Alle Kapitel von Regretted Dumping the Gold Digger: Kapitel 1 – Kapitel 8

I stared at my phone, thumb hovering over my boyfriend Damian Reed’s contact, completely torn.Tonight was supposed to be the proposal. After that, I was going to bring him home to meet my family and reveal who I really was. We were going to stand before a priest, trade vows, kiss, and walk down the aisle wrapped in everyone’s blessings.He really did love me. Or at least, I thought he did.As the heir to a massive fine-jewelry empire, Damian had a schedule that was constantly packed. Yet no matter how crazy his day got, he drove me to and from work every single day, cooked my favorite meals, and gave me one-of-a-kind custom jewelry pieces he designed himself, completely unique in the world.Just as I was about to call him, a text popped up from his secretary, Sophia Cooper: [This was originally meant for you. Now it’s mine.]Attached was a photo of an elegant candlelit dinner. In the middle of the table sat an open velvet box featuring a dazzling sapphire ring.“Anna, you’re t

From that day on, the way everyone looked at me changed.“That’s her, right? The gold digger who demanded a million bucks for a wedding.”“I heard that the orchestra director was her sugar daddy, too. No wonder she got the principal cellist spot—guess we all know how she actually earned it.”Everywhere I walked, the whispers swirled like smoke.The same girls who used to share makeup shade recommendations and swap secrets with me now dodged me in the hallways like I was carrying a contagious disease.Then, my concert shoes vanished from my locker without a trace.I took a deep breath and pulled open my locker door, only to freeze. Hanging inside was my performance gown, completely slashed to ribbons. Dark, thick ink had been dumped across the fine silk, ruining the color beyond recognition. The sleeves and hemline had been maliciously chopped into jagged, frayed rags.That was the dress my mother had made by hand for my coming-of-age ceremony, a beautiful blessing from her to me

The music snapped to a dead halt. The entire ballroom plummeted into a suffocating silence.Damian’s bored, arrogant expression vanished instantly. Edmund James, the heir to the hundred-billion-dollar James empire who had just closed a massive overseas acquisition, had actually just spoken to me.I watched Edmund glide down the grand marble staircase, then stride straight toward me.“I spotted a gorgeous raw gem while I was abroad,” he said smoothly, stopping right in front of me, “I knew you’d love it, so I tracked down a master jeweler to cut a custom necklace for you. That’s why I got back late.”Richard was now completely sobered up by sheer terror. His knees shook as he stumbled backward.“Mr. James! I’m so sorry for interrupting you!” he stammered, his face pale as paper, “I hope my drunk babbling didn't ruin your mood!”Edmund didn't even glance at him. Just like he used to when we were kids, he reached out and gently ruffled my hair.“You’ve been through a lot, Anna,” he

Edmund kept his word. Sophia vanished from New York completely.Damian’s situation, meanwhile, was somehow spiraling even further out of control.During rehearsals, I overheard orchestra members whispering that Damian’s company was on the brink of total liquidation.All my brother had to do was drop a single statement: The James family refused to do business with Damian's company. Instantly, every corporation in New York cut ties with him out of unspoken solidarity.Banks shut their doors, refusing to handle Damian’s loans. His top-tier design team handed in their resignations one after another. Seeing blood in the water, his corporate rivals moved in for the kill, tearing his remaining market share to pieces.“I heard Damian’s family is liquidating everything. They're selling off real estate, dumping stocks, even pawning their luxury cars,” someone whispered nearby.“That's what happens when you cross the James family,” another musician replied, “I heard he tried to see Anna sev