CHAPTER 1

ALINA VOSS

"…he was about to ask me the most important question of his life, but unfortunately for him, I already had my answer, and it wasn't yes."

~~~~~

"You are certain he is going to propose this night?" Serena asked, her steps hurried as she tried to keep up with my strides, despite wearing a flat shoe, in contrast to my twelve-centimeter heels.

I stopped next to the Patek Philippe collection, my eyes scanning the box for my third purchase this year. "I saw the ring receipt two days ago, and yesterday, I saw the ring." I leaned closer to eye the silver one with a black strap. "I also looked at his phone today, and I saw all the preparations."

Serena signed.

"Can I have this, please?" I requested, pointing at Nautilus. I think I got Acquanaut the last time.

"When you called me to come with you to get a Patek Philipe watch, I almost cried." She mumbled, eyeing the staff as she pulled out the watch from the shelf. "I didn't think you would be ending things with him this early."

I also didn't believe I would be buying him the usual farewell wristwatch just after four months of dating him.

I guess men are no longer stingy with the ring these days.

"We didn't even achieve the reason why you started dating him," Serena grumbled. "Are you sure breaking up with him is the only option at this point?"

I have a rule, one I have followed for the past two years…

Pop the question, and I will leave your ass, no matter what I am getting from you, or what I intend to get from you.

"How are you paying Ms. Voss?" the lady who has been attending to me asked with a bogus smile.

"How about you don't go home today?" Serena blurted out. "That way, Mason won't be proposing."

That will be like shoving a ticking bomb into a box to stop the ticking sound, then proceeding to believe that it won't explode just because you don't hear the ticking sound anymore.

"I am paying with my card," I replied to the lady before reaching into my purse to pull Mason's black card. I have always acquired farewell watches for my other exes in the past with their money, and Mason won't be any different.

Upon seeing the card, the lady's smile widened. I guess she thought I wouldn't be able to afford paying for an eighty-thousand-dollar wristwatch.

I guess she missed the damn Prada on my feet.

While she walked away to package the watch, I reached for my phone to confirm if the dress I ordered for tonight had reached my residence.

"No one knows you that well, Alina," Serena whispered. "And with Mason gone, it will be difficult to sample those bags in the kind of events that will give it the illusion of luxury." She grumbled.

I smacked my Hermes thin-lipped. "I will think of something."

"Can you?" she countered. "he may have unknowingly paid for the bag production, packaging, and shipping out to Italy for strap production and attachment, but did you forget that we have to ship it back to the US? Can you afford it?"

"Ma'am?"

I blinked slowly away from Serena to the staff member who was holding a small gift bag that contained the wristwatch. "Thank you for shopping with us. We would love to have you with us another day."

Forcing a smile, I took the bag from her, turned, and began walking away. "Like I said, Serena, I will think of something."

"How about you not break up with him?" she hissed, "think of a way to avert the proposal, or if you must, tell him you are not ready for marriage yet."

I halted abruptly, my fingers squeezing the strap of the bag. "I, Alina Voss, am not desperate." Mason is a man with an ego. If I say no to his proposal, the money is going to stop coming, and he is as good as useless to me if he stops giving me the one thing that keeps me with him. "Before Mason was Lachlan, Roman, and Cassius, and they all played their roles."

Rubbing her hand down her face, Serena sighed. "And your point is?"

"I will find someone else," I assured her, "someone far more powerful and influential than Mason, who will take VOSS BAGS to the level it ought to be."

"And who might that be?"

Ignoring her eye roll, I walked over to the magazine section, which contained the faces of almost all influential men and women of the world.

My red-painted fingers skimmed through the faces in the magazine until they paused on the magazine that contained the face of the man I have been studying for the past three days.

I picked it up, the corners of my lips stretching into a smirk. "Him."

Serena glanced from me to the magazine before blurting out a deep belly laugh. "Vincent Sterling is your new target?"

My lips thinned at her mocking laughter, and I slowly lowered the magazine. "You want to share what's funny?"

"I understand that you have worked hard to create an illusion of a powerful woman, uplifting yourself from that pitiful state that bastard left you, but also do not forget that your life right now is also an illusion."

My eyes narrowed. "I beg your pardon?"

"The penthouse you claim to own is under lease, Serena, the luxury brands of bags you own are like investments that you fall back to, you can't even misuse them so as not to affect the resale value."

"And your point is?" I interjected.

"With the level you are, you cannot attract the attention of Vincent Sterling." She stated bluntly. "You need three to four more Masons in your life before you get to that point

I cannot attract the attention of Vincent Sterling? Me? Alina Voss? I like a good challenge.

Dropping the magazine, I sashayed out of the building to my Ferrari. Serena hurried after me.

"Are you upset?!"

I chuckled. "Upset? No. Challenged? Yes."

She reached for the door handle, but I stopped her. "You might want to take a taxi home. I have an appointment with my stylist for tonight."

Exhaling, she bit her inner cheek. "So you are really breaking up with him?"

I grinned. "See you tonight, Serena."

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