Chapter 188

My heart pounded, and my legs felt rubbery as I leaned against my oak front door and waited to open it for Victor.

I wanted to see him. I missed him and needed the way he made me feel like I could do anything. But I knew his being here had to be the end of our relationship.

No, it wasn’t a relationship. It was only an arrangement, similar to a business deal.

If I were Alex’s daughter, our deal would have worked out well for him. Now that we knew I wasn’t, I felt guilty for the time he wasted with me. All of his efforts, like teaching me how to dance and how to be a CEO, had been a waste of his time.

But I enjoyed pretending to be his fiancée until things got carried away, and I ended up caring about him more than I should.

I will remember our one incredible kiss for the rest of my life. There was something about Victor that just the touch of his hand made me tingle.

There was a knock on the door. He was here, and I knew what I had to do. A fake engagement with a counterfeit heiress would ruin his life. Accepting the situation and letting him go was the best thing for both of us.

Ignoring my fluttering stomach, I stood up straight and composed myself before opening the door.

There he was, standing in the doorway, looking as handsome as ever. Without his suit jacket, his broad shoulders appeared massive in a white button-down shirt, and a lock of his black hair fell across his forehead, making his eyes appear to be an even more brilliant blue.

Those gorgeous blue eyes of his that used to tease and flirt with me now showed pity and concern. I hadn’t expected him to feel sorry for me. It made me cringe inside.

Turning away before he saw the tears welling in my eyes, I heard him say, “I’ve been worried about you.”

“Don’t be.“ I spread my arms and did a slow circle. “I’m fine. Take a look around. Does this place look like I’m suffering?”

“You are upset,” he said. “I know you, Daisy. This must be terrible for you. I know you love Alex, and the CEO job meant everything to you.”

“Not everything,” I mumbled under my breath.

“I didn’t expect Alex to move you out of the mansion this fast,” Victor said.

“Olivia is coming soon,” I said, trying to seem calm. “I can’t still be there when she arrives. And I wouldn’t want to be.”

I was curious to see what the real Alberta looked like. Joanna Wilson’s daughter had to be beautiful. Yet, seeing her would make me feel jealousy and anger.

Even though it wasn’t her fault, Olivia was taking over the life I had thought was mine.

“I understand that,” he said. “But it still seems like removing you this quickly is a cold thing to do.”

“I’m fine,” I insisted. “I miss Alex and everybody at the mansion, but it’s nobody’s fault. I can’t even be mad at Olivia.”

“You are a bigger person than me,” Victor admitted. “I think I would be angry to be replaced after everything you’ve been through.”

Victor walked through my new living room and peeked into the kitchen. That one raised eyebrow of his showed me he was surprised. His presence in my new surroundings made a spark of warmth grow inside me.

“This is a great apartment,” he said. “It’s huge and even nicer than mine.” He looked out the window. “The view is fantastic!”

Despite the fact I was enjoying being in the same room as Victor, I needed to get the bad stuff out of the way.

Chatting about my apartment was only putting off what had to happen. The end of this conversation would be worse if we tried to make things between us feel normal.

Was he waiting for me to bring up our agreement so he wouldn’t have to? He wouldn’t want to seem like a villain and break the engagement as soon as he walked in my door.

“Have you spoken to Alex since Monday?” I asked, wanting to know for sure if the leadership position was out of Victor’s reach now.

“He called me this morning,” he replied. “That’s how I knew you were here.”

“He called to tell you where I am?” I asked. Alex must still believe we were engaged because we loved each other.

“He wanted to tell me where you are, and he invited me to dinner tonight to meet her and make her feel welcome,” he said.

“Do you mean Olivia?”

I couldn’t believe it. Why would Alex want Victor to meet Olivia so soon? Was she already at the mansion? A wave of jealousy and homesickness tore through me.

“Are you going?” I asked.

Victor shrugged. “I have to meet her sometime.”

I was being replaced already! Part of me was angry. Another part wanted Victor to have everything he’s always worked for. I knew how important leading the association was to him, and I cared enough about him to want him to have it.

Olivia was the key to Victor’s dream. He deserved to have what he had worked hard to achieve.

I reminded myself again that our engagement was never meant to be real. I had to be strong and end it … for both of us.

“Victor, I’ve been thinking,” I began. “Everything is different now. I’m not who you thought I was.

“What are you talking about?” he snapped. I thought he would be relieved, but Victor was shocked by my words. He shouldn’t let his pity for me get in his way. I wouldn’t allow it.

“Due to unforeseen circumstances, our agreement is now null and void,” I announced. “Our engagement is officially over.”

Victor’s face went pale. “Daisy, why are you doing this? It’s too soon after finding out you’re not Alex’s daughter. You aren’t thinking clearly.”

“I’m thinking just fine.” I sat down on the couch to explain. “I'm not Alberta. I can’t help you become the next leader of the association. And since I can’t, I can never fulfill my end of our deal. So, it’s over. Everything is over between us.”

“I can’t believe you’re saying this to me,” Victor said softly. “You must be in shock from everything happening so fast. Calm down, and let’s talk about it.”

“No, Victor, I am calm, and I have thought about it a lot in the past two days,” I insisted and repeated my statement. “Our deal is over. We will tell everyone our engagement is off. I think you should pursue Olivia. Being with her will get you what you want. She is your future now.”

“You don’t mean what you’re saying,” Victor argued. “And maybe the job isn’t as important to me as it once was. Things have changed.”

“You are being kind,” I said. “However, I know the truth of our situation, and I know you.” He was surprised by my words, and it was apparent that he felt sorry for me, but after he thought things over, he would see I was right.

I hated the way things turned out. It hurt me to say these things to him. Yet I had no choice. I’m not Alberta, and I had to think of him. I wasn’t angry at Alex for wanting his real daughter. I couldn’t be selfish and keep Alberta’s fiancé, either.

But there might be people I could still help. I had almost forgotten my new projects.

“In exchange for letting you go, I have a request. I want you to persuade Olivia to do something for me. Please get her to stick to the new business plan and complete the projects to help the Betas.”

He shook his head and stared at me as he tried to think of something else to say. But I wouldn’t allow his gallantry or misplaced loyalty to keep him from attaining his dream.

He must never know how I really felt about him. Ending things between us was for his own good.

“It’s over,” I declared. “It’s silly to cling to something that was never real, and I’ve had enough of pretending to be in a relationship that never existed. Please, go now.”

“Daisy … I can’t believe this. You’re breaking up with me!”