Billionaire's Regret: Bought by My Ex

I didnt just break the heart of the billionaire sitting in the VIP booth; I used to own his body.

Four years ago, the transaction was cold and simple. I paid his grandfathers medical bills, and in exchange, the brilliant, proud Declan belonged to me. He played the part of the perfect boyfriend while I played the rich savior.

But when my familys fortune evaporated overnight, I cut him loose with a cruel lie. "I'm bored," I told him, shattering him so he wouldn't see my ruin.

Now, the tables have turned.

He is the King of Silicon Valley, and I am the waitress trembling as I pour his champagne. He has Sierra, the woman everyone worships, draped over his arm. But his eyes aren't on her. They are burning holes into me.

He corners me in the shadows, his voice dripping with ice. "Do you regret it, Quinn?"

"No," I lie, my heart bleeding.

His gaze darkens, suffocating me. "Well, I do."

Chapter 01

Graduation felt like a lifetime ago. I never imagined this was how Declan and I would cross paths again.

I kept my head down as I placed the fruit platter on the crystal table. My cap was pulled low. A shield.

Sierra was sitting right next to him. They looked like royalty. A perfect match.

"Server." Declans voice was ice. "Slice the oranges."

I turned my back to them. My hands shook as I picked up the knife.

Years ago, I loved oranges. Declan used to slice them for me. He was a surgeon with a knife. Every slice perfect. Every segment equal.

Back then, I thought it was love.

I was wrong.

It was just a habit. A reflex. When he sliced fruit, his mind was on algorithms, on the universe. Never on me.

Four years. It felt like half a century.

The conversation behind me shifted. Someone brought up college romances.

"Rumor has it you had a girlfriend for four years back in college, Declan."

My knife stalled against the rind.

"Mhm," Declan grunted.

"Four years. Thats a whole degree."

Declan didn't respond.

The guest laughed nervously, trying to fill the dead air. "Must have been pretty unforgettable, right?"

Silence stretched. Thick. Suffocating.

Then, a low, dry chuckle from Declan. "Hardly."

His voice dropped an octave.

"Its a miracle I don't hate her."

Sierra chimed in, her voice dripping with faux sympathy. "I went to school with them. Honestly poor Declan. If that ex hadn't gotten in the way, who knows? Maybe we would have found each other sooner."

"Right, right! Sierra is a star. No ex could compete with that."

Laughter rippled through the room.

I tugged my cap lower. I needed to get out. Now.

Slip.

The blade sliced into my thumb. I hissed, the sharp intake of breath cutting through the laughter.

"What is wrong with you?" Sierra snapped. "You can't even cut fruit?"

"I'm sorry. I'll get a fresh platter."

I grabbed the tray, ready to bolt.

"Wait."

Declans command slammed into my back. "Turn. Around."

My feet were nailed to the floor.

One second. Two.

Linda, the floor manager, stepped in like a guardian angel. "Apologies, sir! She's new. Still learning the ropes. The fruit is on the house tonight."

Linda shot me a look. Go.

I fled.

In the safety of the service corridor, Linda sighed. "You need to be sharper, Quinn. We all start at the bottom, but one complaint and you're out. Tonight's tips are gone if you mess up."

"Thank you, Linda. Really."

"Just be careful. That VIP room is full of heavy hitters. The guy in the middle? Young, handsome? That's the CEO of a massive tech firm. We can't afford to offend him."

"Linda I'm a little shaken up. Can you bring the oranges in for me?"

"Fine."

My shoulders slumped.

If there was anyone in this world who had already offended Declan beyond repair, it was me.

I was the ex he barely tolerated.

Chapter 02

I still remember freshman year.

Declan stood in the crowd of new students, wearing clothes that had been washed until they were threadbare. He didn't fit in. His poverty was visible.

But so was his spine. Straight. Unbroken.

I loved the cool, detached cadence of his voice. I loved the way his heavy eyelids lowered when he looked at me.

Declan was broke. Desperately broke. And the financial aid he needed? Stolen by some administrator's nephew.

