After dumped, I married a billionaire

Leona Carpenter’s eyes flew open, and the first thing she saw was Vance Martinez’s devastatingly handsome face. Her big, expressive eyes blew wide with shock, and she blurted out before she could think better of it, "What are you doing here?" She never expected to run into him again so soon after their quick goodbye last time.

Vance wore a perfectly tailored Victorian suit, every single detail crisp and immaculate, oozing that effortless, old-money elegance only born into privilege can pull off. "Came to check on an old friend," he answered. His dark gaze locked onto Leona’s, and a fleeting, unreadable glint flickered across them before he asked softy, "How are you holding up?"

Leona looked up, caught completely off guard by those deep, impossible-to-read eyes of his, and her heart stuttered. "I’m fine," she said.

"I meant in here," Vance clarified, tapping a single finger gently against his own chest. "Most women would’ve broken down crying by now, in your shoes. You sure you don’t want to let it all out?"

He held out a handkerchief to her. Leona hesitated for a beat, then let a faint smile tug at the corner of her mouth. "Crying won’t fix anything. And I’m not wasting tears on someone not worth it."

"It hurts, though, doesn’t it?" Vance noted quietly.

Leona stared out at the trees swaying in the breeze, her gaze drifting slowly off into the distance. She murmured, "How couldn’t it…"

She’d thought her passion and honesty would earn her the same in return. But in the end, it had all been for nothing.

Vance’s dark eyes lingered on her a long moment. His voice dropped low, threaded with a faint, almost unnoticeable thread of tenderness. "No use beating yourself up over someone who doesn’t deserve you. Save your tears for the people that actually care about you."

His words sent Leona’s heart racing. She stared into those deep, unfathomable eyes of his, and suddenly her cheeks heated. Flustered, she looked away quickly.

Vance paused, a flicker of conflict crossing his features. "If you know their heart isn’t with you, why hang on? Better to cut the cord clean than let it rot into something ugly."

Leona blinked, caught off guard by how blunt he was. They weren’t even that close, after all. But she knew he wasn’t wrong. Holding on was useless, and she wasn’t the type to lie to herself just to feel better. She had zero interest in sticking around to watch Aila Ellis and Michael Hansen get back together over and over again.

She drew a deep breath to steady herself. "We already split. There’s nothing left between him and me anymore."

For a split second, Vance looked surprised, but the expression vanished faster than it came. He hid a small smile, keeping his tone even and calm. "Cutting off unreciprocated feelings is the smart move. Ms. Carpenter, you’re a lot more sharp than I expected."

"Like you said, better to let go than end up hating each other," Leona agreed. "Besides, anything you have to beg for is just charity. Only what’s given freely is real."

Vance’s eyebrows lifted a fraction, a spark of admiration glinting in his dark eyes. "On that, we definitely see eye to eye."

Their conversation flowed easy, no awkward lulls, neither of them noticing how fast the time slipped away.

"Sir, the lady of the house is asking for you," an elderly woman said as she walked up to them. She glanced at Leona, a warm, kind smile tugging at her lips. "And if you’ve got nothing else going on, miss, why don’t you come join us?"