My Fiancé Slapped Me and Lost Me To His Billionaire Nemesis
Being second best had always been my place. My sister had the love, the attention,
the praise. Even now, she had the past. Rhys Granger was my fiancé after she
vanished. A billionaire. My parents pushed me into the engagement, and I accepted
it. I had wanted him for years.
I thought this was my turn to be chosen. I was wrong. One night, he slapped me. All
because of my sister's mug. Got angry and went to the club to cool my head down.
Tall, dangerous, unfairly hot. The kind of man who makes you want to sin just by
existing. It was reckless, It was stupid, It was completely ill-advised. But it was also
the Best. Sex. Of. My. Life. And, as it turned out, the best decision I'd ever made.
Because my one-night stand isn't just some random guy. He's richer than Rhys, more
powerful than my entire family, and definitely more dangerous than I should be
playing with.
And now, he's not letting me go
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Chapter 4
Aria's POV
Eyes Everywhere.
The police cars drove away, taking Rhys with them. The red and blue lights faded, but the noise did not. My head was still spinning. My cheek burned, and my wrist ached. The night air felt too cold for the way my body felt hot and angry.
I stood in the garden, staring at the spot where Rhys had been. The grass was crushed from where he had stepped. The flowers near the path smelled sweet, but my mind only smelled fear.
Catherine watched me like she was watching a show.
My mother rushed forward, her hands shaking. "Aria, come inside. You need rest."
My father stayed near the doorway, his face stone. He did not speak. He did not move. He looked like he was waiting for something to explode.
Rhys's voice came from the police car, loud and sharp. "You will pay for this!"
The door slammed. Silence followed, heavy and strange.
Catherine stepped forward, her smile fake and bright. "Oh, darling," she said softly. "You made a scene."
I swallowed hard. "He hit me."
Catherine blinked slowly, like she was surprised. "That is not what happened, You were rude to him."
I stared at her. "He slapped me."
She laughed, quiet and cruel. "You always act like you are the victim, You do not deserve sympathy."
My mother gasped. My father's jaw tightened.
Dante stood near the gate, his hands in his pockets, watching me with a calm face. He looked like he had been carved out of stone. Even in the dark, his eyes seemed bright.
He spoke for the first time since the police left. "She is not the victim."
Catherine's eyes snapped to him. "Who are you?"
Dante did not answer her. He looked at me. "Are you okay?"
I wanted to say no. I wanted to say I was tired of being scared, I wanted to say I was done with all of them.
Instead, I said, "I am fine."
Dante shook his head slightly. "No, you are not."
My mother stepped closer. "Aria, please, come inside."
I felt trapped between them all. Between my parents, between Catherine, between Rhys, and now between this stranger who felt like a storm.
I turned to Dante. "Why are you here?"
He looked at me for a moment, like he was trying to decide how much to tell. "Because I saw you."
"Do not act like you saved me," I snapped. "You did not. The police did."
He did not respond.
Catherine crossed her arms. "You two have some kind of story, do you?"
I shook my head. "No."
She smiled, but it was sharp. "You think he cares? He is just another rich man who likes to play."
Dante's eyes narrowed. "Do not speak to her like that."
Catherine stepped closer to me, her voice quiet. "You belong to our family, You do not belong to him."
I felt something in me snap. "I do not belong to anyone."
Catherine's face changed for a moment. The smile disappeared, Something dark passed through her eyes.
"You will regret this," she said softly.
Then she turned and walked back toward the house, her heels clicking on the path. She did not look back.
My mother watched her go, then looked at me with worry. "Aria, your father is going to be furious."
I looked at my father. His eyes were fixed on the house, not on me. He looked like he was thinking about something I could not see.
Dante stepped closer. "You should not go back inside right now."
"Where else can I go?" I asked. He glanced at the house. "My car."
My heart raced. "No."
"Aria," he said, his voice gentle. "You are not safe here tonight."
