CHAPTER 1: THE DAY I WALKED AWAY

The night I left Alexander Sterling, the rain fell as though the heavens themselves were mourning the death of our love.

I stood outside his penthouse with a suitcase in one hand and a trembling heart in the other. Behind those expensive doors was the man I had loved for three years—the man who promised me forever, only to make me feel like I was never enough.

My phone vibrated.

**Alexander:** Where are you? Come back. We need to talk.

I stared at the message, tears blurring the screen.

Three years ago, those words would have made me run into his arms. Tonight, they only reminded me of how many times I had waited for him while he chose everything else over me.

His company came first. His meetings came first. His reputation came first.

And I always came last.

I typed a reply, deleted it, and finally switched off my phone.

For the first time, I chose myself.

The taxi ride to the airport felt endless. Every street carried a memory: our first date at a little Italian restaurant, the night he held my hand beneath the stars, and the morning he kissed my forehead before leaving for a business trip.

He had once looked at me as though I were his entire world.

When did I become someone he could live without?

At the airport, I bought a ticket to London using the money I had secretly saved. I had no grand plan, no wealthy family waiting to welcome me, and no certainty that I would survive on my own.

But I knew one thing.

If I stayed, I would lose whatever remained of myself.

As the plane took off, I watched the city lights disappear beneath the clouds.

"Goodbye, Alexander," I whispered.

I didn't know that the man I was leaving behind would spend the next three years searching for me.

And I certainly didn't know that fate would bring us together again.

Three years later, I returned to Manila.

Not as the frightened girl who had begged for a place in his heart, but as a woman who had learned how to stand on her own.

I had built a successful luxury fashion company in London. My designs had appeared in international magazines, and influential clients knew my name. I no longer needed anyone to rescue me.

Especially not Alexander Sterling.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans.

My assistant, Clara, hurried into my office on my first morning back.

"Miss Reyes, the invitation for tonight's business gala has arrived."

I barely glanced at the envelope. "Send my regrets."

"You might want to reconsider." She hesitated. "Sterling Holdings is hosting the event. The CEO personally requested your attendance."

My fingers froze above my keyboard.

Alexander.

I hadn't heard his voice in three years. I hadn't seen his face except in business magazines, where his cold expression seemed to grow more intimidating with every passing month.

"He requested me personally?" I asked.

Clara nodded. "Apparently, he wants to discuss a partnership with your company."

A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

The same man who had ignored my tears now wanted my attention because of my success.

"Prepare my black evening gown," I said.

Clara blinked. "You're going?"

"Of course."

I had spent three years avoiding the past. Perhaps it was time to prove that it no longer controlled me.

That evening, I entered the grand ballroom wearing a black silk gown, my hair swept into an elegant bun. Conversations faltered as guests recognized me. Cameras turned in my direction.

Then I saw him.

Alexander Sterling stood near the center of the room, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit. He looked older, sharper, and even more handsome than I remembered.

A woman stood beside him, her hand resting possessively on his arm.

For one brief moment, our eyes met.

The glass in his hand stopped halfway to his lips.

His face lost its color.

"Isabella?"

He said my name as though he had seen a ghost.

I smiled politely.

"Good evening, Mr. Sterling."

He abandoned his companion and crossed the ballroom toward me.

"Where have you been?" His voice was low, his expression furious and disbelieving. "I've searched everywhere for you."

I lifted my chin.

"That's interesting. I don't remember asking you to."

His jaw tightened. "We need to talk."

"No, Alexander. You need to listen."

I stepped closer, looking directly into the eyes that had once made me forget every reason to leave.

"I'm not the woman you remember."

Before he could answer, I turned toward the waiting guests and extended my hand to a business associate.

Alexander caught my wrist—not painfully, but desperately enough to reveal the panic beneath his polished exterior.

"Don't walk away from me again."

I gently freed myself.

"You should have thought about that three years ago."

Then I left him standing in the middle of the ballroom, watching the woman he had lost disappear into the crowd.

For the first time in his life, Alexander Sterling had no idea how to get what he wanted.

And what he wanted was me.