because it came with a cost. A cost of the immense amount of heartbreak!
While they made their way through the crowds towards the people waiting patiently for them, people couldn't help but stare at them and whisper things that didn't seem too pleasing to the ears.Eleana could hear a few women gossiping about her and Ayden's sudden change of relationship a.k.a their so-called breakup."How could he leave her for an outsider? Is he out of his mind! They used to look perfect together" A middle-aged woman dressed in a purple shining gown that covered her anklet whispered in a hushed tone to her group of friends. They all nodded at the part where she said they used to look perfect together. Eleana also used to think the same for so many years. She lived in that white lie for ages but now she was finally out of it."Exactly. Ms Davi
After the short journey filled with deep and heavy breaths came to an end, Ayden parked the car in front of the penthouse they used to share before. He hadn’t been there since last year when he went to the USA when they were still engaged. Currently, Eleana was the one staying there alone. She still couldn't bring herself to move out of that apartment. It had too many memories to leave behind and her heart wasn't ready to leave them alone.Ayden came out of the car and before he could reach the other side of the car, Eleana had already opened the door and came out. She didn't even wait for Ayden's response as she turned her back towards the entrance of the building and directly went inside. She didn't want to stay in the same space with the man who had mercilessly broken her heart. She had yet to collect the broken pieces and join them together for them to function again and it wo
One and a half years later…Eleana looked at the busy streets of Vancouver through her car's window. Nothing had changed about this city in the past one and a half years of her absence. It's as busier as ever. She smiled watching the familiar places she used to roam around.It's good to be back. It's time to face everything and claim whatever was hers. As the Campbell mansion came into her view, she couldn't help but smile. She didn't realise how much she missed home, it was her home because her beloved Uncle and Aunt still lived there. She couldn't wait to see their surprised faces after they saw her. She didn't tell anyone that she was coming back. She wanted to surprise them. With that thought, she got out of the car."Peter, please send my luggage inside and then you can take the day off and rest. I will call you if I need you. Have a nice day!" She warmly instructed her driver before bidding him a bye. Peter smiled and nodded at her before thanking her. Eleana smiled at him befo
Eleana soon composed herself and masked all of her emotions before turning her head away and sitting down. She knew that moment would arrive from the day she had decided to come back and face everything. But as she was experiencing the situation unexpectedly, everything felt surreal to her. She didn't understand why her heart was beating crazily against her rib cage after seeing the man who broke her completely. As those unwanted thoughts were making her head burst, she decided to block them and face everything the way she planned. "What happened, Ayden? Why are you still standing there? Come and have your seat." Philip asked from his seat which made Ayden come out of his shocked state."Oh let me guess. He's also surprised to see our Elea darling back, right Ayden?" Kathleen asked with a chuckle, making Ayden look at her with a nod. Eleana heard everything but didn't bother to make any comments because anything related to him wasn't her concern. "Yeah, I'm surprised," Ayden mumbled
"What are you doing Eleana?" Ayden asked, looking straight at Eleana who just shrugged carelessly at his words."Whatever you are seeing Mr Campbell." She answered while crossing her legs. Ayden looked at her irritatedly. "What's wrong with you?" He asked as he removed his blazer and threw it on the other side of the sofa. He then loosened his tie and then rolled both of the sleeves of his shirt. He was clearly annoyed and Eleana knew it. She knew him like the palm of her hand. "There's nothing wrong with me. I simply don't wish to continue our collaboration. I don't see anything wrong with that." Eleana replied with a straight face. She kept her face void of any emotion. "Really, Eleana? You don't see anything wrong with it?" He asked with a humourless chuckle. Eleana could see him clutching his teeth while keeping his hands in a fist, it was a sign that he was getting pissed off. "No." She answered curtly, making him glare at her."You go to Paris without informing me, you cut
The next day, the whole country got the news of Eleana Davis coming back to the country and showing up to the film producer Kolton Miles's party with Robin William as her date. The gossip and juicy headlines again surfaced and she again became the trending topic online. When Eleana went to the breakfast table for breakfast she came face to face with Ayden again. From the cold look she was getting from him, she was sure he also read the gossip."Elea, darling, do you want me to deal with these silly paparazzi and make this useless gossip disappear?" Philip suddenly asked, Eleana shook her head before finishing her bite."No uncle. Those are just silly gossip. Don't bother yourself with them." Eleana dismissed the idea with a chuckle. The truth was she didn't want to remove that gossip. Not yet. She wanted everyone to know that it was over with Ayden Campbell and she was over him. They weren't connected anymore. "Why darling, do you like the boy?" Suddenly Kathleen asked while looking
