CHAPTER 1 — A PAINFUL BETRAYAL

(MARIANNA'S POV)

I froze in the doorway of the ballroom, unable to process what I'm seeing.

Tyler, my Tyler, is down on one knee in front of my sister, holding out a diamond ring that catches the light from the chandelier.

"Sophia Kingwicke," he says, his voice carrying across the suddenly silent room, "will you marry me?"

My sister's hands flew to her mouth in a practiced surprise. The guests which included our family friends, business associates, the eight families are all watching with bated breath.

This can't be happening.

Before I realize what I'm doing, I'm striding across the polished floor, my heels echoing in the silence.

"What the hell is this?" My voice cracks like a whip.

Tyler's head whips around, his expression shifting from adoration to annoyance in an instant. "Marianna. This is not the time."

"Not the time?" I laugh, the sound brittle and harsh. "When exactly would be the right time to tell me you're proposing to my sister?"

Sophia steps forward, placing a protective hand on Tyler's shoulder. "Marianna, please. You're making a scene."

"A scene?" I move closer, trembling with rage. "Six years, Tyler. Six years I gave you everything you ever wanted. I helped you start your company. I paid off your family's debts. I sacrificed my reputation to be with you when everyone said you were just using me for my connections." I sobbed “Only to get this from you. Betraying me”

Tyler stands, slipping the ring into his pocket. "That's enough, Marianna."

"Did our relationship mean nothing to you? Was it all just a way to get close to my family? To Sophia?"

The room is deathly quiet now, everyone watching our drama unfold.

"We grew apart," Tyler says stiffly. "These things happen."

"Grew apart?" I laugh again. "I saw you three days ago! You told me you loved me!"

"Marianna," Sophia interjects, her voice honeyed with fake concern, "you've been so busy with work. Tyler and I... it just happened. We didn't mean to hurt you."

The betrayal is so profound I can barely breathe. My hand moves before I can think, slapping Sophia hard across her perfect cheek.

Gasps echo through the ballroom.

The sting in my palm is satisfying for exactly two seconds before Tyler's hand connects with my face, sending me stumbling backward.

"Don't you ever touch her again," he growls.

I hold my burning cheek, staring at him in disbelief. "You hit me."

"You hit my fiancée."

"Your fiancée is my sister!" I scream. "My sister who knew exactly what she was doing!"

I turn to my parents, standing at the edge of the crowd. "Mom? Dad? Are you just going to stand there?"

My father steps forward, but not to defend me. "Marianna, you need to leave. Now."

"Me? I need to leave?” I asked “This is my birthday. They're the ones—"

"This behavior is unacceptable," my mother says, her voice cold. "Sophia and Tyler have our blessing."

The room spins around me. "Your blessing? You knew about this?"

No one answers, but their silence is confirmation enough.

Sophia, emboldened by our parents' support, approaches me.

"It's not just Tyler, Marianna." Her voice is low, meant only for me, but carrying just enough to be heard by those nearby. "The eight families and the company have shifted their support.”

There are actually ten families that were our exclusive partners. Eight of those families kept supporting us, me especially, unlike the remaining two. Who would have thought they had ulterior motives.

“I think the vote of confidence has already started." she uttered.

I stared at her, uncomprehending at first, then with growing horror. "The eight families? My allies?"

"Your former allies," she corrects, her smile vicious. With a sudden shove, she pushes me, and I stumble backwards, losing my balance and falling hard to the floor.

Looking up at her from the ground, I see a stranger wearing my sister's face.

"Did you really think you deserved that CEO position?" she asks. "Everyone knows I've always been the smarter one. The more strategic one. You just had Grandfather's favor."

She is only talking like this because I trained her personally when she started as an intern. She followed me to meetings, stayed at my office to see how I operate and even helped with errands just to incorporate herself with the daily tasks.

Her first time closing the deal was because I was beside her. Everything she did first, I was beside her to guide and direct her. It was only recently she began doing things on her own.

"Get out, Marianna," my father says, stepping forward. "Don't embarrass us further."

I rose unsteadily to my feet, dignity in tatters but still intact enough to walk rather than crawl from the room.

The sea of faces parts for me, some pitying, others carefully blank, a few openly smug.

“Fine” I thought, as I stomped out of the hall “I'll just have to handle it on my own like I used to”

The executive floor of Kingwicke International was eerily quiet when I arrived. My key card still works, at least. I head straight for the boardroom, drawn by the voices I hear inside.

Through the glass walls, I saw the board members and the eight families' representatives. They turned at once when I push open the door.

"Miss Marianna," Albert Chen, my supposed mentor, has the decency to look uncomfortable. "We didn't expect you."

"Clearly," I say, spotting the papers spread across the table. "What's this about fraud allegations?"

Silence falls.

"You don't need to concern yourself with this anymore," James Kostas finally says. "The board has voted. Your services as CEO are no longer required."

"On what grounds?"

"Financial impropriety. Misappropriation of funds. Unauthorized transactions." He slides a folder toward me. "The evidence is quite damning."

I flip through the pages, my blood running cold. Account numbers I recognized. Transactions I never authorized. My signature, forged but convincing.

"This is Tyler's work," I realized aloud. "He had access to my accounts. My passwords."

Pity flickers across a few faces, but not enough.

"The decision is made," the COO says from the head of the table. "Clean out your office by the end of the day."

I battled to drop a tear

“You are all going to hear from my lawyer” as I gathered the false evidences and shredded them before storming out of the room

An hour later, I'm at the offices of Sullivan & Brooks, my personal attorneys. The receptionist looks up in surprise when I enter.

"Ms. Kingwicke! We weren't expecting you."

"I need to see John or Patricia immediately."

"I'm sorry, they're both out of the country."

Did they know this was coming? Were they part of it?

"Thank you," I say mechanically, turning to leave.

Everything clicks into place as I walk back to my car. Tyler gaining my trust. My sister's sudden interest in my division.

The eight families drew me into their confidence, then pulled away without explanation. My parents' increasing criticism of my leadership.

They didn't just betray me. They orchestrated my downfall.

The streets blurred past as I drove aimlessly with no destination in mind. It's only when I noticed the same black sedan made three consecutive turns with me that I realized I'm being followed.

I accelerated, taking a sharp right into an alley I know connects to a busier street. The sedan follows. I cut across two lanes of traffic, earning angry honks. The sedan stayed with me.

Panic rose in my throat as I took another turn, this one too fast. My car skids, tires screeching, and slams into a concrete barrier.

The airbag deploys, stunning me momentarily. By the time I unbuckled my seatbelt and stumbled out of the car, the black sedan had pulled up behind me.

I ran, abandoning my heels as I heard car doors opening with footsteps following.

A dead end. A brick wall looms before me. I spun around, panting, cornered.

A figure approaches, face shadowed, hand emerging from a coat pocket with something metallic.

A gun.

"Please," I gasped. “Don't shoot—"

The shot is deafeningly loud in the enclosed space. Fire exploded in my abdomen. I looked down in disbelief at the spreading stain on my blouse.

Sirens wailed in the distance. The figure cursed, retreating quickly to the sedan, which peels away.

I slided down the wall, pressing my hands to the wound. Losing so much blood.

My vision dimmed around the edges. Through the haze, I saw someone running toward me. A stranger. Face swam above mine, mouths moving, but I couldn't hear the words.

“I wished I wouldn't experience this in my next life” and then darkness claimed me.