All Chapters of When I Stopped Being His Second Choice: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

"Fine. I am not taking leave. I quit."The room went so quiet you could hear the air move.Daniel looked up, his pen pausing mid-stroke. He set it down and leaned back in his chair, studying me like he was finally confirming something he had suspected. "Are you serious?"He stood up and came around the desk, his voice low, carrying that tired patience that felt more condescending than kind. "Alessandra, can you tell me what I actually did wrong?""Megan's ticket was booked weeks ago. It is non-refundable. I happen to be going to Miami for client meetings anyway. I am taking her along. It is a few days. Why do you see this as me choosing her over you?"He was not angry. He was not even raising his voice. He was stating what he saw as a simple fact, and his tone carried genuine confusion."You were not like this before. You used to say, 'Go ahead, I have things covered here.' Why can you not understand me now?"I said nothing. He stepped closer, his voice dropping further. "I have told y

Chapter 2

I turned to leave, but Linda grabbed my arm, her eyes red. "You are really just walking away? After everything you put into this company—"Before I could answer, a soft voice came from behind me, hesitant and gentle. "Linda, please do not say that. Alessandra will feel worse."I turned around. Megan walked toward us in her heels, still holding the proposal I had written. Her expression was warm, like she was trying to protect me from something."Alessandra made her own choice. We should respect that. She has been exhausted lately. Daniel was worried about her, which is why he told her to rest."She lowered her head slightly, her voice softening. "Honestly, I have always admired how much Alessandra gave to this company. But I never wanted her to think I was taking her place. If she wants the project back, I can return it."She lifted her head and looked at me with an expression so open it could have been sincerity. "Alessandra, you know I never wanted to replace you."Linda did not say

Chapter 3

I got into a taxi and gave the address where I had lived for five years.When I opened the door, I saw Daniel's coat on the rack. Next to it hung a woman's jacket, light-colored, made of thin fabric. It looked like it had been there for a while, draped over the hook like it belonged. I looked at it for two seconds, then did not touch it.I did not have much to pack. Over the past five years, I had put most of my money into his company.When I opened the drawer to get my passport, my fingers brushed against a small box that had gathered dust. I opened it. Inside was a silver bracelet, thin and delicate, with a small stone that was not worth much.He had bought it at a vintage shop eight years ago. He put it on my wrist that night and said, "Alessandra, I have nothing right now. I know this is not much. But I promise you, one day I will buy you something better."I thought that night was the best night of my life. That bracelet was proof that I had chosen something for myself. Not an arr

Chapter 4

A message appeared on my screen."Miss Alessandra, Don has sent me to bring you back to the estate. I will be there in an hour."The sender was listed simply as Moretti, my grandfather's longtime estate manager.Daniel caught a glimpse of the message, and his brow creased almost imperceptibly. "The estate? What estate?""Nothing," I said. "Someone has finally come to take me back where I belong."Right after I said that, his phone buzzed again. Megan had sent a voice message. He did not hesitate to play it out loud."Daniel, I am already at the airport. Let me know when you are on your way. I will get you a coffee."Her tone was casual, not obviously flirtatious. But it carried the kind of familiarity that said, "I am here, waiting for you."He looked at me after it finished, as if the message itself proved his point. "You see, that is just normal work communication. She is young and alone. It is not wrong for me to look after her. You are reading too much into everything."I did not s

Chapter 5

Daniel did not have time to see my face clearly before I turned away. On the other side of the glass wall, something hit him in the chest like a weight dropping from a height he had not known existed. He stepped forward, but the glass stopped him. I stood at the top of the boarding stairs, looked back at the city one last time, and walked into the cabin.The door closed behind me.A man was already inside. He wore a dark gray jacket with the sleeves rolled up twice. There was nothing in his hands except a half-empty glass of water. He looked up when I entered and said, "Hello, my fiancée."Ethan Rosenthal. The only heir to the Rosenthal family, and the man my grandfather had chosen for me. I set my sunglasses down. "This is a De Luca plane."He placed his glass on the table. "Don sent me. Consider this an honor to pick up my fiancée."I sat down beside him. After we took off, he spoke first. "Your grandfather asked me to tell you something.""He knew the day you left. He knew from the