I stared at him. "Safe from what?"
He looked away, as if he did not want to say the words. "From people like him."
I swallowed hard. "I am not a child."
"I know," he replied. "That is why I am telling you."
I looked at my parents again. My mother's face was pale. My father looked like he wanted to speak but could not. Catherine was gone, Rhys was in the police car. The house felt empty, but it still held me like a cage.
My phone buzzed. A message from an unknown number flashed on the screen.
"You ruined everything."
My hands trembled. I looked at Dante. "Do you know who that is?"
He shook his head. "No, But it is not good."
More messages came.
"Your family is angry."
You will pay, You think you can hide? I felt a cold wave in my stomach.
My mother took the phone from my hands without asking. She read the messages, then looked up at me with eyes full of fear.
"Who sent this?" she whispered. I shook my head. "I do not know."
Dante spoke quietly. "We should leave."
My mother looked at him. "Who are you to tell us what to do?"
He turned his gaze to her, calm but firm. "Someone who does not want her to get hurt."
My father finally spoke. "Aria is my daughter, I will decide."
The words sounded like a threat.
Dante stepped back. "Then you decide. But do not pretend you care when you do not."
My father's face tightened. He looked at me, then at Dante, then at the house.
"You can leave," he said to Dante. "But do not bring trouble to my door."
Dante did not move. "I will not bring trouble, He will."
My father stared at him, then nodded once. It was not approval, It was a warning.
Dante looked at me again. "Are you coming?"
I hesitated.
My mother spoke quickly, her voice trembling. "Aria, if you leave with him, you will never be allowed back."
I looked at her. "You think I care?"
My mother flinched. "I am trying to protect you."
I felt anger rise. "Protect me from what? From living?" My mother's eyes filled with tears. "From ruin."
My father stepped forward. "Do not speak like that. You are the one who ruined everything."
I stared at him. "I did not ruin anything. He hit me, You let him."
My father's face went hard. "That is enough."
Catherine appeared at the doorway again. Her face looked different now. Not smiling, Not bright. Her eyes looked like she had been crying.
"Aria," she said softly. "You should not leave."
I looked at her. "Why are you crying?"
She swallowed. "Because you are making us look weak." My chest tightened.
"What do you want?" I asked. Catherine's eyes flashed. "I want what is best for the family."
I laughed, bitter. "You mean what is best for you."
She took a step closer. "You do not understand. Rhys is the only way our family stays powerful."
I stared at her. "You mean he is the only way you stay powerful."
Catherine's lips pressed together. "You are the one who is naive."
Dante stepped in front of me. "She is not going anywhere tonight."
Catherine's eyes widened. "Who are you to stop her?"
Dante looked at her with cold calm. "I am the person she chose."
Catherine's face turned red. "You think she chose you?"
Dante's voice stayed steady. "Yes."
Catherine laughed loudly, but it sounded broken. "She is yours now? You think you can take her from us?"
Rhys's voice came from the police car again, louder than before. "You will see. You will all see."
My heart jumped. He was still there. Dante looked at the car. "He is not finished."
I felt fear for the first time since the fight. I looked at my family, I looked at Dante. I looked at the dark sky.
I felt like I was standing on the edge of something that could break.
The front door opened.
A man stepped out. He was tall, dressed in a suit, and he had a camera in his hand. He looked like he belonged in the same world as Rhys.
He pointed the camera at us.
"Aria Belmont," he called. "Is it true your fiancé assaulted you?" My breath stopped.
My mother tried to speak, but her voice broke. My father stepped forward, his face angry.
The man continued. "Is it true you were seen with a strange man tonight?" My cheeks burned.
Catherine looked at me with a smile that made me feel sick. The camera clicked again.
The man stepped closer. "We are live. Miss Belmont, do you have anything to say?" My mouth went dry.
Dante moved in front of me. "That is enough." The man smiled. "Who are you?"
Dante did not answer. The camera continued to flash.
