Chapter 1

Isabella’s POV

I couldn’t stop smiling no matter how hard I tried, the smile kept finding its way back onto my face.

Maybe it was because today was finally the day or maybe it was because the sleek black luxury car parked beside me was the exact model Adrian had spent the last six months talking about.

I ran my fingers across the polished hood. The salesman standing nearby chuckled.

“Your boyfriend is a lucky man,” he said.

My cheeks warmed, “He deserves it.”

The salesman handed me the keys. “Congratulations on the purchase, Miss Sterling.”

I quickly glanced around. Thankfully, nobody seemed to notice the name.

For three years, I had hidden who I really was. To the world, I was simply Isabella not Isabella Sterling, the sole heiress of the Sterling Group and the daughter of one of the most powerful businessmen in the country.

I was just Isabella, a woman in love with Adrian Cole. I slipped the keys into my purse and looked at the car one last time.

Adrian was going to lose his mind when he saw it. The thought made me laugh. I could already imagine his expression.

The disbelief and excitement and the way he would pull me into his arms. I giggled internally, trying to suppress my excitement.

Today, I was finally going to tell him everything. No more secrets, three years was long enough.

I pulled out my phone and stared at Adrian’s contact. A small smile tugged at my lips.

Three years ago, I met him completely by accident or maybe fate had decided to ruin my life.

Back then, I had been running from another argument with my father.

An argument about my engagement to Alexander Kingston, the billionaire heir my father had chosen for me to marry to solidify his business partnership.

I still remember the fight like it was yesterday.

“You’re being childish, Isabella,” my father had snapped.

“I’m not marrying a stranger!” I shot back at him.

“You’ll understand one day,” he had said calmly.

“I won’t!” I yelled.

I stormed out of the house, and then the accident happened. The screech of tires, the blinding headlights, and the terrifying realization that I couldn’t move fast enough.

And then strong arms grabbed me and his husky voice sounded in my ears, filled with concern.

“Are you alright?”

That man had been Adrian. From that moment on, my life had changed. I fell in love with him faster than I should have and harder than I ever admitted.

I broke off my engagement, ran away from home, hid my identity, and left behind everything.

I did all this for him because he had a small company then and I didn’t want him to feel intimidated by me. I wanted him to love me for me and in three years, every sacrifice was worth it.

My phone buzzed, it was a text message from Adrian.

‘Busy today. Big company event. Don’t wait for me.’

I smiled. If only he knew what I was planning.

“Too late,” I grinned to myself.

I slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine.

Today wasn’t just any day. Today was the day I was going to tell Adrian who I really was. Today was the day I was finally going to stop hiding.

And hopefully the day he would ask me to marry him.

—

Thirty minutes later, I parked outside Cole Technologies. The company building towered over the city as pride swelled inside my chest.

When I first met Adrian, he had worked in a tiny office with peeling paint and broken air conditioning.

Now he has built all of this. I knew how hard he had worked.

I knew every sleepless night, every rejection, every struggle. I had been there for all of it. Even if he never knew just how much I had helped his company behind the scenes.

I grabbed my purse and stepped out of the car. I noticed the lobby was packed, employees crowded everywhere, and excited chatter filled the air.

A massive arrangement of white roses stood near the elevators.

White roses? Those were my favorites.

A grin spread across my face. No way! Was Adrian planning something? My heart began racing as I stepped toward the reception desk.

The receptionist beamed.

“Oh my God,” she exclaimed.

“What?” I asked.

“You came!”

I laughed nervously, “Came for what?”

The receptionist covered her mouth.

“Oh,” Her expression suddenly turned awkward, “I thought…”

“Thought what?”

Before she could answer, cheers erupted from somewhere upstairs as everyone rushed toward the elevators.

My pulse quickened. The receptionist looked like she wanted to say something. Instead, she simply smiled.

“Maybe you should go see for yourself,” she said.

Excitement bubbled inside me as my heart hammered against my ribs.

Could he really be doing this? Could Adrian actually be proposing after three years?

The elevator doors opened and employees piled inside. I followed them. The higher we climbed, the harder my heart pounded. By the time we reached the executive floor, I was practically shaking.

The entire floor had been transformed. There were flowers, balloons, champagne, and a luxury decoration.

People were holding up their phones, staring toward the center of the room.

My breath caught. This was definitely a proposal. A happy laugh escaped me. My sweet boyfriend, he had actually done it.

I pushed through the crowd and my eyes immediately searched for Adrian but when I found him, everything inside me froze.

The smile disappeared from my face and the world seemed to stop moving.

Adrian stood in the center of the room wearing the suit I bought him last Christmas, holding a velvet ring box and kneeling but not in front of me.

He was kneeling in front of Vanessa Reed, his secretary. The woman standing beside him with tears in her eyes.

The woman everyone in the office adored. The woman who had spent the last year glued to Adrian’s side.

I couldn’t hear anything, only the pounding of my own heartbeat. Then Adrian’s voice reached me. It was clear, loud, and certain.

“I know the journey wasn’t easy,” he was saying.

Vanessa covered her mouth as tears streamed down her cheeks. The employees watched eagerly while Adrian smiled at her.

The same smile I thought belonged to me. The same smile I had fallen in love with.

“You’ve supported me,” he continued, “You’ve believed in me. You’ve stayed beside me when things were difficult.”

The crowd echoed ‘awwwn’ while my fingers slowly tightened around my purse.

No, this wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening, it's not real!

But it was very real because the next moment, Adrian opened the ring box and a diamond ring sparkled under the lights.

Behind me, people whispered.

“Mr. Cole and Miss Reed are so perfect together.”

“They’ve been in love for a while.”

“I heard she’s the reason he won the Sterling contract.”

“She deserves this.”

My vision blurred at their words. Then Adrian spoke the words that shattered my entire world.

“Vanessa Reed,” his eyes never left hers, “Will you marry me?”

The car keys slipped from my fingers as the metallic sound echoed loudly across the room.

For the first time, Adrian looked up and our eyes met. The smile vanished from his face and the entire room suddenly fell silent.