Chapter 1

Sienna POV

My face lit up with a warm smile as I smoothed down the front of my gown, one last time, in the mirror of the private lounge. 

Tonight was Apex Industries’ annual recognition gala, and downstairs, hundreds of guests, partners, and board members were gathered beneath crystal chandeliers to celebrate the company’s most successful year yet.

But for me, tonight meant something far bigger than quarterly numbers.

I could feel butterflies in my tummy, my heart racing as I thought about the moment Damian would call me up to the stage.

Tonight, he’d promised, he would finally make us official — no longer the quiet arrangement hidden from company gossip, but his fiancée, standing beside him in front of everyone who mattered to him.

My hands drifted instinctively to my belly with a smile tugged at my lips. I couldn’t wait to break the news to him. He would be so happy to know he would soon be a father

Climbing down the stairs, I could spot Damian surrounded by board members, their business conversation filling the air with practiced laughter and clinking glasses. 

He looked every bit the man the business magazines called the “Ice King of Apex Industries” — controlled, composed, untouchable to everyone but me.

As I made my way toward him, I was brought to a halt by Ethan’s voice over the microphone.

“If everyone could direct their attention to the stage, please,” he announced, his eyes catching mine with a small, encouraging smile. “My CEO has an announcement to make.”

This was it.

I found a spot near the front, close enough to see Damian’s face as he climbed the short steps to the podium. 

My eyes wandered to him, searching for the small, private smile he always saved for me… the one that told me, in a room full of strangers, that I was still his.

Damian adjusted the microphone, his gaze sweeping the crowd. “Thank you all for coming tonight,” he began, his words echoing through the hall. “This has been the strongest year in Apex Industries’ history, and I wouldn’t be standing here without every one of you.”

The guests responded with warm applause. I raised my glass along with them, my chest tight with anticipation, waiting for him to find me in the crowd.

“There’s someone I’d like everyone to meet,” Damian continued, and my breath caught in my throat.

I straightened my shoulders, ready to step forward.

But his hand extended toward the side of the stage…. not toward me.

My eyes widened at the sight of a curvy woman in a long black gown gliding out from behind the curtain, her dark silky hair cascading in loose waves under the stage lights.

It was Chloe. Damian’s ex girlfriend, the one who left him when his company had hit rock bottom. 

“This is Chloe,” Damian said, his voice carrying an ease I hadn’t heard from him before. “Some of you may remember her from years ago. She and I have found our way back to each other, and I wanted tonight to be the night I made that official.”

A ripple of murmurs spread through the crowd. My glass trembled slightly in my hand, heat rushing up the back of my neck. 

I didn’t make a scene. I wouldn’t give the room that satisfaction. Instead, I caught Damian’s arm the moment he stepped down from the podium and pulled him toward a quiet corridor just off the ballroom, away from curious eyes.

“Damian, what is she doing here?” I demanded once we were alone, my voice low but shaking. “You told me tonight was about us.”

He raked a hand through his hair, his jaw tight. “Sienna, it’s complicated. Chloe and I—”

“Complicated?” I cut in. “We’ve been dating for three years, Damian. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?” 

“Of course it doesn’t,” Chloe’s voice interrupted smoothly as she rounded the corner, her heels echoing against the marble. “I did try to give you two a moment, but there’s no easy way to say this.”

“Why are you even here?” I demanded, my tone sharp with disbelief and disdain, turning to face her fully.

“I don’t owe you any explanations,” she said, a touch of arrogance in her smile, “but since you’re asking so nicely……Damian invited me. Back into his life, and back into this company.”

“Damian invited you?” I turned back to him, searching his face for some sign this was all a mistake.

His expression carried a certainty that sent a chill down my spine. “Sienna, Chloe and I are back together,” he said flatly.

My jaw tightened, my eyes stinging as the words echoed in my mind. A surge of anguish rose in my chest, my breaths coming in short, shallow gasps. 

“How is that even possible?” I managed, my voice cracking. “After everything…after our—?”

I halted, not ready to disclose the fact that I was pregnant for him. 

Damian’s expression hardened, his eyes remaining cold and indifferent. 

“Whatever you thought we had, Sienna, it ends tonight. You were never my future. You were simply convenient until she came back.”

My chest tightened from his words. After everything we’d been through for three years. This was all he could say to me. 

Chloe, watching the exchange with quiet satisfaction, finally reached into her bag and pulled out  a folded set of documents. 

She handed them to Damian with a small, knowing smile. “Here you go, my love. She still has to sign this.”

My brows pulled together as Damian took the documents from her.

“What is that?” My voice shuddered, barely holding together, but I refused to let it break.

“It’s an NDA,” he said, stretching the document toward me. “I’m a public figure, Sienna. I wouldn’t want you to tarnish my image by telling everyone we were once sleeping with each other.”

A scoff escaped my lips.

Sleeping with each other? 

So that was it all along. And there I was, giving my best day in and day out, working for his success and that of his company.

“Sign it, Sienna,” he continued. “Also, I’m not heartless. Your efforts at Apex Industries are greatly appreciated, and you will be compensated.”