CHAPTER 2: THE TRUTH UNVEILED
CHAPTER 2: THE TRUTH UNVEILED
The next morning, Vanessa barely slept.
Her mind replayed the scene again and again.
Something wasn't right.
She needed answers.
At noon, she met her father in his office.
Victor Montgomery was one of the city's most influential businessmen.
After hearing her story, his face turned pale.
"Andrew Collins?"
"Yes."
Victor suddenly stood up.
"Tell me you're joking."
Vanessa frowned.
"Dad, what's going on?"
Her father stared at her as though she had just confessed to destroying a priceless treasure.
"Do you have any idea who Andrew Collins is?"
"No."
Victor laughed bitterly.
"Neither did most people."
He walked to his desk and opened a financial report.
The moment Vanessa saw the numbers, her stomach dropped.
At the top of the document was a company name she recognized instantly.
A global investment empire.
One of the largest private holdings in the world.
And beneath it...
Andrew Collins.
Majority Owner.
Vanessa felt the blood drain from her face.
"No..."
Her father nodded.
"His family owns assets across three continents."
The room spun.
"But he never talked about money."
"Because people who truly have power rarely need to."
Victor slammed the report shut.
"Do you realize how many families wanted their daughters to marry him?"
Vanessa couldn't answer.
Her chest tightened.
The realization was unbearable.
She hadn't rejected a poor man.
She had humiliated one of the most powerful men she would ever meet.
And she had done it publicly.
May you like
The opportunity was gone.
Maybe forever.
