Lahat ng Kabanata ng Dumped but not Broken : Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

Elena Cortez had never felt more beautiful.She stood in the bridal suite of the Grandview Hotel, staring at her reflection in the full-length mirror. The wedding dress was a dream ivory silk with delicate lace sleeves, a fitted bodice that made her feel like a princess, and a train that pooled elegantly on the marble floor. Her dark hair was swept up in an intricate updo, woven with tiny white roses. Her makeup artist had made her eyes shine, her lips the perfect shade of rose."You look absolutely stunning, " her mother whispered, tears already streaming down her face. Rosa Cortez dabbed at her eyes with a tissue, careful not to smudge her own makeup.Elena's best friend and maid of honor, Sophie, fluffed the train one more time. "Marcus is going to die when he sees you. Seriously, his heart might actually stop."Elena laughed, though her stomach fluttered with nerves. "I hope not. I'd like him alive for the honeymoon."Through the windows, she could see the garden below three hundr

Elena stood in front of the iron gates, staring up at the most intimidating house she had ever seen.House wasn't even the right word. Estate. Mansion. Fortress, maybe. The building loomed at the end of a long, tree-lined driveway—gray stone, sharp angles, tall windows that reflected the morning sun like mirrors. It looked more like a museum than a home.The GPS on her phone had led her twenty miles outside the city, through winding roads and increasingly isolated countryside, until she'd reached these gates. They opened automatically when she pulled up, as if the house had been expecting her.Elena's old Honda Civic felt painfully out of place as she drove up the pristine driveway. She half-expected someone to run out and tell her to use the service entrance.She parked near what she assumed was the main entrance—massive double doors with iron fixtures—and checked her reflection in the rearview mirror one last time.She had done her best. Her hair was pulled back in a neat bun. Minim

**Two Weeks Later**Elena had fallen into a routine.Wake at 5:45 AM. Shower, dress in her uniform simple black pants and a white blouse that Patricia had provided. Be in the kitchen by 6:00 AM to prepare Mr. Blackwell's coffee. Deliver it to his study at exactly 6:00 AM, knock twice, leave it on the table outside his door, and retreat before he opens it.At 6:30 AM, he leaves for his workout in the private gym on the lower level. That gave Elena an hour to clean his quarters.His bedroom was surprisingly sparse for a billionaire. A king-sized bed with dark gray linens, a dresser, and a chair by the window. No photos, no personal items on display. The only hint of personality was the book on his nightstand whatever he was currently reading. Last week it was something on behavioral economics. This week, surprisingly, it was a novel. Fiction. *The Count of Monte Cristo*.His bathroom was immaculate_he was neat, which made her job easier. She cleaned the mirrors, restocked the towels, an

Thursday MorningElena woke before her alarm.For a moment, she lay still, staring at the ceiling of her small quarters, letting the events of the previous night wash over her slowly, like tide coming in.The piano bench. The moonlight. Adrian's forehead against hers.I'm sure, she had whispered.And then he had kissed her.Her fingers drifted to her lips automatically, like she was checking to make sure it had actually happened. That it wasn't some beautiful, cruel dream her sleeping mind had constructed to torture her.But no. It had happened. Adrian Blackwell had kissed her in the moonlit library, his arms around her, his voice low and fierce promising things that made her chest ache.I would never hurt you. Never.Elena sat up slowly.The clock read 5:30 AM. Fifteen minutes before her alarm. She got up anyway, moving to the small window of her quarters. Outside, the estate grounds were still cloaked in pre-dawn darkness. The gardens were silent, the fountain still. Everything look

**Monday, 8:00 AM**The email arrived while Elena was setting Adrian's coffee tray down outside the study door.*David Liu, Countersuit filed. Also: you need to see this.*Attached was a screenshot of a voicemail transcript, forwarded from David's office. Elena read it twice before she fully understood what she was looking at.Catherine Chen had called the vendor coordinator for the string quartet, one of the seven vendors whose emails had been redirected, three days after her son called off the wedding. The recording, subpoenaed along with the rest, had been sitting in a case file for months, unnoticed until now.*"Just bill it to Elena Cortez. She handled the account. I don't care whose signature is on it, tell them it's her responsibility. She works for the Blackwells now, she can afford it."*Elena's hands went cold around the coffee tray.The door opened before she knocked. Adrian took one look at her face and pulled her inside, closing the door behind them."What is it?"She han