My heart pounded. I felt like I was trapped inside a glass box, with everyone watching.
I turned to Dante. "What do we do?" He looked at me, his eyes serious. "We do not answer."
The camera kept filming.
The man spoke again. "Miss Belmont, your family is powerful. Why did this happen? Is it true you are leaving the Belmont name?"
My mother gasped. My father looked like he wanted to punch the man.
Catherine smiled.
The camera kept rolling. I felt like I was drowning.
Dante's hand found mine. His touch was steady, strong.
He leaned closer and whispered in my ear, "Stay with me. Do not let them take your voice."
My heart raced. I looked at the camera, then at my family, then at Dante. I knew something was changing, I knew nothing would ever be the same.
And then, the man with the camera said the words that made my blood freeze.
"Miss Belmont, your fiancé is not the only one who was arrested tonight."
My heart dropped. "What?" I whispered.
The camera man smiled, like he was waiting for my reaction.
"You are under investigation," he said. "For the attack on Rhys Granger."
My legs went weak. I stared at Dante, but his face stayed calm.
Then a police officer stepped forward, handcuffs in his grip. He looked at me and said, clear and cold:
"Aria Belmont, you are under arrest."
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8.2
In her previous life, Eliana took the fall for her adopted sister Iris and lost everything, even being forced into a marriage where her work was stolen to build another man's empire.
Meanwhile, her sister's "perfect" marriage ended in tragedy-her husband turned out disabled and died young.
Reborn, the sisters swapped their fates, Iris claiming the handsome man for herself while Eliana marrying the allegedly sick billionaire.
Eliana only smiled-she knew the truth behind her marriage in the previous life. This time, she chose a different path, bringing her brilliance into the light while using marriage as a mere tool.
Yet the man she married stood firmly by her side, saying, "With me behind you, no one will dare touch you."
7.1
I woke up gasping for air, expecting the cold concrete of a prison cell, but my fingers sank into the plush leather of a luxury Lincoln. I was twenty-four again, wearing the silver silk dress from the night my life was systematically destroyed.
Beside me sat my cousin Catrina, the woman whose carefully crafted lies had orchestrated my ruin and sent me to a penitentiary for five years.
In my first life, this was the night the dominoes fell. Catrina stole my jewelry to paint me as mentally unstable, and by morning, I was stripped of my medical license and labeled a criminal. My mother’s family, the Montgomerys, stood by and watched as my father’s company was devoured by wolves, treating my existence like a "liability" that needed to be managed. I still felt the phantom tremors in my hands from prison fights and the stinging betrayal of being discarded by the people I called family.
I had lived through five years of absolute hell, a former surgeon rotting in a cell while the people who framed me toasted to their success at galas I was no longer invited to.
"Don't be selfish, Dawn," Catrina whispered, reaching for the necklace that would later be used as evidence against me. "Let the jewelry shine on someone who actually matters."
She thought I was still the fragile victim she could manipulate, but she didn't realize I had returned from the grave with the cold, clinical calculation of a fixer.
Instead of walking into her trap at the gala, I forced the car onto a dark service road and dragged a dying billionaire, Jennings Stafford, from the wreckage of a burning SUV.
He was the only man powerful enough to destroy my enemies, and as I stitched his wounds with stolen supplies, I didn't ask for a thank you.
I looked him dead in the eye and proposed a contract that would set the world on fire.
"I want a strategic marriage. You get a harmless wife with a legacy name to calm your board, and I get immunity from everyone who ever touched me."
The bill for my five years in prison had finally come due, and I was here to collect.
9.5
In the glittering shadows of New York City's elite, impoverished artist Elena Vasquez clashes with the enigmatic billionaire tycoon Alexander Hale. What begins as a chance encounter in a rain-soaked alley spirals into a whirlwind of passion, betrayal, and redemption. As Elena fights to reclaim her stolen dreams, Alexander's guarded heart unravels, forcing them to confront family secrets, corporate intrigue, and the ruthless divide between their worlds. Will their forbidden love survive the storms of jealousy, scandal, and loss, or will it shatter like the fragile art that brought them together? Shattered Canvases is a steamy billionaire romance that explores the raw edges of desire and the healing power of vulnerability.
