Part 1The Balcony Next Door: Trading My Ex for the Billionaire Heir

The night I found out I was dumped, I stood outside the Vance estate for half the night.

Preston Vance walked past me with his arm wrapped around his new flame, scoffing coldly, "What? Here to ask for a breakup fee?"

He took off the ring I gave him and threw it on the ground.

As I bent down to pick it up, Sienna Hayes ground her stiletto into the back of my hand. Preston acted like he didn't see a thing.

Later, I moved into the Sterling estate next door as its rightful mistress.

During the day, I tended to the flowers and fed the cats in the garden. At night, I kissed Roman Sterling passionately on his balcony.

Preston looked up and saw us. He crushed a thorny rose in his palm, his cold eyes looking as if they were dyed in blood.

* * *

I stood at the gates of the Vance estate, waiting for Preston.

Late into the night, a Rolls-Royce drove past the gates and pulled into the garage.

A moment later, Preston walked past me, his arm wrapped around the hottest new starlet in Hollywood, Sienna Hayes.

He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye and sneered, "What? Are you here to ask for a breakup fee?"

Before this, Preston had never once mentioned breaking up with me.

Three hours ago, paparazzi had leaked photos of Sienna and Preston leaving a high-end French restaurant.

As the rumors spread, Sienna responded on Twitter: [It's just a normal relationship. Everyone can calm down now.]

Preston had 'liked' her tweet.

That was how I found out I had been dumped.

Just last night, the person lying in his arms was me.

He had made me look into the bathroom mirror, caressing my face from behind, murmuring, "Eden, do you have any idea how beautiful you look right now?"

My cheeks had flushed. "Hmm? How beautiful?"

His hot breath tickled the back of my ear: "More vibrant than the roses on the balcony. It makes me want to be completely ruthless with you."

Last night he couldn't keep his hands off me, and in the blink of an eye, he had a new girl?

I didn't believe it, so I came to ask him myself.

"Preston, I came to ask you... since when have you and Sienna been together?"

Preston replied coldly, "We got together today. Is there a problem?"

My eyes fell on the ring on his finger.

We had given each other promise rings. If he had a new girlfriend, what did it mean that he was still wearing the ring I gave him?

Preston pulled the ring off his finger and handed it to me: "Take it. And don't ever come bothering me again."

Before I could even reach out to take it, he dropped the ring onto the ground.

It was the ring I had bought him with my very first paycheck after graduating college.

It wasn't expensive, but it held deep meaning.

I remember when Preston received that ring, he couldn't stop smiling.

That night, he used hundreds of drones to confess his love to me in the sky, wanting to announce to the whole world that I was his woman.

Now, that same ring was thrown on the ground like garbage.

Pushing down my emotions, I bent over to pick up the ring.

Preston turned and walked toward the mansion with Sienna.

As Sienna walked past me, she deliberately stepped her foot down, her heel grinding into the back of my hand.

"Hiss—" I cried out in pain.

Sienna was wearing impossibly high, sharp stilettos. I knew she was doing this on purpose to humiliate me.

She moved her foot and chuckled lightly: "Oops, sorry. It's too dark, I didn't do it on purpose."

Before, if I got even a tiny scratch, he would be sick with worry.

But right now, Preston acted like he didn't see a thing.

I shoved Sienna, and she conveniently fell right into Preston's arms.

"Eden, that's enough," Preston said. He wrapped his arm around Sienna's waist and stepped through the grand front doors of the mansion.