Chapter 1

Clara Bennett

“Just one clear shot. One picture of this rich jerk with his side piece, and my blog numbers will surely blow up.”

I hunched low in the driver's seat of my old car, the very same one my mom gave me for my nineteenth birthday two years ago. I loved it with everything in me.

As the wind blew colder, I kept my eyes focused on the target. The camera felt heavy in my hands as I muttered under my breath.

“Come on, just a little closer…”

I raised the lens to my eye as my finger hovered over the button.

When I got here earlier. ...couldn't help but admire the fancy hotel entrance that glowed under golden lights. It looked so perfect and definitely not the kind of world I belonged to... I had a task to fulfil since I needed quick cash.

“This was going to be a good gossip headline,” I thought, as a small smile curved on my lips.

Then a tall figure stepped directly into my frame, disrupting my perfect shot.

“Ugh!” I growled, already annoyed. I had a short temper for moments like these.

I quickly glanced at my phone to see if there was any new message, and my stomach twisted instantly.

I sighed immediately.

It was already late, and Victor Sinclair, my fiancé, had not yet sent the address where our date was supposed to be tonight.

I let out a deep breath and tried my best to be more patient. He would eventually send the address, or so I believed. It was the third time this month. I couldn't understand why he would not just pick me up and take me out.

“Oh wait, he said his car was damaged and the mechanic was still working on it. Shit.” I nearly threw myself back on the leather seat.

We had spent three whole years together, and just the thought of his sexy smile sent a flutter through my chest. The way he used to pull me close and whisper my name always turned my knees to jelly.

He was indeed extremely handsome, tall, and his eyes… oh, his emerald eyes that always stared into my soul, half-hooded. They always drove me crazy.

“Focus, Clara Bennett,” I scolded myself as the cold wind brushed against my cheeks.

I pushed the car door open and stepped out, trying to find a better angle. That's when two huge hands clamped down on my shoulders from behind.

“You are not supposed to be here, young lady!”

“Ah!” I gasped. “What the hell?!”

My heart slammed against my ribs. Without thinking, I swung my foot back hard and kicked him right between his legs. It always worked.

The man grunted in pain.

“You little bitch!”

I smirked for a split second, then twisted my arms free from his hold and dove back into the car. I slammed the door shut and drove away, the tires screeching as I sped off.

My hands shook on the steering wheel as I kept my eyes forward while glancing back to see if I was being followed.

Thankfully, I wasn't.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and let out a shaky laugh.

“Clara, you dummy,” I whispered. “Thinking about Victor again and nearly getting caught. Remember, the mortgage, the loans, and Mom's medical bills won't pay themselves.”

I forced myself to breathe. Mom's cancer was getting worse. She would even pretend she was fine so I wouldn't worry, but I always saw right through her. She was my only family. And soon, Victor would be part of it too.

I blinked away my tears and let out another shaky laugh. My life really was a mess.

I kept driving slowly, my mind still spinning from everything that had happened.

When I looked toward the far side of the road, I saw Victor stepping out of a luxurious black car in front of the city's most expensive restaurant.

He was laughing with his head thrown back, looking happier than I had seen him in weeks.

“Victor?” I murmured, my voice barely a whisper.

My heart slammed against my ribs. The car almost swerved as I stared harder. No. This couldn't be real.

His arm was wrapped tightly around a stunning woman in a designer dress, Amelia Hart. Her long, shiny golden hair glowed under the restaurant lights as she leaned into him like she belonged there.

She smiled up at him, and he looked down at her with that soft, loving gaze I thought was only meant for me.

My stomach twisted painfully, and tears blurred my vision instantly.

I gripped the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles turned white.

This wasn't happening. Not my Victor. Not the man who said he loved me, and certainly not the man I had sacrificed everything for.

Everyone knew who Amelia was, the millionaire Richard Hart's spoiled daughter and Chief Director at West Group Company.

She was rich, beautiful, and from a completely different world. A world of luxury and power.

The reason why she was working for West Group and not her own daddy's company was still a mystery. Rumours said she had a thing for the CEO of West Group or something. Such a bitch.

But Victor? My Victor? He was supposed to be mine.

We were supposed to be building a future together.

He always told me we couldn't afford fancy dates yet. That one day, when things got better, he would take me to places like this.

