Claimed in Public

That was true.

It was the undeniable truth.

For years, I had been relentless in my pursuit of Brogan. Despite my wealthy background, I had lowered myself to the point of exhaustion, laboring tirelessly just to please him.

At his slightest request, I would sacrifice my time staying late at the office or attending endless business functions. I pushed myself to the brink, ignoring the toll it took until my health began to fail.

What did all that devotion earn me?

In the end, I was nothing more than the punchline of a joke shared among his circle of friends.

"When you think about it, Ava is basically Brogan’s most well-trained dog," one of them remarked.

Brogan simply stood there, swirling the liquid in his glass, offering no defense on my behalf.

Instead, he merely let out a soft, dismissive laugh.

"What are you talking about? If she’s a dog, then she’s just a dog. Where’d you get ‘most’ from?"

The room burst into laughter.

As the room erupted in mockery, I felt as if a pail of ice water had been poured over me, chilling me to the bone.

The sensation was freezing, yet it provided the sudden clarity I needed to wake up.

After reflecting for a moment, I reached for my phone. I navigated to the contact information for the blind date my family had arranged—someone they insisted was a perfect match for me.

Previously, I had been so preoccupied with Brogan that I constantly delayed the introduction and even attempted to undermine the arrangement, but that devotion had clearly been misplaced.

However, maybe it wasn’t the most ethical move right now.

Still, everyone knows the fastest way to get over someone is to start something new.

I tapped the screen.

"Want to meet tomorrow?"

I didn’t expect a reply almost instantly.

"Sure."

My blind date was a gentleman who told me to pick the time, and he’d handle the place.

The problem was that when my parents brought it up before, I hadn’t listened to a single word, so I knew absolutely nothing about him.

I arrived early at the agreed location, hesitating outside the entrance. What if I didn’t recognize him later? That would be awkward.

As I paced back and forth, I accidentally bumped into someone.

I looked up to see a sharply tailored suit. Then, as my gaze traveled higher, I saw features so refined that it almost felt unfair. The man wearing that face was looking at me with a calm, gentle expression.

"Why aren’t you going in?" His thin lips were perfectly shaped and almost dangerously kissable.

I swallowed before I could stop myself, then immediately realized how inappropriate that was.

I knew who he was. Leon Williamson. A major name in the industry.

I had seen him countless times on Brogan’s company’s target partnership list. Rumor had it that he was ruthless, cold, and nearly impossible to approach. Not a single collaboration had ever succeeded.

I quickly stepped back to give him space. "Sorry, sorry. I’m waiting for someone. I spaced out a little. Please, go ahead."

The man in front of me let out a soft laugh. "Miss Bennett."

I froze, surprised. How did he know my name?

There was a smile lingering in his eyes. "Is it possible… that I'm the person you’re waiting for?"

I was stunned. My family had only said they were setting me up with someone significant, but I never imagined it would be someone on Leon’s level. Not until I was sitting across from him in the private room he had arranged.

On the surface, I kept a polite smile. Under the table, my hands were flying across my phone, texting my mom like crazy.

"You set me up with Leon Williamson? Are we seriously at the level where we can marry into his family now? Have you been secretly getting rich behind my back?"

My mom replied instantly with a question mark. "What? What are you talking about? Are you daydreaming in broad daylight? We set you up with Leon’s distant nephew. Did your aunt not explain that properly?"

I glanced at the man sitting across from me, smiling calmly.

Could there really be two faces like his in the world?

When our eyes met, I couldn’t pretend to be busy anymore. I had no choice but to speak, a little awkwardly.

"Um… Excuse me, are you… Mr. Leon Williamson?"

He nodded, then gave an apologetic smile.