Burn the Marriage, Keep the Crown novel Chapter 1

"The number you have dialed is currently busy. Please try again later..."

Outside city hall, Serena stood in a sleek charcoal gray suit. Her striking features, usually so vibrant, appeared as cold as the autumn breeze that swirled around her.

The document in her hand was crumpled from her tight grip.

Today was supposed to be the day she and her boyfriend, Aaron Vance, would officially get married.

She had waited all day, but Aaron hadn't shown up.

She couldn't even remember how many times Aaron had let her down like this.

When she dialed Aaron's number once more, the same cold, mechanical voice greeted her.

Serena glanced down at her phone just as a notification popped up.

"Vance Holdings CEO Aaron Vance spotted at the airport, warmly welcoming his girlfriend back from abroad. The couple appeared deeply in love."

She opened the article and a photo appeared.

In it, a man in a black suit, tall and distinguished, was captured from the side. His striking features were enough to captivate anyone.

Especially the warmth in his eyes.

Serena’s lips curled bitterly.

This was a side of Aaron she had never witnessed.

No wonder he couldn’t wait to drop everything, even their marriage plans, for his long-time love.

A message notification appeared.

"You’ve seen the news, haven’t you? If you know what’s good for you, leave Aaron."

The sender: Cynthia Lynwood.

Aaron's long-time love.

Serena scrolled up and found a message from Cynthia Lynwood sent a few days ago, containing a pregnancy test result.

8 weeks along.

Mother: Cynthia Lynwood.

Father: Aaron Vance.

When she saw the test results, she wasn't surprised.

Aaron spent half of every year traveling to the Federation of Faircrest, where Cynthia Lynwood lived.

If Cynthia hadn’t been pregnant by now, Serena would have started questioning Aaron’s capabilities.

Instead of breaking up, she had suggested marriage.

Maybe she just wasn’t ready to let go.

She had fallen head over heels for Aaron the moment she first saw him outside her university at eighteen.

Everyone said Aaron, the heir to Vance Holdings, was untouchable, like a high mountain flower.