The next Saturday evening, Philip Campbell decided to throw a lavish party to celebrate Eleana's return and her new design launch. They picked the venue in one of their five-star hotels. Eleana walked through the crowd while holding Philip's hand. While walking into the ballroom she felt her breath getting caught in her throat because she was facing those people after more than a year. The huge space made her feel so small–or so plain. Crystal chandeliespiralledled down from the arching sky-blue ceiling, illuminating the glimmering golden walls and a floor so polished it looked like an iced-over lake. And it wasn’t just the ballroom–the women sparkled like a box of jewels, shades of emerald and ruby and amethyst swirling before her, their low chatter accompanying wafts of rose and hyacinth and jasmine. She looked down at the beautiful red floor-length chiffon gown she was wearing, it was strapless and had a sweetheart neckline. The dress flowed around her like water waves. It was weig
The next Monday Eleana got ready early to go to the office because she had to review some designs and sketches done by her artists. As she was walking through the hallway, the receptionist Bela greeted her with enthusiasm. "Good morning, Mam. Have a good day!" Her sweet voice reached Eleana's ears making her smile "Good morning, Bela. You too have a good day!" She greeted her back before making her way inside the private elevator. Pushing the 35th-floor button, she waited for her destination to arrive. She went directly to her manager's room after arriving on the floor. "Good morning, Mr Rivera. Please tell the head designer to get ready with the sketches and sample dresses. I will be there in five." Eleana informed him from the door, making him nod. "Good morning, mam. They are already waiting for you in the design room." He informed her politely. "Perfect, then let's go there first." She commanded with a smile. Mr Rivera hurriedly grabbed the files and followed Eleana to the
Eleana slowly walked towards the long mirror planned in the centre of the room before standing in front of it. Her sapphire-blue eyes collided with her reflection in the mirror. She looked a little nervous. Eleana tried to swallow it down while glancing from top to bottom. She was dressed in a white mermaid wedding gown with a sweetheart-illusion neckline. The silhouette of the dress stayed fitted from the chest to her knees and then flared out the rest of the length to the floor, along with the long veil adorning the top of her elegant bun. Eleana could feel her heart palpating against her chest as she stared at herself. Her make-up was done elegantly, and her hair was put in a beautiful low bun. She was wearing a small diamond necklace, which her mother bought for her, along with matching earrings."You look beautiful, baby." Eleana heard her mother's soft voice behind her, making her turn around. She smiled at her mother and Kathleen."Thank you, Mama. You two look gorgeous." Elean
Eleana slowly opened her eyes before closing them again to adjust to the light. She felt like her whole body was on fire. She couldn't move at all because of the pain she was feeling in her lower body. She frowned while looking around the unfamiliar room and bed she was in. As she tried to remember what happened, her head began to hurt, making her let out a painful groan."You are awake. Don't move, Princess." Eleana heard Ayden's worried voice, making her turn around to face her. She visibly winched when she noticed his awful state. He looked absolutely awful with those dark circles and eye bags."What happened?" Eleana tried to get up while asking. Ayden was quick to react. He stopped her own time."Don't move." He warned her while gently pushing her down. Eleana frowned and was about to ask him more questions when her hand accidentally brushed her stomach, making her eyes widen in shock. Her stomach was flat."My baby!" Eleana exclaimed as flashbacks started to run through her head
"What rubbish are you talking about?" Giovanni gritted out while clenching his fists tightly. As he spoke, his facial expression changed, and he glanced at his father, who looked puzzled as well."You should know this better than me." Ayden chuckled while glancing at Lucien, who suddenly got up from his seat and then brought some documents out of nowhere. He then walked towards Leonardo and handed him all the files. Leonardo took the files with a nod before putting the documents in front of Antonio, who leaned forward and took one of the files before opening it."These are the proofs of what you, Luca, and Alessandro have been doing for years behind our backs." This time, Leonardo spoke up and then pulled out a remote from his pocket. He pressed a button, which made some piles of documents and photos flash on the screen one by one, making both Luca and Giovanni's eyes go wide in pure shock and terror. Antonio's face changed colour as the icy mask he had been putting on all along dropp