Lies. All of it was lies.

I kept feeling a throbbing pain exploding in my chest, like someone had stabbed me and twisted the knife.

I felt my heart breaking into a thousand tiny pieces right there in the cold night.

And tears kept rolling down my cheeks as I watched him gently tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, the same sweet gesture he used to do with me.

I couldn't breathe at all, and my hands started shaking immediately.

How long had this been going on? All those nights he said he was “working late”? All those times he canceled our plans?

I parked the car at a distance, my whole body trembling.

The man I loved more than anything had just shattered my world… and he didn't even know I was watching.

I slipped out of the car, following them carefully.

I didn't care about my outfit. I was wearing a simple black dress that hugged my curves and a black leather jacket that kept out the cold.

Just as I was about to enter through the huge doors, the doorman blocked my path with a raised eyebrow.

I flashed my brightest smile.

“I'm meeting my fiancé inside. He just went in.”

He hesitated, glaring at my outfit like I was wearing a potato sack, but he stepped aside anyway.

“Go ahead.”

Inside the restaurant, soft music played, and the smell of expensive food filled the air. I hid behind a large potted plant, my chest aching as I watched the scene in front of me.

Victor leaned across the table, laughing louder than he ever had with me. He reached out, gently tucking a strand of Amelia's bright golden hair behind her ear.

Then he cupped her face and kissed her lips slowly, deeply, and full of heat.

I felt the world tilt as tears burned my eyes.

“So this is why he was delaying,” I muttered to myself.

It finally made sense. All his recent excuses.

The way he said he'd text me the location tonight.

I had been sitting in my car working, thinking he was running late… while he was here with her.

I snatched a glass of red wine from a waiter's tray and downed it in one gulp. It burned my throat, but I didn't care.

I needed the extra courage to face that two-timing cheater.

I calmly marched straight to their table, ignoring the obnoxious stares from the rich snobs around me.

The second I stopped at their table, Victor's head snapped up, and his eyes widened in pure shock.

“C-Clara? I mean… who are you, and what the hell are you doing here?”

I forced a cold little laugh.

“Why don't you look happy to see me… fiancé?”

I lifted my hand, letting the engagement ring catch the light.

Amelia's eyes narrowed at Victor.

His face went pale, then hardened instantly.

“Engaged? I don't know what she's talking about. We're not engaged. I don't even know her.”

I let out a short, bitter laugh as pain exploded in my chest.

“Do not play dumb with me, Victor Sinclair.”

Then I slapped him across the face, the sound cracking through the fancy restaurant.

I heard Amelia gasp. She tried to stand, but Victor held her hand like she was some delicate antique.

“Never come near me again,” I hissed.

I grabbed his glass of wine and poured it slowly over his head.

I smirked as the red liquid dripped down his perfect hair and onto his expensive shirt.

People gasped and started whispering around us, but I didn't care.

Before I could finish pouring the wine on him, Victor jumped up, sputtering.

“Clara! Have you lost your mind?”

“I cooked for you every night,” I said, my voice shaking with rage. “I paid your rent when you had nothing. I listened to all your big dreams. I gave you every piece of my heart!”

Amelia stepped between us, her lip curled in disgust.

“Victor is rich. He could never want someone like you, a poor, desperate slut. He's the heir to his family's fortune.”

A broken laugh tore out of me.

I knew the truth about Victor, but the words still cut deep.

Victor was broke. He barely had anything to his name.

Or so I thought.

I stared at his tall frame. His eyes didn't show even a hint of regret.

His attire told another story.

I was the one who dug into people's lives, yet I couldn't even see the lies of my own fiancé.

Ex-fiancé.

Victor waved frantically at the security guards heading our way.

“Get her out of here!”

Before they could touch me, I slapped him again, harder this time, making sure I left a red mark.

I yanked the ring off my finger and threw it at his chest.

It bounced off and clattered to the floor.

“You disgust me!”

I turned and walked away, my head held high even as tears streamed down my cheeks.

“Clara! Clara, wait!” Victor shouted after me.

He tried to grab my jacket, but I shoved him off.

I didn't stop. I didn't even hear his footsteps coming after me.

“That cheating jerk!”

I pushed through the doors into the cool night air.