Arranged to the Don, Freed from the Lie

In my family, there's a rule: any woman who reaches thirty without getting married must return to the family estate and have her marriage arranged by the Council of Elders.

When I told Dominic Moretti about this, he was sitting on my desk flipping through financial reports.

After hearing me out, he let out a derisive laugh.

"Is the Bennett family some medieval royal house? A bunch of old men get to decide who marries whom?"

"I'm not asking for your opinion. I'm simply telling you—we've been together for seven years."

"If we don't get married, I'll have to go back to the estate."

"Ava Bennett, I said I'd marry you, and I will." Dominic finally looked up, his eyes fixed on me. "But you'd better understand—me wanting to marry you and you forcing me into marriage are two very different things."

Forcing him?

——

We've been together for seven years. From a cramped forty-square-meter office in an underground parking garage to a commercial empire controlling multiple ports, casinos, and trading companies—I've stayed up countless nights with him and dealt with all the difficulties from within his family.

Dominic once held my hand and promised that once everything stabilized, he'd give me a proper wedding.

I've waited seven years. Now I just wanted to know when he planned to keep that promise.

But Dominic acted like he'd completely lost his patience. He pulled open the bottom drawer of the desk and took out a velvet box.

My heart started racing.

Last month, I'd accidentally seen design sketches from a jeweler. He'd had his arm around my waist then, asking me what kind of diamond I liked.

I thought he was finally going to propose.

But the next second, without even opening the box, he handed it to his personal assistant, Chloe Hayes.

"Chloe, take this."

"Dominic, isn't this—"

"I said take it."

She lowered her head to accept the box, her fingers gripping the edges tightly, though she couldn't hide the delight in her eyes.

"I'd planned to surprise you today. Since you insist on making such a scene out of this, let's take some time apart to cool off."

With that, he walked straight out.

I thought that after coming this far together, nothing could easily tear us apart. But not only did he take my waiting for granted—he didn't even need to put effort into humiliating me.

Chloe carefully walked over to me and held out the velvet box.

"Ava, this might just be a misunderstanding. Here, take it back."

I didn't reach for it.

"Since he gave it to you, it's yours."

I watched the color drain from her face and pulled my lips into a smile.

"Besides, it probably suits you better than it would me."

I had no interest in watching her performance. I walked to the door and pulled it open for her.

"I'm sorry, but I have an online meeting starting soon. Please leave."

She bit her lip and stood there clutching the box for a few seconds before finally walking out.

I was about to close the door when I remembered something.

"Oh, and do me a favor—tell Dominic we're done."

I shut the door. The office fell silent again.

My phone screen lit up with a message from the family estate. The Council of Elders would be holding their regular meeting next week, asking if I'd be returning on time.

In the past, I always thought I'd wait just a little longer. Wait for Dominic to finish what he was working on, wait for the family conflicts to settle, wait for him to finally be willing to acknowledge me as his future wife.

I'd bet all my time and my life on him.

Now, I was done waiting.

That evening, when Dominic returned to the penthouse, I was packing.

He pushed open the bedroom door and stopped in his tracks when he saw the two large suitcases by the bed.

"What's going on?"

I didn't turn around.

"Ava, I'm asking you a question."

"Didn't your personal assistant tell you? I already broke up with you."

Dominic's expression instantly darkened.

"Here we go again."

He loosened his tie and walked into the room.

"Can you stop threatening me with a breakup every time something doesn't go your way?"

I suddenly found it laughable.

In his eyes, my refusal to keep waiting was a threat, and not accepting him giving a ring to another woman was unreasonable. As for what he'd done—that never mattered.

"You're the one who brought Chloe in," he continued. "And now you're taking your frustration out on her over something trivial."

Chloe and I came from the same branch of the family. Her father had been injured years ago while working for the family, and their circumstances had been difficult ever since.

After graduation, she struggled to find work, so I arranged a position for her at the company.

At first, she was humble and asked me for advice.

I taught her the business, brought her to social events, and even gave her access to important client files.

Later, she started frequenting Dominic's office, straightening his tie for him and memorizing his dietary preferences.

Once, her carelessness forced the entire team to work through the night revising a critical deal. I pointed out the problem in front of several managers, and Dominic turned on me on the spot.

"She's just a recent graduate. Do you have to be so aggressive?"

"Her mistake made a dozen people work overtime. You think that's trivial?"

He waved his hand impatiently.

"Enough. Starting tomorrow, she'll be my personal assistant. I'll handle her assignments from now on. Anyone has a problem with that, they can come to me directly."

Chloe stood behind him with red eyes, looking utterly wronged.

And I could only watch as Dominic walked away with her.

After that, I rarely argued with him.

"Nothing to say now?"

Dominic's voice pulled me back to reality. He glanced at the packed luggage, his brow furrowed.

"I know you've been in a bad mood lately about the marriage thing, but you can't treat everyone like an enemy."

I didn't want to explain anymore.

"You're right."

My calmness made him pause.

I placed the last jacket in the suitcase and zipped it up.

"I've been too sensitive. It won't happen again."

Dominic stared at me, seemingly trying to find anger or hurt on my face—confirmation that I still cared about him.

But he found nothing.

Finally, he just coldly dropped a line:

"Suit yourself."