"What!" The three of them asked in unison. The rest of the family members were also shocked as they stared at Antonio in shock. The only people who were calm in the whole room were Eleana, Ayden, Lucien, and Leo. Eleana glanced at the man who sat quietly beside Antonio without much expression on his face."You guys heard me," Antonio responded coldly."How could you say that?" Giovanni couldn't contain his anger as she raised her voice at Antonio."Dad, are you out of your mind? This marriage is important for us. for our business. Everything's already done. The deals are signed. How can you just call off the marriage?" Luca roared at his father. He couldn't believe his impulsiveness. This old bastard was out of his mind."I see you two have already learned to raise your voice at me." Antonio chuckled while turning to look at Ayden. They exchanged a look before Ayden nodded and then pulled out a remote out of nowhere. He then pressed the remote, making the big black monitor light up. E
Finally, the most anticipated day arrived. It was Andres and Idalia's wedding day. The ceremony was supposed to take place in the afternoon. Even though the whole villa was busy preparing for the wedding, the members of the family were quiet, except for the younger ones. For the past two days, the wedding preparation has been going on, yet there has been no wedding vibe at all. Ayden and Lucien had been really busy for the two days, and Eleana hadn't gotten a glimpse of Ayden since the day she informed him about the things she found out from Eirene. After that, he disappeared again with Leonardo and Lucien, leaving her puzzled. The only thing he informed her was that he had a few surprises for her, which she would get on the wedding day. He just recommended that she relax and enjoy herself. Eleana was really suspicious about his behaviour. He suddenly turned oddly secretive after he rescued Lucien, and after that, he had been spending a lot of time with Leonardo. Eleana had suspicions
After successfully putting ointments on her bruise and treating her, Eleana put away the first-aid box. A long silence filled the room as Eleana looked at her sister, who was biting her lips while looking down. "Are you feeling better now?" She finally asked, breaking the silence. Eirene looked up at her before slowly nodding her head. "Do you want to talk about it?" Eleana asked gently, giving her space and time. She didn't want to force or pressure her to talk. She wanted to comfort her first so that she could talk about it on her own. At first, Eirene didn't respond. But after a minute, she reached out her hand before grabbing Eleana's hand. "Who did this to you?" Eleana asked while holding Eirene's hand. She could see her visibly shaking after hearing the question. "Eirene. I need to know who did this to you. You don't need to be scared. I'm here to protect you. Ayden's also here. No one can hurt you or us. I promise I will make them all pay. Each and every single person who da
The next day, regardless of all the chaos that had taken place previously, the whole Santoro Villa began to prepare for the upcoming wedding. The wedding was supposed to take place within the next two days. Even though there was wedding preparation going on around, the people of the villa were quite calm. Eleana couldn't feel the wedding vibe at all. Eleana was more concerned about the plan Ayden was working on. He didn't tell her everything in detail. Just some vague answers left her confused. However, Ayden had requested that she trust him and sit back. He didn't want to drag her into the plan and stress her out because of her pregnancy. She's already in a crucial state.Even though Eleana wanted to engage herself, she had no choice but to obey him this time. She had already neglected her baby, and it almost harmed her. She couldn't let this happen again. She couldn't help but sigh as she walked through the corridor to go downstairs to find Eirene. The plan Ayden was working on alon
After storming out of Antonio's office, Eleana directly made her way toward her bedroom. She was shaking because of anger. How could he just say something like this? Eleana wanted to leave this house as soon as possible. She tried to take a deep breath to calm herself, but none of it worked."Eleana." She heard Ayden's voice calling her, which made her turn around instantly. Ayden heaved a sigh after seeing her state."Are you okay?" Ayden asked in a soft voice while walking towards her. Eleana looked at him before inhaling and exhaling deeply."How could he just demand something like that? How could he?" Eleana sounded bitter and emotional as she let out the question. Ayden reached her and then pulled her into a hug, making her wrap her arms around him slowly."It's alright. Please don't cry because of this." He pleaded while rubbing her back soothingly. Eleana let her tears flow while closing her eyes."I just can't help it, Ayden. I feel so disappointed and angry." Eleana mumbled i
Eleana's eyes slowly travelled towards Lucien, who stood behind Ayden while looking lost in his thoughts. Eleana's eyes went wide in shock when she realized she had almost forgotten about his presence. He had a white bandage covering his forehead and arms."Lucien!" Eleana called out his name, grabbing his attention. She slowly separated herself from Ayden before rushing towards him. Lucien looked at her before passing her a weak smile. His whole body was covered with bruises here and there. Eleana's heart sank deeper as she noticed his state."How did this happen?" She cried out while rushing into his arms. Lucien carefully hugged her while wincing in pain when she accidentally brushed his injured arm."I'm so sorry, Lucien." Eleana cried while hugging him. Lucien chuckled before separating her from him."It's alright, Belle. I'm fine." He replied with a wide smile while trying to show her how strong he was. It only made Eleana's heart hurt more."You need to sit first. Come with me.