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His Fake Engagement Cost Him Everything
His Fake Engagement Cost Him Everything
Author: Velvet

Chapter 1

Author: Velvet
After sending the message, I returned to the private lounge and removed the silver DeLuca crest pinned above my heart.

Luca, the newly appointed Don of the DeLuca family, followed me inside. Marco and two of his men came with him, the remains of their amusement still visible. Bianca, Luca’s childhood companion, entered last, carrying the larger family emblem removed from the ballroom.

Luca’s gaze settled on the pin I had placed on the vanity.

“Put it back on.”

“Tonight’s engagement was fake. Why should I wear it?”

The room went quiet.

Marco lifted his glass. “It was a joke, Elena. None of us expected you to take the preparations this far.”

“A month ago, Luca put a ring on my finger himself. Every day since then, you asked how the party was coming along. You even gave me the guest list.”

I looked from one face to the next.

“I spent three nights checking security. I approved the wine and menu and sealed every invitation by hand. All of you watched me do it, then waited until tonight to tell me I was the only person who didn’t know the truth.”

Marco’s smile faded. “We didn’t mean any harm.”

“You only wanted to see whether I would believe him.”

“That’s enough,” Luca said. “All of you, stop.”

He came toward me and reached for my hand. I stepped back, and his arm fell to his side.

“Elena, this went too far. I’ll handle the guests and cover every expense. No word of what happened tonight will leave this hotel.”

“So that’s what concerns you? The story getting out?”

“I’m concerned about you. I’m also concerned that our enemies will use this against the family.”

He had already arranged the ending. The party would be canceled, the guests would leave, and those who had mocked me would receive a warning. Once my anger passed, everything would return to normal.

Bianca laid the larger crest on the vanity.

“I honestly thought Elena knew,” she said. “A formal DeLuca engagement requires the family elders. None of them came tonight, so I assumed she had realized.”

“So this was my mistake?”

“I didn’t say that.” Concern appeared on her face with practiced speed. “I just didn’t expect you to believe it completely. Luca will give you a real engagement party one day.”

“Bianca,” Luca warned.

She lowered her eyes.

I kept my attention on Luca. “Was the Christmas dinner a joke too?”

Something shifted in his expression.

Last Christmas, he told me his mother wanted to receive me at the DeLuca estate. I spent two weeks choosing a gift and waited outside the gates for nearly an hour in the snow.

When the doors opened, only Luca and several of his men were inside. Mrs. DeLuca had already left for Florence. The dinner had become another bet, this time about how early I would arrive.

Luca later brought me inside and dried the snow from my hair. I convinced myself his friends had crossed the line once.

“My mother changed her plans,” he said. “Marco and the others took advantage of it. I dealt with them.”

“And tonight?”

Luca was silent for several seconds.

“I knew about the bet.”

“You allowed it.”

“I thought they would tell you before the guests arrived.” His voice lowered. “I never meant for you to be humiliated in public.”

“But you still wanted to see whether I believed you.”

He did not deny it.

Marco looked away. Bianca lowered her head, though her fingers remained on the crest.

Luca gestured toward the door. His men obeyed. Bianca hesitated, then followed them out.

When the door closed, Luca returned to me.

“I should have stopped it.”

He noticed the faint burn on my fingertip from the sealing wax and took my hand by instinct.

“You shouldn’t have done all this yourself.”

“Because the engagement wasn’t real?”

“Because there are people who can do these things for you.”

His thumb moved gently over my injured finger.

“I always intended to marry you. When the family situation is stable, I’ll give you a real engagement. The ring will come from the DeLuca vault. My mother, our consigliere, and the senior capos will attend.”

“When?”

“I can’t give you a date yet.”

I pulled my hand free.

Regret tightened his expression.

“Elena, I know I hurt you. Be angry with me, but don’t let one terrible joke erase everything between us.”

“This wasn’t the first time.”

“I know.”

“And it won’t be the last.”

“It will. I’ll make sure they learn where the line is.”

He still believed the others had merely gone too far. His permission was the reason they thought my dignity could be used for entertainment.

“Why do they think they can treat me this way?”

His face hardened. “No one has the right to disrespect you.”

“They laughed at me for ten minutes while you stood beside them.”

“I should have stopped them sooner.”

Luca checked the time. Guests were still waiting outside.

“I’ll have my driver take you home. Once I’m done here, I’ll come to the apartment and stay with you.”

I did not answer.

He mistook my silence for agreement. Picking up the silver pin, he tried to fasten it to my dress again.

I covered his hand.

“Leave it here.”

He studied me, then set it back on the vanity.

“Go home and wait for me. Don’t go anywhere alone.”

After he left, my phone vibrated.

Dr. Keller had sent the flight details and one additional message.

The project car can collect you at eight thirty. Tell me where you want the driver to meet you.

I checked the time and typed my reply.

