Chapter 6 - The Man I Almost Married
Preston followed us into the hotel corridor.
“Sophie, wait.”
Elena kept walking.
I stopped.
His face had lost its polished calm.
“You cannot end everything because of a joke.”
“It was not a joke to you.”
“My mother gets nervous in front of crowds.”
“She looked comfortable.”
He lowered his voice.
“You embarrassed my family in front of everyone.”
“You joined them while they humiliated mine.”
“That is different.”
The words came out before he could stop them.
I looked at him.
“Why?”
He opened his mouth.
Nothing followed.
Then he changed direction.
“If the lenders move now, hundreds of employees could lose jobs.”
“You approved false invoices.”
“I was protecting the company.”
“You were protecting the family image.”
“I can fix this if you help me.”
There it was.
Not an apology.
A request.
He wanted me to use professional access to slow the investigation, influence the lender, or hide what remained.
“Did you ever intend to tell me?”
“I was waiting until after the wedding.”
“Why?”
“Because once we were married, we would handle it together.”
By together, he meant my money, my mother’s property, and my professional reputation would become resources available to save the Vale name.
I removed the wedding-band box from my purse and handed it to him unopened.
“You did not want a wife.”
His jaw tightened.
“What did I want?”
“A rescue package wearing white.”
May you like
I left him standing beneath the hotel lights.
For the first time, he looked less like an heir and more like a man who had mistaken access for ownership.
