CHAPTER 1 — "You're Too Poor to Love Me!"
The entire rooftop restaurant fell silent.
Every phone was recording.
Every pair of eyes was fixed on the young man kneeling beside table seventeen.
A tiny velvet box rested in his shaking hands.
Inside was a simple silver ring.
Not covered in diamonds.
Not worth thousands of dollars.
Just a modest ring bought after months of saving every spare dollar he had.
Lucas Carter took a slow breath.
His heart pounded so loudly he barely heard the violin playing in the background.
Across from him sat Victoria Ashford.
Beautiful.
Elegant.
The daughter of one of New York's wealthiest real-estate families.
She stared at the ring for nearly ten seconds.
Lucas smiled nervously.
"I know it's not much... but every dollar I earned went into it."
"I can't promise a mansion tomorrow."
"I can't promise private islands."
"But I promise you'll never spend a single day wondering if you're loved."
Several nearby diners quietly applauded.
One woman wiped away a tear.
Lucas opened the ring box wider.
"Victoria..."
"Will you marry me?"
For one heartbeat...
No one breathed.
Then...
Victoria burst into laughter.
Not a small laugh.
A loud...
Cruel...
Humiliating laugh that echoed across the rooftop.
"Oh my God..."
She covered her mouth dramatically.
"Is this a joke?"
People looked at each other awkwardly.
Lucas slowly lowered the ring.
Victoria stood up.
She grabbed the ring box from his hand.
Held it between two fingers.
"As if this thing belongs in a jewelry store."
She laughed again.
"My handbag costs more than your entire year's salary."
Her wealthy friends exploded with laughter.
One of them clapped sarcastically.
Another lifted a champagne glass.
"Speech! Speech!"
Victoria circled Lucas like he was entertainment.
"You seriously thought I'd marry a delivery driver?"
"You ride an old motorcycle."
"You rent a tiny apartment."
"You don't even own a car."
She leaned close enough for everyone to hear.
"You're poor."
"And poverty is contagious."
The crowd gasped.
Lucas never answered.
He simply stared at the floor.
Victoria wasn't finished.
She grabbed the ring.
Held it high above the crowd.
"Look, everyone!"
"This is what desperate men call love!"
The laughter became louder.
Someone began recording from another angle.
Comments were already flooding social media.
'Rich girl destroys poor boyfriend during proposal.'
Lucas quietly stood.
His face remained calm.
Almost too calm.
"I understand," he said softly.
"If that's how you really feel..."
"I won't bother you again."
Victoria smirked.
"Good."
"Know your place."
She tossed the ring onto the marble floor.
It rolled beneath another table.
Lucas didn't pick it up.
Instead...
He looked toward the elevator.
Almost as if...
He were waiting for someone.
Exactly then—
The rooftop doors burst open.
A man in a perfectly tailored navy uniform sprinted inside.
Gold wings gleamed on his chest.
He looked around frantically.
When his eyes landed on Lucas...
His face turned pale.
Without hesitation...
He hurried across the restaurant.
Then...
To everyone's absolute disbelief...
The man bowed deeply.
"Mr. Carter."
"I've finally found you."
The laughter stopped instantly.
Victoria blinked.
"...Who are you?"
The uniformed man ignored her completely.
"I'm terribly sorry, sir."
"The jet has been ready for thirty minutes."
"The board members are waiting."
"And your grandfather's emergency meeting cannot begin until you arrive."
The restaurant became so quiet...
Even the wind seemed to stop.
Lucas sighed.
"I was... occupied."
The pilot lowered his head even further.
"The chairman specifically instructed me."
"Under no circumstances may the future CEO travel commercially."
Victoria frowned.
"...Future CEO?"
Her smile slowly disappeared.
Lucas looked at the pilot.
"I suppose everyone already knows?"
The pilot answered respectfully.
"The media announcement was delayed until midnight."
"But legally..."
"You officially became the majority owner of Carter Aerospace this morning."
A champagne glass slipped from someone's hand.
It shattered across the floor.
Victoria's face turned completely white.
"No..."
"That's impossible."
Lucas finally looked directly into her eyes.
For the first time...
There was no sadness.
Only disappointment.
"You never asked what my last name meant."
Then he turned and calmly walked away.
Leaving behind...
May you like
A rooftop full of frozen millionaires.
And one woman whose perfect victory had just begun turning into the biggest mistake of her life.
