"Mr. Martinez, let's get something straight," I said, keeping my voice calm. "It was your secretary, running through a crowd in stilettos, who knocked over my suitcase. Inside were my father's belongings. And now they're broken!"
I hadn't even finished when Grayson cut me off, clearly over it already.
"Enough, Lucy. I get that you're upset. Whatever was in that case, I'll pay for it. Full price."
He didn't skip a beat before adding, "If that's not enough, I'll triple it. Take it as compensation from me."
I didn't say anything. I just stared at Grayson. He took my silence as agreement and carried on as if this was some boardroom negotiation he'd already won.
"And about that so-called childhood engagement between us? That was just a joke our parents made ages ago. It doesn't mean anything now. These days, it's about aligning family status. Merging resources."
Grayson stepped in a little closer, his voice steady but soaked in judgment.
"Look at you now. Just a low-level employee at some research institute overseas, scraping by on a fixed paycheck. Forget the earrings. Even the outfit Brittany's wearing would take you months of saving and budgeting just to buy."
His gaze raked over me, a single, harsh assessment that spoke of worthlessness.
"You seriously think someone like you with that background and that status is good enough for me? That you deserve to become my wife?"
Gasps broke out around us like popcorn in a hot pan:
"Holy crap! Did he just dump her on the spot?"
"She was actually engaged to Grayson Martinez? Like, the CEO of Martinez Industries?"
"No way! This is like some daytime drama. Total mismatch. Her family must be way below his league."
"Not surprised he doesn't want her. Even his secretary's flashing $2.3 million earrings. Poor thing never had a shot."
Just behind Grayson, Brittany lifted her chin like she was already wearing a crown. Her whole face lit up, smug and satisfied, like she was ready to watch me crumble.
But that girl didn't know me.
The Watsons and the Martinez family have traced their roots back generations. Our families might have lived in different worlds, but we were close once.
My father, Conrad Watson, wasn’t a businessman like the Martinez patriarchs. He was an aerospace engineer, one of the few assigned to classified missions for the National Aerospace Agency. He devoted his life to serving the country, never chasing wealth or social standing.
Because of that, he was awarded one of the nation's highest honors—a presidential gift. That piece of porcelain wasn’t just decorative. To me, it represented everything my father believed in.
Returning to Summit City was supposed to be simple. I came to bring his keepsake home and to end the engagement with the Martinez family formally.
But now, standing in front of Grayson, I felt like I didn't need to do much.
Grayson didn’t want anything to do with me.
In fact, it seemed like he wanted to erase me, convinced I might still try to hold on.
Fine by me.
I didn't owe him a damn thing, not even my pride.
I let out a short, cool laugh and slowly lifted my head. "You're absolutely right, Mr. Martinez. A pair of earrings worth $2.3 million? Not even worth the discussion. I'll pay."
That hit like a rock dropped in a still lake.
Grayson's brow ticked up just a bit.
Brittany froze mid-smirk.
And the crowd? They looked like they were witnessing a meltdown in real-time.
I ignored them. My eyes shifted past Grayson and locked on Brittany.
"Now, let's talk about your precious secretary and what she broke. What's her plan to compensate me?"
Grayson actually snorted as his gaze dropped to the plain black cargo case at my feet.
"That pile of broken porcelain?"
He looked back at me with that same cool indifference and continued, "Lucy, I know this breakup's probably tough to swallow, but let's not turn this into a scene. Don't use this as some excuse to extort us. Even if that case was full of antiques, I could afford it. Name your price. Take the money and leave. Stop embarrassing yourself."
I gave him a slow, measured laugh. "Compensate me? I'm afraid that you couldn't afford it, Grayson."
Grayson blinked and then looked at me like I'd just told him the sky was green.
"I couldn't afford it?"
Behind him, the bodyguards shifted uncomfortably.
Meanwhile, Brittany gave a short, breathy laugh, all mockery.
The crowd kicked up again, their voices growing louder.
"She's completely lost it."
"Did she just say Grayson Martinez can't afford it?"
"Martinez Industries is worth over a hundred billion. Is she for real?"
"She must've finally snapped after getting dumped. Poor girl."
