All Chapters of Rejected, I Entered a Contract Marriage with a Billionaire: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

Yet, even greater heartbreak awaited her. Later that morning, she was awakened by a relentless series of phone calls from her friends. She finally slid the screen to answer, her voice barely above a whisper. "Hello...?""Elena. Is Bruno with you? Oh my god, have you heard? The acoustic track he composed, 'The Ordinary Road,' is an incredible masterpiece. And can you believe Leo—the superstar singer—is the one performing it?" her friend gushed with wild excitement.Elena frowned in confusion. The title sounded eerily familiar; she distinctly recalled writing a song by that exact name a while back under Bruno's guidance.Losing interest in her friend's enthusiastic chatter, Elena abruptly hung up and immediately searched the song online. Sure enough, 'The Ordinary Road' shared the same melody and lyrics as the piece she had composed—yet Bruno had claimed full ownership of the work.How could everything go so horribly wrong?Anxious to demand an explanation, she grabbed her phone to call

The man was nowhere to be seen, leaving her with no way to confront him. Looking down at her skin, covered in faint crimson marks, Elena felt an overwhelming urge to bury her face in her hands and cry. Yet, before the tears could fall, her eyes caught sight of a thick stack of cash sitting on the nightstand."What is this supposed to mean? Did he just pay me like a prostitute?" A wave of humiliation swept over her, making her want to disappear entirely.To go out for a simple drink and end up in a nightmare like this—her luck had truly hit rock bottom.Clutched in the bedsheets, Elena sat frozen on the mattress for a long time. Once her racing heart gradually slowed down, she forced herself to think about her next step. Hiding under the covers forever wasn't an option; she had to face whatever came next.Unemployed, dumped, and thrown out of her apartment, she stared at the wad of bills, slipping into deep thought once more. Moral outrage aside, basic survival had to come first. Besid

A sudden, sharp distress call shattered the quiet trail ahead. Elena paused and listened carefully. Realizing the noise came from the elderly couple she had been following, she immediately rushed toward them.Reaching the scene, she found one of the companions slumped on the dirt, clutching her chest in agony. Seeing the old woman in distress, Elena instantly dropped to her knees to assess the situation.Having grown up in a struggling household with chronically ill parents, Elena had volunteered with humanitarian health organizations since her youth—a commitment she maintained to this day. Helping those in medical crises was second nature to her.A quick evaluation of the woman's vitals pointed toward a sudden cardiac arrest triggered by the strenuous walk. Turning to the panic-stricken husband, she stated urgently, "She seems to have suffered a cardiac arrest from the exertion. We need to start CPR immediately."The old man stared at her, overwhelmed by shock and unable to form word

Elena pressed on, "I already contacted the insurance agent. They confirmed that up to 70% of Dad's operation costs can be reimbursed, so you don't need to stress about the expenses.""Elena... your father and I never actually bought that policy," her mother admitted, staring at the floor in shame."What? Why didn't you?" Elena asked, panic rising in her voice. "You specifically told me it was taken care of."Her mother squeezed her hands gently, her eyes filled with regret. "Once we both lost our jobs, money became too tight. We canceled it to cut down on living expenses.""Mom... was it because of my graduate tuition? Did you sacrifice your insurance just to pay for my studies?" Elena asked, her voice trembling."No, no. Elena, don't blame yourself for this," her mother insisted frantically.Looking at her mother's aged, anxious face, Elena forced herself to snap out of her spiral. I can't collapse now, she told herself. I need to remain calm. "It's alright, Mom. I was just overly an