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Chapter 9
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The Fiancée Who Built His Empire Chapter 11
It was the first time since the night he proposed that Julian had offered no excuses.He blamed neither Celeste nor the fifty million dollars.I took the statement from him.“I accept your apology.”A faint light returned to Julian’s eyes.But I continued.“Accepting your apology does not mean I forgive you. And it does not mean we can ever return to what we were.”The light in his eyes slowly faded.“I know.”“I only wanted to tell you before you left that you were never the one who failed us.”“I was the one who lost you.”Rain ran down the side of his face.I looked at those familiar features and still remembered all the ways he had once been good to me.But a relationship was rarely destroyed by a single argument.Ours had died every time Julian chose not to believe me—and every time he used my dignity as leverage to force me into submission.I took the old photograph from the cardboard box and handed it back to him.“You should keep the past.”“I’m going to live a new life.”Julia
The Fiancée Who Built His Empire Chapter 10
Two years earlier, I had represented Mercer Holdings in a European port acquisition involving the fund.The negotiations lasted four months. I had overseen every core proposal, from asset valuation to risk control.Once the fund learned that I had left Mercer Holdings, its executives contacted me directly.They offered me a position as Senior Investment Director in the European Infrastructure division, with independent responsibility for the following year’s port investment strategy.The hiring review lasted ten days.To avoid any potential conflict of interest, I voluntarily disclosed my connection to the Castellano Family.The fund made it clear that the offer had nothing to do with Castellano Holdings.They had chosen me because of the port acquisition we completed two years earlier—and because of the seventeen investment projects I had led over the past five years.The name printed on the contract was still Aria Bennett.That evening, my parents and Lorenzo held a small celebration
The Fiancée Who Built His Empire Chapter 9
I did not take the documents.“Julian, you still don’t understand.”His hand stopped in midair.“You think I left because the terms you offered weren’t good enough. So now you’ve added equity, established the trust, and offered me my position back because you believe that will make everything return to the way it was.”“But I will never return to a company where the CEO can erase all my work whenever his personal feelings change.”Julian swallowed hard.“I know I was wrong.”“You only know what your mistake has cost you.”I looked at the agreements in his hand and felt nothing.“If I were still nothing more than Aria Bennett, the daughter of an engineer and an accountant, would you have suspended Celeste?”“Would you have admitted those projects were mine?”“Would you be standing here with those shares, trying to apologize to me?”Julian parted his lips, but no answer came.His silence was as clear as it had been on the night he proposed.I pushed both sets of documents back toward him
The Fiancée Who Built His Empire Chapter 8
The following morning, Castellano Holdings released an official statement.It disclosed none of the Family’s private affairs and confirmed only three facts.First, Aria Bennett was the Castellano family’s only daughter. For security reasons, she had lived under her mother’s last name since childhood.Second, throughout my time at Mercer Holdings, I had received only the salary and bonuses appropriate for my position. I had never owned equity in the company or received additional compensation because of my relationship with Julian.Third, Celeste Morgan’s post contained potentially defamatory claims. The Castellano Family’s attorneys had already preserved all relevant evidence and would pursue legal action against her and every account involved in spreading those allegations.The statement also included the results of an independent third-party review of my five-year professional record.Mercer Holdings’ Series A valuation model, the risk assessments for three major acquisitions, and th
The Fiancée Who Built His Empire Chapter 7
The private dining room fell deathly silent.Julian lowered his eyes to the file Lorenzo had thrown onto the table.Five years ago, when Mercer Holdings applied for its first overseas loan, the company had not owned enough fixed assets to offer as collateral. Several banks had rejected the application one after another.Two days before its cash flow was set to collapse, an overseas fund under Castellano Holdings had quietly stepped in to guarantee the loan without disclosing its connection to me.Julian had always believed his business plan had finally impressed the investors.Then he turned to the last page.Three words were printed clearly on the confidential internal authorization letter.Aria Castellano.His fingers went rigid.Lorenzo stared at him coldly.“At the time, Mercer Holdings couldn’t even afford the following month’s payroll. No financial institution was willing to take that risk.”“Ari pledged assets from her personal trust as collateral for the guarantee. That was the
The Fiancée Who Built His Empire Chapter 6
Julian set the empty wineglass down.His voice was ice-cold.“She’s not yours to put a price on.”The man’s face twisted with humiliation.“You’re willing to destroy our partnership over a woman who tried to scam you out of fifty million dollars?”“Mercer Holdings will no longer do business with you. Get out.”The man did not dare argue. He could only leave in disgrace.Julian turned to me.“Do you see now? Without my protection, anyone can walk all over you.”I almost laughed.“Aren’t you the one who put me in this position?”His expression darkened as he held out his hand.“Come home with me. Sign the prenup, and I’ll restore your position and return the project to you.”“Julian, we’re already over.”His hand froze in midair.“Do you really have to make a scene tonight?”He glanced impatiently at the time.“Lorenzo Castellano will be here any minute. Once I secure the port project, the terms won’t be this generous if you decide you want to come back.”At that moment, the sound of mea
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