After He Rejected Me As His Fraud, I Bankrupted Them

After our passionate encounter, I lay drained on the bed, and Memphis carried me to the bathtub for a soothing soak. Leaning against him, I fumed over what my boss had said earlier. "Can you believe that awful Eliana is taking credit for my hard work and passing it off to another team? Does she think being one rank above gives her the right to do whatever she wants?"

Memphis gently stroked my hair. "Don’t hold it against her; I was the one who gave the order. Pick out a handbag tomorrow as compensation."

My body tensed, dread creeping through me. Memphis casually twirled my hair around his fingers and nonchalantly mentioned, "Amaia and I are getting married in a month. So make the most of this last month."

He might have thought he was joking, but I found nothing amusing about it. Rejecting his invitation for another round of intimacy, I scrambled out of the bathtub, almost slipping. I wrapped a towel around myself, unsure whether I was shivering from the cold or from his words.

Memphis kept his usual detached expression, observing my awkward struggle with his cold, steady gaze. Steam rose around us, dampening his hair, accentuating his sharp features. He stood from the tub, his composed manner a stark contrast to my disarray.

“Don’t be upset. You won’t be deprived of anything you deserve. I’m not miserly,” he said, pulling me into his firm, warm embrace, making me question if I’d really heard him right.

“Aleena, don’t overreact. You know I can’t marry you,” he insisted.

I pushed his arms away, my mind in turmoil. “Don’t touch me.”

Uninterested in placating me, Memphis just observed my distress with crossed arms. He continued nonchalantly, “Even though you’re a Bennett, I can only marry the real heiress.”

I froze, taking a long moment before I could respond, my voice hoarse, “So, you think that way too.”

Amaia is the biological daughter of the Bennetts, lost when she was young. For comfort, my adoptive parents took me in, saying my real parents couldn’t afford me and gave me up. They offered to help find them if I wanted, but I decided any parents like that were better left unfound.

When Amaia returned, we called each other sisters, and our parents treated us equally. I believed Memphis had feelings for me. We’d known each other since preschool, childhood friends all these years. When Amaia returned, I felt insecure, fearing rejection.

Memphis had always reassured me, saying if the Bennetts ever disowned me, he’d bring me to live with the Reyes family.

“Amaia and I are getting engaged. The party’s in a month.”

“I’m telling you first so you don’t make a scene.”

“Don’t forget, you were just taken in by the Bennetts.”

“I have to form an alliance with the legitimate heiress. The interests of the Reyes and Bennett families can’t be jeopardized.”

My heart felt crushed, rendering me speechless.

An alliance with the true heiress? If he had to marry the real one, why involve me in the first place?

Noting my pale face, Memphis let out a disdainful chuckle. “What? Did you really think I’d marry you?”

“If you weren’t planning to marry me, why did you…”

I meant to say “fall in love,” but it was clear he never saw me as a romantic partner.

Reluctantly, I stopped arguing, quickly gathering my clothes from the floor and dressing. My wet hair dripped down my back, making me feel even colder.

“Are you mad? Don’t worry, you won’t be missing out on anything Amaia has.”

His eyes lingered on me. “No matter what happens with the Bennetts, I won’t abandon you.”

After dressing hastily and drying my hair in a slapdash manner, I stormed out, slamming the door behind me.