He Stole My Golden Ticket for His Mistress, I Ruined Their New Restaurant

When I was seven weeks pregnant, my fiancé, Bryan Dominic, an internationally acclaimed chef, had postponed our wedding seven times. His reasons always revolved around his adopted sister—helping Livia with her first recipe, assisting Livia with a national conference, or even just Livia wanting company.

I was angry, but Bryan immediately knelt down and apologized. Then, as compensation, he said he would give me an old restaurant by the sea. My dream place.

So on the eighth attempt, I believed we had gotten through the worst.

But it turned out that on that very day, my life almost ended.

In front of the altar, a group of masked men suddenly stormed in. I was dragged into the forest and stabbed eight times in the stomach before everything went dark.

When I regained consciousness in the hospital, I heard the doctor's voice behind the curtain. Behind me.

"Mr. Bryan, everything went according to your plan. The eight stab wounds successfully caused Miss Elena to miscarry. She won't be able to move freely for three days."

My brain refused to comprehend the reality. Until Bryan's cold voice was enough to shatter my world.

"Good work. Besides, I never needed a baby from her anyway."

My trembling hand reflexively went to my stomach. The wound was still wide open. My chest felt tight.

The doctor walked out the door without realizing I had heard everything.

I grabbed my phone and called Bryan with trembling hands. I wanted to ask him why he did this. Why he could kill our baby. And for pretending to love me for three years.

But the voice that answered wasn't his.

"Hello, sis? How does it feel to wake up alone in a hospital bed? Let me explain everything. Bryan loves me, you were just a tool to achieve my dreams. To explain everything, you can check my social media."

Livia hung up before I could say a word. Breathing heavily, I opened her social media account.

[Finally participating in Europe's best culinary competition!]

On the screen, Livia smiled broadly while holding the competition's golden ticket. Bryan's arm was wrapped around her waist.

My eyes widened. One photo and a caption stabbed me more than any knife could. Everything finally made sense.

My Bocuse d’Or Europe golden ticket had been stolen! Along with my signature recipe!

I had trained my cooking skills for three years. Sacrificing so much of my life to achieve it. But Bryan stole it and easily gave it to Livia!

Three years of my love turned out to be just the time he needed to steal my dream. And hand it over to his adopted sister.

The cruelest part is that he got me pregnant not out of love. But so that I would stay—until he got everything he needed from me.

In my wheelchair, I insisted on going to report it to the culinary association. I would say that it was my ticket and my recipe.

But in front of that large building, Bryan suddenly appeared behind me. His hands held the wheelchair until I couldn't move.

"Elena, it turns out you're a reckless woman."

"If you keep sabotaging Livia's dreams... your father in prison will die upon hearing something bad about you."

I froze. "What do you mean?"

Bryan calmly showed him his phone screen. The fake news was ready—I was accused of climbing the culinary ladder by selling myself to great chefs. The media would spread it.

"I hired someone to create fake news. Your father has heart disease. How do you think he'll react when he finds out about all this?"

It felt like my body had been thrown into an icy waterfall.

Father, the only family I have. Completely innocent and uninvolved, yet used as a tool for Bryan's gain. He was imprisoned for past accusations, and now Bryan was putting his life in danger.

My emotions rose to my chest. "Bryan... don't involve my father—"

"None of this will happen as long as you obey," Bryan cut in lightly and too casually.

My hands clenched tightly on the wheelchair. "What else do you want, Bryan?"

"Easy. Cancel your report," he said lightly. As if he were telling a joke. "Just say you're injured, so Livia will replace you in the elite competition. Then your father will be safe."

I fell silent.

A single tear fell from my eye as I stared in disbelief at the man I thought had loved me three years ago.

Now he stood there, destroying my life just for another woman.

He didn't even care about my condition, nearly dead after eight stab wounds to the stomach. Nor about our miscarried baby.

"Elena, don't think too much. I know you love your father very much."

My mind suddenly felt empty.

I had lost so much already. My dreams, my unborn child, and now I didn't want to lose my father.

Just like that, my whole body went limp. I couldn't say anything except the word, "Yes."

The smile on Bryan's lips immediately widened perfectly. Satisfied. His hand moved to gently stroke my hair. Just like he always did to me.

I wanted so badly to pull away, to slap him, but I didn't have the strength.

"Good, dear. Now I'm going to take Livia to a place where she belongs."

He stood up. Then, as if it were an act of kindness, he added, "My driver will pick you up later and take you back to the hospital. I'll cover all your medical expenses."

His cell phone vibrated in his pocket, and he answered it with a sweet expression. "Okay, dear, I'll be right there."

After the call ended, he looked back at me. His smile widened. "I know you've loved me for a long time, Elena. As a fitting compensation, I will still marry you."

Then he turned and walked away. I stood frozen, hearing his last words.

Marriage? Who would want that after their whole life was destroyed?

This is crazy. I hadn't even thought about it anymore. Bryan is so cruel!

I thought that three years of loving him sincerely was the best decision.

I thought we had been growing together all this time toward marriage and a happy life.

In reality, he destroyed my dreams and my unborn child without a shred of guilt!

Through this pain, I dialed the number of someone I never thought I’d call.

Zidane Xavier. The person who hates Bryan more than anyone else. The owner of the largest fine dining restaurant chain in Europe.