The Engagement Ring He Forgot, the Fortune He’ll Never Touch cahpter 07

The Engagement Ring He Forgot, the Fortune He’ll Never Touch cahpter 07

Three years was more than enough time.

A man who once believed he was morally superior had fallen so far that there was almost nothing left of him.

That night, the largest business gala in the city was being held at the Ashford Tower.

By the time the gala finished, I left with my fiancé, Wesley Ashford, the capital kingmaker who dominated the investment scene.

Camera flashes exploded around us, reporters pressing against the barricades, every step drawing countless eyes.

“Adelaide! Adelaide!”

I paused and glanced to the side.

Beyond the security line, a man reeking of sour filth was hurling himself against the security barricade. It was Bennett.

His cheeks were hollow. His clothes hung loosely from his frame.

The arrogant man who once stood above me, lecturing me about being selfish and unreasonable, now looked like a homeless man who had lost everything.

He’d seen me on the giant LED screen and rushed here like a madman, without a second thought.

“Adelaide!”

His voice cracked as he struggled against the guards.

“Please, let me see her! I’m her fiancé! I’m Bennett Whitmore!”

Two security guards slammed him to the ground.

Even then, he stretched a hand desperately toward me.

Beside me, Wesley frowned slightly. His cold gaze swept over Bennett’s pathetic figure.

Then he drew me a little closer to his side.

“Would you like me to handle this?” His voice was low and calm.

“No.” My expression didn’t so much as flicker. “This’ll only take a minute.”

I stepped forward until I stood directly in front of Bennett.

The moment he saw me approaching, a desperate light flared in his eyes — as if he’d finally seen salvation.

With tremendous effort, he freed one arm from the guards’ grip.

His trembling hand reached into his jacket. Then he pulled out a plastic bag.

He cradled it like a sacred offering, raising it above his head with both hands.

Inside were a handful of cheap pearls.

And a handmade clay figurine that had been crudely glued back together.

“Adelaide, look!” His voice shook violently.

“I fixed it! I spent three years putting it back together piece by piece!”

Tears and mucus covered his face. He stayed there without a shred of dignity, staring up at me.

“I cleaned every pearl too!”

“I really know I was wrong!”

“These past three years have been worse than hell. I finally understand what I put you through.”

“Adelaide, please.” His voice broke.

“For the sake of everything we survived together in that leaking basement.”

“For the sake of all the hardships I went through with you.”

“Please forgive me this once. Come home with me.”

Classic Bennett. That line again.

This time, there was no anger. No screaming. No outburst.

I just looked at the ridiculous keepsakes in his hands. My expression was utterly indifferent.

“Get that garbage out of the way.” My bodyguard’s voice was cold. “Don’t let it dirty Ms. Hartwell’s path.”

Without hesitation, two security guards drove their boots into Bennett’s chest.

He let out a miserable scream. His body flew backward several feet.

A Rolls-Royce pulled smoothly to the curb in front of us.

It didn’t slow down. A tire rolled over the clay figurine, and it shattered instantly.

The fragments were ground into the pavement and crushed into the cracks between the stones.

“My figurine!” Bennett’s eyes flared blood red. “Adelaide—our keepsake!”

Like a man possessed, he threw himself at the ground, clawing at the powdery remains with his bare hands.

I took a step forward, the heel of my designer pump coming down casually on the crushed fragments.

Then I ground them deeper into the pavement with a slow twist of my heel.

“Bennett.” My voice was calm. So calm it was chilling.

I watched his face collapse in despair.

“Those worthless pieces of junk in your hands died three years ago.”

I bent slightly at the waist. My eyes held nothing but contempt.

“Stop calling yourself my fiancé. And stop talking about the past.”

“As for you now…” I paused. “Even standing in front of me and breathing feels like you’re polluting my air.”

Bennett froze, his entire body trembling violently—every last trace of hope
draining from his face.

I turned away.

Wesley extended his hand. I placed mine in his, and together we stepped into
the car.

The door closed behind us.

And from beginning to end—I never gave Bennett another glance.