8.9
Debora went to prison to protect the man she loved, only to end up a paroled convict living under the roof of her abusive foster parents.
When they found her positive pregnancy test from a one-night stand, they threatened to kick her out and send her straight back to a cell.
Just as they were about to report her, the stranger from that dark hotel room suddenly appeared.
He paid her foster parents one million dollars to marry her and take her away.
Debora thought she was finally safe.
But the moment they were alone, he looked at her with pure, venomous hatred.
He didn't want a wife; he wanted a prisoner.
He believed Debora was the ruthless murderer who had destroyed his life in a car crash, and he planned to make her suffocate in her own despair.
He didn't know she was just a scapegoat.
To survive and protect her baby, Debora found a job at a bridal shop, only to run into the real culprit—the man who actually drove the car and framed her.
He was now happily engaged to a wealthy heiress.
They deliberately ruined a priceless wedding gown and blamed it on her.
"Kneel on this floor and apologize, or I'm calling the police to revoke your parole!"
Why did she have to rot in hell for his sins, while the man she married wanted to destroy her?
Just as her trembling knees were about to touch the cold marble floor, the heavy glass doors were violently shoved open.
Her billionaire husband strode in like a force of nature, his eyes locked onto the wealthy couple with a terrifying, destructive rage.
8.7
For three years, I played the perfect, submissive housewife to billionaire Julian Harrison.
But right after an intimate night together, he coldly threw a divorce agreement onto the bed.
"Scarlett landed an hour ago. I need my single status restored to welcome her back."
That same night, I ended up in the emergency room and discovered I was pregnant with twins.
When Julian found out, he didn't show a shred of joy. Instead, he stormed into my hospital room, threw a blank check directly at my face, and ordered me to get rid of them.
He accused me of using the babies as a sick game to trap his assets.
Then, his ruthless lawyer kicked me out of our penthouse, confiscating the jewelry he gifted me and tossing my worn-out notebook onto the floor like garbage.
Standing in the freezing rain, my heart completely died.
I had swallowed my pride, managed his life, and cooked his meals to his exact standards for three years, only to be thrown away the second his first love returned.
But he didn't know that the notebook his lawyer discarded contained the secret formulas of Aura Beauty, a billion-dollar empire I built in the shadows.
I tore his check into pieces, blocked his number, and left in a Maybach sent by my associate.
Logging into my global CEO database, I looked at his company's fragile stock chart with a predatory smile.
The docile Mrs. Harrison died in the rain. It was time to crush his empire.
9.5
I was in a Zurich boardroom signing a contract worth fifty million dollars when I saw the photo that ended my marriage.
It was an Instagram notification from the woman I paid to scrub my toilets.
The caption read: "My little prince deserves the world."
The photo showed her son holding a custom-made porcelain doll with diamond-dust eyes. It was the only one in the world, commissioned specifically for my daughter, Lily.
I cancelled the deal and flew home immediately.
When I arrived at my daughter's school, I found the housekeeper wearing my vintage Chanel coat and driving my car.
My husband, Austyn, didn't run to greet me. He ran past our crying daughter to comfort the housekeeper's son.
"Don't you dare touch my son!" he screamed at me, protecting the boy while our daughter scraped her knees on the pavement.
He looked at me with pure hate, confident that he could take half my assets in a divorce.
He forgot that I wasn't just a wife. I was the Duchess of the Miller Syndicate, the most powerful crime family in New York.
I pulled out my phone and froze every account he had.
"You want a divorce?" I asked, signaling my security team to step forward.
"Take off the suit, Austyn. I paid for it."
"You are leaving this marriage exactly how you entered it. With nothing."