"Camila, you're still here?" Jeremy's voice was low, smooth, almost teasing. His eyes never left Liliana as she laughed, a sound that seemed to echo in the vast ballroom. "What are you doing?"
I should have felt something when he said my name, but all I could do was watch. Watch as Jeremy, the man I had loved for seven long years, stood beside Liliana, his ex—protecting her, shielding her from the world.
He didn’t even notice me anymore, not like he used to. It was clear to everyone in that room, the guests who were whispering behind their champagne flutes, that his attention was solely on Liliana.
And the truth was too painful to ignore. I wasn’t just the girl in the background anymore—I was invisible.
I had been a fool to believe that this love could last. I had been a fool to think he would choose me over her.
"Jeremy, I thought we were..." My voice cracked, and I hated myself for it.
But he didn’t even look at me when I said it. He just smiled at Liliana, his smile so genuine, so affectionate. I wasn’t even worth a second glance.
"Oh, Camila, this is Liliana," he said as he waved me over, as though it were the most casual thing.
"Liliana is now my business partner." He didn’t even pause, not even a beat. He turned his back on me, leaving me standing there in the middle of the grand ballroom, feeling more alone than I had ever felt in my life.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to tear him apart, but I couldn’t. Not in front of these people, not in this glittering palace of lies.
I was nothing. Not a lover, not even a proper business associate. Just the little sister of Adam Whitehall, the family’s heir apparent, who happened to be a “familiar face” in Jeremy’s orbit. Just a face that meant nothing.
I tried to swallow the hurt, but it was too much. My breath caught in my throat as I watched Jeremy laugh with Liliana. That laugh that used to be for me, for us.
"So, Camila," Liliana’s voice cut through my haze of confusion, "I hear your family’s empire is having some issues?" She smiled sweetly, her words dripping with something I couldn’t quite place. "Must be difficult, being caught between business and family."
Her eyes flickered over to Jeremy, but not before I saw the glint of something cold, calculating in them. I felt like I had been stabbed without even knowing when it happened. Was this her plan all along? To take everything? To watch me burn?
My hands shook as I clutched my glass. If only I had known.
"Jeremy, I—" I stopped myself. It felt futile. "I need to go." My voice was hoarse, like I was choking on my own words.
I turned and walked toward the door, away from the laughter, away from the glamour, away from the lies. I needed to leave, to breathe, to think.
As I stepped into the quiet hallway of the mansion, I heard footsteps behind me.
"Camila, wait." Jeremy’s voice called after me, and I couldn’t stop myself from turning, even though my heart was telling me to keep walking.
He looked at me with that same careful expression he always had, like he was seeing me for the first time, but there was something else behind his eyes now. Something hard.
"I’m sorry," he said, but his words didn’t feel real. "You have to understand, this is business."
I stared at him, my mind spinning, my heart aching. I didn’t care about the business. I didn’t care about the empire or the money. I cared about him. I cared about us.
"No, Jeremy. This isn’t just business. This is me. This is everything we had." I tried to keep my voice steady, but it faltered. "And now, I’m nothing."
I saw his jaw tighten, but he didn’t speak. He didn’t apologize. He just stared at me like I was a problem he couldn’t fix.
"I never meant to hurt you," he said finally, his voice colder than it had ever been. "But you need to understand that some things are out of our control. I can’t protect you from this, Camila. There are bigger things at play here."
That was it. No more comfort, no more love, no more Jeremy. He was done with me.
As I turned to leave, I caught sight of something on the desk in his office. My hand trembled as I picked up the envelope, its contents slipping out—documents, contracts, all marked with the Whitehall family’s logo.
And as I scanned them, my breath caught in my throat. This wasn’t just about business. Jeremy was manipulating everything—my family’s empire, my future. He had been using me.
I felt sick. Betrayed. But I couldn’t stop now. This was just the beginning.
I turned, my fists clenched. He couldn’t get away with this. I wouldn’t let him.
"Jeremy, you don’t know who you're messing with."
Just as I spoke, he walked into the room, his eyes narrowing.
"Camila," he warned softly, a dangerous edge to his tone. "You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into."
The truth was, I didn’t. But I was about to find out.