Have the driver come to the back entrance of my apartment building.
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  • His Fake Engagement Cost Him Everything   Chapter 9

    I accepted the international trial before my flight left New York.Dr. Keller read my email from the seat across the aisle and gave me a brief nod.“You understand that this will add at least another year to your work in Zurich.”“I understand.”“You will also be responsible for coordinating six hospitals.”“I know.”She closed her laptop.“Then welcome to the next stage.”The trial began two months later.Under the approved trial protocol, our screening method identified patients likely to develop the abnormal response before they received the newer medication batch. Those patients entered an alternative treatment arm and were monitored separately.For the first several months, I expected something to go wrong. Each hospital followed a different routine, one laboratory submitted incomplete records, and a supplier delayed the materials required for testing. I spent long evenings reviewing reports and early mornings speaking with teams in three time zones.Every hour belonged to work I

  • His Fake Engagement Cost Him Everything   Chapter 8

    Five months later, our preliminary study was accepted for presentation at a medical symposium in New York.The expanded analysis included records from six hospitals. The results supported the association I had identified and revealed a way to screen patients before they received the newer treatment batch.Dr. Keller asked me to deliver the presentation.When I told my mother I was returning to New York for three days, she offered to meet me at the airport.“You don’t have to,” I said. “The hospital arranged a car.”“I have not seen my daughter in five months. I’m coming.”She was waiting beyond customs and wrapped both arms around me. “You look rested,” she said. I laughed because I had slept four hours on the flight.During the drive, she told me Luca had returned my belongings three months earlier. Everything had been packed and labeled, and he carried the boxes upstairs himself. He asked whether I was well. My mother told him to ask me.Luca had stopped sending daily messages. His t

  • His Fake Engagement Cost Him Everything   Chapter 7

    Three days after Luca returned to New York, the first batch of samples arrived from the partner hospitals.Dr. Keller divided the team into two groups. One group repeated the original analysis without seeing my report, while I led the second group in examining the twelve cases I had identified.If both groups found the same pattern, we would have enough evidence to revise the project.For the next four days, I rarely left the research center before midnight.Luca sent one message every morning, asking whether I had eaten, slept, and secured the apartment.I replied only that I was safe and did not need additional guards.He never mentioned the emerald ring.On Friday evening, one of the researchers brought me the first set of results.“They do not match,” Anna said. “The abnormal marker appears in only seven of the twelve samples.”I checked the report twice. Five failed cases could make the association too weak to justify changing the study.Dr. Keller entered the laboratory while I w

  • His Fake Engagement Cost Him Everything   Chapter 6

    I arrived at the research center half an hour early after checking the data three times. The patients had been treated at different hospitals and received different initial diagnoses, which explained why no one had compared their records.I sent the report to Dr. Keller and was preparing to enter the conference room when she stepped out of her office.“Did you organize these cases last night?”“Yes.”“Did you verify the original records?”“All twelve. Each patient developed the same abnormal marker after standard treatment, although the severity varied.”Dr. Keller turned to the final page.“If your conclusion is correct, we may need to change the direction of the study.”“I think we should begin with an independent validation.”She studied me for several seconds before closing the report.“Present your findings to the team at ten.”Luca was waiting in the reception area downstairs.He still wore the same dark suit from the previous day, although he had changed his shirt. Two cups of c

  • His Fake Engagement Cost Him Everything   Chapter 5

    I entered the conference room at eight the next morning.Dr. Keller introduced me briefly and said nothing about why I had changed my mind at the last minute. She assigned me a set of patient data that the team had not finished analyzing.“Two researchers were originally responsible for this section, and we have six weeks left,” she said. “If you need the assignment adjusted, tell me today.”“I can finish it.”After the meeting, I remained in the laboratory until evening. I had been away from the project for three months, yet much of the data still felt familiar. I had helped design the initial research plan before choosing to remain in New York.By five o’clock, I had identified the first connection the previous analysis might have missed.Dr. Keller reviewed my results and asked me to present them at the next morning’s team meeting. Before leaving, she reminded me that the project did not require anyone to prove their ability by working all night.I packed my laptop and left the rese

  • His Fake Engagement Cost Him Everything   Chapter 4

    By the time the plane landed in Zurich, it was almost afternoon.As soon as I turned on my phone, more than twenty missed calls and messages appeared. The earliest one had arrived shortly after takeoff.Elena, what do you mean you’re leaving New York?A few minutes later, Luca had written again.Answer me. We are not ending five years with a text message.At first, his tone remained controlled. He told me Marco had been sent out of New York, everyone involved in the bet would be punished, and Bianca would apologize to my mother in person. He admitted that he had underestimated how deeply the night had hurt me, but he still believed everything could be resolved once we met.Later, he returned to the apartment.Your luggage and passport are gone. I found the ring.If you want to join the Zurich project, I won’t stop you. I’ll come for you after the port vote, and we’ll discuss this face-to-face.He still saw my departure as a more serious version of our usual arguments. In his mind, I on

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