Home / Broken Promises, Final Goodbyes / Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

All Chapters of Broken Promises, Final Goodbyes: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

By the time I rushed into the venue, the wedding was already reaching its climax.Even beneath the dim, shifting lights, I recognized the bride immediately. Floriane Marsh was the campus beauty who'd lived in the dorm right next to mine back in college.As the ceremony continued, the room erupted into thunderous applause, and people I knew cheered at the top of their lungs."Vincent, you lucky man! You married the most beautiful woman in New York!""Are you kidding? The Dunn family is worth billions. Vincent could have any woman he wanted!""Did you see that diamond on her finger? He practically shut down the entire Fifth Avenue flagship store to get it! A billionaire heir and a Manhattan heiress. Now that's a power couple!"I stared at Vincent Dunn onstage, struggling to believe what I was seeing.Dressed in a bespoke tuxedo, he knelt before Floriane, slipped the diamond ring onto her finger, and leaned forward to press a reverent kiss against her hand.The diamond glittered s

Chapter 2

Floriane looked as though she'd just heard the funniest joke in the world.Tilting her head, she gave me a smug, dismissive look. "I'm prettier than you, and I have a lot more money. Isn't it only natural that he'd choose me?"She was about to twist the knife even further when an assistant hurried over."Mr. Dunn, the press is still outside waiting for an interview."Vincent gave a curt nod before turning to me."Wait for me."He released my hands, interlocked his fingers with Floriane's, and strode toward the exit."Gail, keep her company."Gail grabbed my arm and dragged me out through the venue's side door.She drove me back to my rented apartment. Before leaving, she turned to me with one last piece of cold advice. "You need a reality check. A guy like Vincent was never in your league to begin with."Floriane can post a few casual vlogs and rack up millions of followers without even trying. She's an heiress who outclasses you in every imaginable way. What do you have to c

Chapter 3

"Get the hell out of here, you shameless home-wrecker!""Who knows what kind of STDs you're carrying? You're probably sleeping with every guy in the neighborhood and turning this place into a damn cesspool!"As I wiped the filthy water from my face, I realized that the internet had exploded overnight.A headline was already circulating everywhere: [Broke College Girl Creeps into Dunn Group CEO's Bed, Desperate to Land a Wealthy Sponsor.]Someone had taken photos of Vincent wrapping his arms around me inside my apartment and leaving late at night. Those pictures had quickly become the centerpiece of the scandal.Worse still, people had dug up my old college photos and twisted my past into something sordid. They claimed that my tutoring gigs and part-time jobs had merely been a cover for soliciting wealthy men.As the accusations spread, the neighbors outside my door joined in, hurling insults and throwing trash in my direction. Unable to bear it any longer, I slammed the door shut

Chapter 4

A deafening ringing filled my ears, and my head throbbed painfully.Cathy Daniels's health had been deteriorating for months, and she'd already spent several stretches in the ICU before the holidays.I'd been so eager to bring Vincent home to meet my family because I wanted her to have peace of mind, knowing that I was in good hands.When I rushed into the hospital, Gail was waiting outside the emergency room.She shoved me backward, her face twisted with anger. "I warned you to stand back! Look what you've done! Your mother almost died because of you!"Gail's own parents were severe alcoholics and gamblers who had never properly cared for her. All those years, it had been Cathy who treated her like her own daughter.I swallowed my tears and grabbed Gail's arm."How is she? How's my mom?"The emergency room doors swung open, and the doctor stepped out, removing his surgical mask."She's stable for now, but she can't handle any more stress or emotional shocks."A bank notifica

Chapter 5

Vincent had expected a barrage of sharp, probing questions at the press conference. After all, tabloid reporters thrived on clickbait and sensational headlines.Having dealt with aggressive journalists before, he had learned early on that life at the top came with a price. The higher his status, the more eyes were fixed on his every move.Whether through fabrication or outright slander, people would go to any lengths to exploit a story if it generated enough clicks and outrage.That was one of the reasons Vincent had hidden his identity from me for so long.In his more than twenty years of life, he had never met anyone who could treat him as an equal after discovering the staggering extent of his wealth.Without exception, people eventually showed their true colors, showering him with flattery and bending over backward to curry favor with him.He hadn't wanted me to become one of those people. That was why he'd kept his billionaire background a secret.When he arranged this pres

Chapter 6

Floriane rushed into the hospital right behind Vincent, arriving just in time to see him crumpled on the floor, utterly devastated.When she spotted the gurney, she instinctively assumed it was my body. A flicker of dark satisfaction passed through her eyes, though she quickly masked it with an expression of deep concern."Vincent, I know this is hard for you, but you need to pull yourself together," she murmured. "We just publicly denied all those rumors at the press conference. If the paparazzi catch you looking like this, the damage control alone could cost us tens of millions."Vincent had always put the company's interests above everything else. But now, he looked like a man who had lost his soul. No matter what Floriane said, he remained unresponsive.She reached down and tried to help him to his feet."The floor is cold. You shouldn't sit here."The instant her fingertips brushed his skin, Vincent shoved her away with such force that it was as if he'd been jolted by a high

Chapter 7

It was Gail.Her eyes were bloodshot, her hair disheveled, and her expression frantic. She looked like someone on the verge of a complete breakdown."You promised!" she screamed. "You said that if I helped you target Nancy and ruin her life, you'd delete those photos of me. How much longer were you planning to blackmail me?"The leverage Floriane held over Gail was a collection of explicit photos stored on her phone.Months ago, Gail had accidentally discovered that Vincent was secretly involved with Floriane. Furious that the two of them were conspiring to deceive me, she'd decided to tell me the truth immediately.However, when Gail called, I'd just finished an eighteen-hour shift. I was so exhausted that I'd fallen asleep the moment I got home, missing more than a dozen calls.Gail's impatient nature drove her to head straight over to my apartment to break the news in person. But disaster struck on the way.Floriane had sent a group of hired thugs to intercept Gail. They drag

Chapter 8

Floriane froze for a moment before delight lit up her face.Assuming Vincent had come to rescue her, she hurried toward him. "Vincent, thank God you're here! Gail tried to attack me!"Having just witnessed Floriane's cruelty firsthand, Gail felt sick watching her put on another innocent act and play the victim.Despite the excruciating pain in her abdomen, she forced herself to her feet and glared at Vincent."Vincent Dunn, you've been played! She's been deceiving every single one of us!""Shut your mouth!"Floriane's sharp, piercing shout cut Gail off before she could finish.If the police and Vincent hadn't been standing right there, Floriane would have used every underhanded tactic at her disposal to make Gail regret crossing her.But she couldn't afford to lose control now. Forcing herself to calm down, she grabbed Vincent's sleeve and tugged at it."Vincent, please, just listen to me..."The next instant, however, she found herself clutching nothing but empty air. Vincen

Chapter 9

Vincent said nothing.Long after the police had taken Gail away, he finally let out a bitter, humorless chuckle."Tell Nancy I'm sorry on your behalf?"He didn't even know whether he'd ever find me again, let alone whether I'd forgive him if he did. What right did he have to offer an apology on someone else's behalf?He threw every bit of his power, wealth, and influence into the search for me.The scandal eventually erupted in full, dominating the front pages of major news outlets across the country. Within less than a week, the Dunn Group's stock price plummeted.But Vincent couldn't have cared less about the company's financial losses. He devoted every ounce of his time and energy to finding me, neglecting the company's operations and gradually abandoning his responsibilities as its head.A year later, the Dunn Group officially filed for bankruptcy. Meanwhile, Vincent's own circumstances continued to deteriorate.For a long time, he found no trace of me. The uncertainty torm

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP