《The Billionaire's Greatest Regret》全部章節：第 1 章 - 第 10 章

SCARLETT FOSTERThe rain didn't just fall—it hammered against my paper-thin umbrella as if the sky itself was personally trying to crush whatever dignity I had left.I pulled my thin cardigan tighter around my chest, but the icy autumn wind cut right through it. In my right hand, I squeezed my leather portfolio so hard my knuckles turned white. Inside were my resume, my portfolio, and the last remaining shred of my self-respect.Two hours ago, my landlord had handed me an eviction notice with a cold, practiced smile. “You have until midnight to clear out your things, Miss Foster. Business is business.”And three days before that, my employer of two years laid me off via a five-second email. No severance. No warning. Just a digital slip of paper effectively telling me I was no longer needed.My bank account currently sat at a pathetic twelve dollars and forty-three cents.I took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to calm the wild racing of my pulse. You can do this, Scarlett, I told mys

SCARLETT FOSTERThe clock on the wall read six-fifteen in the evening. The bustling noise of the corporate office had gradually died down, replaced by the low hum of vacuum cleaners in the hallway. My first official day as the executive assistant to the CEO of Montgomery Enterprises was finally over—or so I had naively hoped.I was packing my belongings into my purse when the phone on my desk rang. The sharp, mechanical chime echoed through the empty reception area.I took a deep breath, picking up the receiver. "Scarlett Foster speaking.""My office. Now," Caleb’s voice came through the speaker, crisp and commanding, before the line cut out with a dull click.I stared at the receiver for a second, my pulse instantly spiking. All day, I had managed to keep my distance. I had sorted through his emails, scheduled his calls, and coordinated his meetings with surgical precision, keeping every interaction cold, polite, and brief. I had treated him purely as my boss, pretending that the gho

SCARLETT FOSTERThe light tap from the driver on the front window snapped the intense spell hanging between us.Caleb slowly pulled his hand back, though his burning gaze lingered on my face for a heartbeat longer before he turned toward the door. The driver slid into the front seat, quietly offering a brief apology before turning the key in the ignition.The engine hummed to life, and the Maybach pulled away from the rain-swept harbor overlook, gliding smoothly onto the freshly cleared highway.Neither of us spoke a word for the rest of the drive. The weight of his confession hung heavily in the air, thick and suffocating. My head was spinning. Five years of bitterness, grief, and self-doubt had built a solid wall around my heart, and Caleb had just completely dismantled it with a single truth.I leaned back against the leather headrest, staring out at the blurred streetlights. Every instinct I had urged me to protect myself, to keep that wall up at all costs. But how could I treat h

SCARLETT FOSTERThe ten o'clock board meeting went on for two excruciating hours.I sat at the smaller side desk inside the grand conference room, my fingers flying across my laptop keyboard as I took detailed minutes. Across the long mahogany table, Caleb presided over the meeting with effortless authority. He shot down weak proposals with quiet efficiency and dismantled aggressive questions from older investors without missing a beat.Sitting directly to his right was Julianna Vance. Every time Caleb spoke, she watched him with a proprietary gleam in her eyes, leaning in just a little too close whenever she presented her department’s slides.I kept my head down and focused entirely on my screen. I told myself I didn't care. Julianna was a wealthy heiress, a senior board member, and part of the high-society world Caleb now belonged to. It made complete sense for her to be by his side. But every time her laughter echoed softly across the room at one of his subtle remarks, a tiny, anno

SCARLETT FOSTERThe temperature on the terrace seemed to plummet ten degrees in an instant.I stood behind Caleb, my hand resting instinctively against his back. Underneath the fine wool of his suit jacket, his muscles were coiled tight, like a wire stretched to its absolute breaking point.The man who had stepped out of the shadows looked to be in his early thirties. He was tall, dressed in an impeccably fitted dark suit, with sharp features and a slick, calculated smile that didn't reach his cold blue eyes. He held a glass of champagne casually between two fingers, taking a slow sip as he evaluated the two of us."You look like you've seen a ghost, Caleb," Marcus said, his tone dripping with fake amusement."You're not on the guest list, Marcus," Caleb replied, his voice deadly quiet and dangerously steady. He didn't budge an inch, keeping his frame squarely between me and the newcomer."Oh, please. A little thing like a guest list has nev