Chapter 7

Gabby

The quiet click of the heavy double doors behind us finally cut off the silence of the ballroom.

I didn’t stop until we reached the edge of the stone terrace, out of sight from the lights. The night air felt cool on my bare shoulders, but my blood was pounding in my ears.

I spun around, my heels sinking into the soft gravel. I grabbed the heavy platinum band on my left hand, yanked the diamond ring off, and held it out toward him.

“Are you completely out of your mind?” I hissed in a panicked whisper. “Take this back right now, Nathan!”

Nathan didn’t look bothered at all. He casually slid his hands into his trouser pockets, shoulders relaxed, dark eyes watching the sparkle of the gem in my palm.

“That was a proposal, sweetheart,” he said, his voice smooth and low. “And by the look on Joel’s face, it did exactly what you paid for.”

“I paid for a date!” I stepped closer, grabbed his right hand, forced his palm open, and shoved the cold diamond ring into his fingers. “I hired a fake fiancé for three hours! I didn’t hire a man to drop to one knee in front of half of Manhattan, put a ring on my hand, and blow up my entire life!”

Nathan didn’t close his fingers right away. He looked down at the ring in his palm, then back up at me.

“This ring was bought for a woman I thought I knew,” he said quietly. He slid the diamond into his blazer pocket. “Lina proved she wasn’t worth it. You, on the other hand, stood up in front of a room full of snakes and held your head high.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What’s your deal with your cousin anyway? What if we had actually ruined his wedding? You barely hesitated when I asked you to walk in there with me.”

A shadow crossed Nathan’s face. He stepped closer, his presence solid and protective in the dim light.

“Joel is a spineless coward who hides behind my family’s name,” he said, voice low and sharp. “And if there’s one thing I can’t stand, Gabby, it’s a man who disrespects a woman and thinks he can get away with it. You wanted to teach him a lesson? I was more than happy to help.”

My chest rose and fell under the tight red silk. He hadn’t just done this for a scene—he had done it because he couldn’t stand that kind of behavior.

“That still doesn’t mean I’m taking a diamond ring from a man I met three hours ago,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “Our deal is over.”

I pulled my purse from under my arm, unzipped the side pocket with shaking fingers, and took out the white envelope with the thousand dollars in cash. I pressed it against his chest.

“Here,” I said. “Your payment. Thank you for making Joel look like an idiot. Thank you for standing up to his mother. But the act ends right here.”

Nathan looked down at the envelope against his blazer. A faint expression crossed his face before he took it. He didn’t check the cash—he just kept his eyes locked on mine.

“You really pay your debts, don’t you?” he murmured.

“Always,” I said firmly, taking a step back to put space between us. “I’m calling a cab. Please don’t follow me.”

“Gabby—”

“Goodbye, Nathan.”

I turned and walked quickly down the winding stone path toward the main avenue. My red dress swished against my legs. My left hand felt strangely light without the heavy diamond. I didn’t look back. I couldn’t. If I turned around and saw him standing there under the streetlamp, I knew I’d walk right back.

Once I cleared the iron gates and reached the well-lit sidewalk of Fifth Avenue, I leaned against the cool brick wall of a closed flower shop, breathing hard.

“You survived,” I whispered to myself. “It’s over. You gave him the ring back, Joel is crushed, you still have your pride, and tomorrow life goes back to normal.”

My purse vibrated hard against my under arm.

A second later it buzzed again. And again. A rapid, frantic series of vibrations that wouldn’t stop.

I unzipped the bag and pulled out my phone, figuring Khloe was calling to scream about the wedding gossip.

But it wasn’t just khloe.

My screen was flooded with notifications. Banners kept flashing across the top so fast the phone felt hot.

22 Missed Calls from Khloe

14 Texts from Joel

9 Missed Calls from Unknown Numbers

50+ I*******m Direct Messages

My brows drew together. I opened my text thread with Khloe first.

Khloe (8:42 PM): GABBY WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS GOING ON?!?!

Khloe (8:43 PM): PICK UP THE PHONE RIGHT NOW OR I AM DRIVING TO YOUR APARTMENT!

Khloe (8:44 PM): TELL ME THIS IS A PHOTOSHOPPED JOKE! TELL ME RIGHT NOW!

Khloe (8:45 PM): [ATTACHED LINK: ManhattanEliteDaily.com/breaking-news]

My thumb hovered over the link. A cold, uneasy feeling settled in my stomach. I tapped it.

The page loaded instantly. A huge, bold headline in fiery red font sat at the top:

“BILLIONAIRE BACHELOR NATHAN VANNY OFF THE MARKET! MYSTERY CRIMSON BEAUTY CRASHES VANNY FAMILY WEDDING WITH MASSIVE ENGAGEMENT!”

Below the headline was a clear, high-definition photo taken inside the ballroom less than twenty minutes ago.

It showed Nathan on one knee on the marble floor, looking up at me with calm intensity as he slid that oval diamond onto my finger. I stood above him in my plunging crimson dress and curves, glowing under the chandelier.

My breath caught. My vision blurred at the edges.

Nathan… Vanny?

My fingers shook so hard I nearly dropped the phone. I opened a new tab and typed his name: Nathan Vanny.

Results flooded the screen:

Nathaniel Vanny (Age 31) — CEO & Principal Founder of Vanny Global Enterprises.

Estimated Net Worth: $14.2 Billion.

Overview: Real estate mogul, venture capitalist, and sole heir to the Vanny Family Dynasty. Ranked #1 Most Eligible Bachelor in New York.

The sidewalk seemed to tilt under my feet.

The man I had walked up to on the sidewalk outside a church. The man I had offered a thousand bucks in cash to pretend to be my date. The man who had calmly dropped to one knee, held my hand carefully, and accepted my cheap envelope in the dark…

Was the richest, most powerful billionaire bachelor in the state of New York.

My phone buzzed again. A text from Joel flashed across the top.

Joel: You crazy bitch! Did you plan this?! Do you have any idea what you’ve done to my family by dragging Nathan into your game?!

The phone slipped from my numb fingers and clattered onto the concrete.

I stared down at the screen, then looked back toward the dark gates of the estate down the block. My chest heaved. The air was gone from my lungs.

“What did I just do?” I whispered to the empty street.