The Engagement Ring He Forgot, the Fortune He’ll Never Touch cahpter 06

The Engagement Ring He Forgot, the Fortune He’ll Never Touch cahpter 06

Bennett sat motionless amid the wreckage, clutching the equity transfer agreement marked with a bold red X.

The imported leather sofa worth hundreds of thousands of dollars had been slashed to pieces.

His limited-edition sneakers sat soaked in muddy water.

The villa was a ruin.

“Bennett? Why are you sitting here?”

The sharp click of high heels shattered the silence.

Sierra stepped carefully through the broken glass, covering her nose with obvious disgust.

When she saw Bennett’s hollowed-out expression, impatience crept into her voice.

“What did they tell you? When will they unfreeze the card?”

She crossed her arms. “The pink diamond ring I picked out is still waiting to be paid for.”

Bennett slowly lifted his bloodshot eyes.

For a moment, it was as if he had found his last lifeline. His fingers trembled as he grabbed her hand.

“Sierra…” His voice was hoarse. “I’ve been fired.”

“Adelaide stripped me of every position in the company.”

He stared down at the document in his hand.

“Even the fifty percent share transfer is gone.”

A bitter laugh escaped him. “I have nothing left now.”

Then he looked at her desperately.

“But that’s okay. We still have each other, right?”

The smile on Sierra’s face froze instantly. She jerked her hand away as if she’d been electrocuted.

“Nothing left?” Her voice rose sharply. “What do you mean, nothing left? Aren’t you the founder?”

Bennett’s shoulders slumped.

“The board already issued the notice.”

“I can’t even get through the company doors anymore.”

He forced a weak smile. “Sierra, stay with me. We can start over together.”

“Back when the company was barely surviving, Adelaide stuck with me through everything.”

“If she could do it, then surely you can…”

“Are you insane?” Sierra’s shrill voice cut him off.

She stared at him as if he were a complete stranger.

“Bennett, have you lost your mind?”

“What exactly do you think I wanted from you?”

“Your age? The fact that you know how to make chicken noodle soup?”

“No.” She pointed directly at him. “I wanted the billionaire CEO.”

Her words hit him like a blow. Bennett went still.

He stared at the woman he’d protected for years. The woman he’d always believed was gentle and pure.

His lips trembled. “What… what are you saying?”

“You told me before that as long as we were together, nothing else mattered.”

Sierra let out a cold laugh. “That was when you could still afford custom

She took several steps backward, unwilling to get any closer to the muddy water covering the floor.

“Only an idiot like Adelaide would drink with investors until she was puking blood and hospitalized for half a month just to get you funding.”

“Only an idiot like Adelaide would sell her grandmother’s heirlooms and survive on three hours of sleep a night cleaning up your messes.”

Her eyes filled with mockery. “Did you seriously think that words works on everyone?”

“I already went through hell with you”—like it’s some kind of magic get-out-of-jail-free card?”

Sierra sneered. “Dream on, Bennett.”

“Look at yourself. You’re disgusting.”

Without another word, she turned and headed for the door.

“Sierra!” Panic exploded inside him. Bennett lunged forward and tried to grab her arm.

She kicked him away without hesitation.

“Get off me!” Her voice was full of disgust.

“Stop wasting my time. I need to find someone else to rely on. Someone stupid like you!”

The door slammed shut behind him again.

This time, no one would ever come back for him.

The villa sank into silence. Dead silence.

Bennett collapsed into a puddle of muddy water.

His vacant gaze drifted across the floor.

There, among the shattered glass, lay the broken strand of pearls.

The last thing Grandma Evelyn had left to Adelaide. Now it was mixed with mud and debris.

Beside it rested the shattered remains of the handmade clay figurine.

The promise he’d once made with his own hands.

And then the memories came flooding back—one after another.

He saw Adelaide, burning up with a 102-degree fever, kneeling in that flooded basement, bailing water out one scoop at a time.

While he hid in an internet café playing games and avoiding reality.

He saw Adelaide working overtime for an entire month until stomach pain left her drenched in sweat.

While he carried the chicken noodle soup she’d made to Sierra and accused Adelaide of being petty for caring.

Each memory hit him harder than the last.

It finally hit him.

He had never been some long-suffering savior. Not even close.

From the very beginning, Adelaide had been the one standing in front of every bullet for him.

She had sacrificed her health. Her future. Everything she had.

And he—he was the one who had driven away the woman willing to lay down her life for him.

“Adelaide…” His voice cracked. Tears finally spilling from his eyes. “Adelaide… I was wrong…”