Chapter 6

Three hours later, the convoy pulled through the gates of the De Luca estate.The door opened, and there he was on the steps. My grandfather wore an old dark coat, both hands resting on the cane that marked him as the Don of the De Luca family. Sunlight fell across his white hair, and I noticed for the first time how much thinner he had become. His back was slightly curved.I ran to him and held him the way I used to when I was small.His body went still for a moment. Then he lifted one hand and patted my back. "Home. You are home." I pressed my face against his shoulder and said, "I am sorry, Grandfather." He did not ask what I was sorry for. He just patted me harder.After dinner, my grandfather called Ethan and me into the study. He sat in his old armchair and tapped his cane once against the floor. "That man Harrison humiliated my granddaughter in front of her own office. He treated a De Luca as if she were nothing." He looked up at Ethan. "What do you think we should do about it?"

Chapter 7

Miami. A hotel suite. Daniel had called his most important client twenty times. Each time, the line was busy. Three clients he had scheduled meetings with had not shown up.His assistant called. "Daniel, something is wrong. Several of our long-term clients sent termination notices this morning. Twenty in total, including the three annual contracts we signed last year. They are willing to pay the penalties, but they will not continue."Daniel's knuckles went white around the phone. "What reason did they give?""None. They just said it was a normal business adjustment. But there is no way that many of them made the same adjustment on the same day."He hung up and dropped onto the sofa.Before he could catch his breath, his second phone rang. It was the dock manager. His voice was shaking. "Daniel, the container is gone. Fire at the dock. The equipment inside was worth close to seven million. The shipping company is already talking about a lawsuit for breach of contract. Our lawyer says w

Chapter 8

March fifteenth. The De Luca estate.I sat in front of the mirror in my wedding dress. Moretti knocked three times. "Miss Alessandra, it is time." I took a breath and opened the door. My grandfather was waiting at the end of the hall. When he saw me, his eyes went red for a moment, but he turned away and cleared his throat. "Let us go, my girl." I took his arm.The doors of the great hall opened. Long tables lined both sides. The Rosenthal family sat on the left, the De Luca family on the right. A deep red carpet ran down the center. Candles lit the aisle one by one. The air smelled of cigar smoke and old wood. Ethan stood at the far end in a black suit, his tie straight. When he saw me, he stopped moving. I walked toward him.The priest spoke the vows. A light applause came from the guests. Then a commotion broke out near the side entrance. A man in a wrinkled gray suit was being held back by two security men in dark uniforms. He broke loose and stumbled forward a few steps. Two black

Chapter 9

The wedding ended. The hall emptied. Only the long tables remained, covered in empty glasses and burned-out candles. I sat in the lounge and rubbed my face. Ethan sent the staff out and closed the door behind them.He sat across from me. "There is something I have been waiting for the right time to tell you."I sat up straight and looked at him."The first time I saw you was eight years ago. Your grandfather's birthday." He leaned back. "He was testing new guns in the back range. You stayed after everyone left. You shot an entire box of ammunition. Not playing. Not showing off. Just shooting, one round after another. When you finished, you put the gun down and wiped your hands, and you looked back toward your grandfather's study."I tried to remember. The memory was blurry. Back then, I was always thinking about Daniel. I never stayed long at the estate."You ran out after that. You said your boyfriend was waiting for you. Your grandfather watched your car leave from his study window a

Chapter 10

Four months passed.I sat on the terrace with my grandfather, drinking tea. Moretti brought a plate of almond biscuits and the morning paper. "Miss Alessandra, have you seen today's news?" I took the paper.The front page carried the story. After Harrison Logistics collapsed, investigators uncovered a fraudulent investment scheme Daniel Harrison had been running to keep the company afloat. He had raised money from small investors under fake project names and used new investments to cover earlier losses. The amount involved was substantial. The photo showed him being led away by two men in dark suits. He looked like a man who had been hollowed out. The collapse of his company had not created the fraud. It had simply exposed it.Some people said he brought it on himself. Others said he could have avoided it if he had not pushed so far.My grandfather took a sip of tea. "Finished reading? How do you feel? Relieved? Or do you feel sorry for him?" I thought about it for a moment. "Nothing.

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