Chapter 1Money Can’t Buy Real Love

After Grayson Cole broke off our engagement, he immediately started pursuing his young secretary.

That secretary, however, had a backbone. She repeatedly rebuffed his advances, claiming she would never bow to money.

In the end, though, Grayson bought his way into her heart.

The real irony? The woman then gloated to the world, proclaiming that what she truly enjoyed was this kind of pure, simple love.

Now, only a year later, word is that their fairy tale has devolved into a bitter war.

When I heard the news, I pulled up a chair, grabbed some popcorn, and settled in for the show.

* * *

“Mr. Cole took a woman home last night.”

I didn’t pay much attention when my assistant told me. It wasn’t the first time, after all.

“To the house at Riverside Manor.”

I snapped the file in my hands shut, my brow furrowing.

My engagement to Grayson had been a business merger, and the villa at Riverside Manor was meant to be our marital home. The plan had been to move in after the wedding.

I could accept that he didn’t love me. I could even accept him having other women.

But I could not accept him so blatantly disrespecting me.

I rubbed my temples. “Take me to Cole Corp.”

The receptionist saw me and was about to call up to Grayson’s office, but I stopped her.

“I want it to be a surprise.”

She understood immediately, gesturing for me to go ahead.

I took the private elevator straight to the 28th floor.

Pushing the door open, I was greeted by quite a scene.

Grayson had a woman pinned against the wall. Her face was pale, her expression one of defiant resistance.

What was this? Some kind of toxic romance novel fantasy?

The girl saw me and shoved the man away. She ran over to me, tears streaming down her face, her voice a mix of hurt and warning.

“Ms. Shaw, you need to control your fiancé. I’m not just a prop in one of your rich people games.”

Well now, that was a spicy little line.

But she was threatening the wrong person.

“Then why not just quit?” I asked calmly. “Stay far away from us rich people.”

She blinked, stunned, then clenched her fists. “I earned this job with my skills. I haven’t done anything wrong. Why should I be the one to leave?”

Stubborn, I’ll give her that. I frowned slightly.

“Fine. In that case, I’ll have Mr. Cole reassign you. You just can’t be his secretary anymore.”

She was still not satisfied.

“I’m a good secretary. Why should I be moved? You wealthy people love to abuse your power.”

Right. So now being wealthy was our original sin.

Grayson had heard enough. He stepped forward, putting himself between us.

“Victoria, stop bullying her,” he said, his voice low and protective.

“Anna is too pure-hearted to play your games.”

So, her name was Anna.

Pure-hearted? Or just simple-minded?

Grayson used the excuse to dismiss Anna, then turned to me. “What did you want?”

I looked at the man before me—tall, handsome, the picture of a perfect catch—and got straight to the point. “Did you take a woman to our house at Riverside?”

He didn’t flinch. Instead, he pulled out a checkbook.

“Our engagement is off,” he said flatly. “This is your compensation.”

I took the check he wrote and glanced at it.

A very generous three hundred million.

I was a little curious.

“Are you sure this woman is what you really want?”

Grayson met my gaze, a strange light in his eyes. “I want a wife. A safe harbor. Not someone who comes home after a day of negotiating deals only to start negotiating our personal interests.”

“My wife doesn’t need to be strong. I’m strong enough for both of us.”

Ah, so that’s where Anna’s strength came in.

“Right. I get it.”

I pocketed the check and walked away without a second thought. I’d been eyeing the multi-billion South Hill development project, and thanks to Grayson’s friendly contribution, funding was no longer an issue.

See? While other women were trapped in some CEO’s twisted power fantasy, I was already soaring.

I ran into Anna in the hallway, carrying a tray of coffee. She saw me and immediately stood taller, her chin held high.

“Ms. Shaw, I know you look down on love between people like us, who aren’t rich.”

“But I’m telling you, if I love someone, it has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not he has money.”

Her little speech just left me confused. So… did she like Grayson or not?