So, after a late class, I grabbed his hand like a predator.

"Declan, I like you. Be with me. I'm rich. We can share my allowance. If that doesn't work, I'll pay you for every kiss."

He rejected me. Obviously.

But back then, my life was a smooth, paved road. I didn't know the meaning of the word "no." The more he pushed, the harder I pulled.

Until his grandfatherthe man who raised himfell critically ill.

I didn't blink. I paid the medical bills.

Declan finally bowed his head.

I was naive. I thought I was a savior.

It took me a long time to realize the truth. I had won him, but I had broken him.

After we got together, he still worked every day to cover his living expenses. He barely touched my money. But things got worse.

Rumors started. They said he was selling himself. A rent-boy.

The way people looked at him changed. The names they called him were vicious.

I was still living in my bubble. I held his hand and chirped, "Ignore them. They're just jealous."

I lived in an ivory tower. I never realized Declan was fighting a war alone.

Senior year. My family went bankrupt.

I didn't tell him.

I just called him out and said, "Let's break up."

"Why?"

"I'm bored."

"Okay."

Just like that. Over.

I assumed he felt relieved. Finally free.

That same day, I snapped my SIM card in half, deleted my socials, and boarded a train to nowhere, ready to work myself to the bone to pay off the debt.

I only came back three months ago.

Declan looked good.

He was always a geniusthe kind that made the rest of the department look like toddlers playing with blocks. Four years later, he was a tech mogul gracing the covers of Forbes.

Sierra was the department beauty queen. She debuted as an actress in her junior year.

I didn't expect them to be together.

Good. It's good.

I pressed a hand to my chest, forcing down the acid rising in my throat.

4:00 AM. Shift over.

I was the last one out. The staff thought the place was empty, so they killed the lights and shut down the elevators. I jabbed the call button, praying for a miracle.

"You should call someone."

Declans voice. Right behind me.

Chapter 03

My fingers were stiff as I dialed my coworker.

The elevator doors slid open with a heavy groan. Declan and I stepped into the suffocating metal box.

"You finish this late?" His voice was flat. Neutral.

"We leave when the guests leave."

"Does it pay well?"

"It's okay."

I kept my head down, letting the brim of my cap hide my face.

He didn't seem to recognize me. He checked his watch, a casual glance that cost more than my life. "This elevator is crawling. My girlfriend is probably waiting. She's clingy. Loves to be spoiled."

I froze. Sierra.

"What about you? Boyfriend not picking you up?"

"I live close."

Ding.

The doors slid open. I bolted.

Declans calm facade shattered.

"Why are you running?" His voice cracked like a whip. "Where do you think you're going, Quinn?"

"Ghosting everyone. Was it fun for you?"

He stalked toward me. He was still the boy I remembered, but the softness was gone. Replaced by hard angles and cold control.

"Socials nuked. Number dead. Even the professors couldn't find you. You're impressive, Quinn."

I slowly lifted my head. Our eyes locked.

"You should have used your connections. You know my family went under. My father is drowning in lawsuits. We still haven't paid it all back"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

My throat closed up.

"Was it pride? Too embarrassed, Princess?"

"No"

"Oh! Quinn! Is that really you?"

Sierra strutted over, cutting me off.

She was flawless. Every hair in place. A porcelain doll come to life. "Long time no see! Everyone's been looking for you. Four years and not a peep?"

"I went south."

"Makes sense." Sierras eyes raked over my coat. Her brows shot up. "Quinn, isn't that the puffer coat you bought junior year? It's shedding feathers. You're still wearing it?"

I used to wear clothes once and toss them. She was trying to humiliate me. But I was numb to it.

"It's not broken. It still works."

Sierra nodded, her smile dripping with pity. "Are things tough? You should have said something. Old friends help each other."

She pulled out a card. "Take it. Don't worry about paying me back."

"Thanks, but no."

I looked at her. Then at Declan. I forced a quiet smile.

"I'm getting married soon. You should both come."

Declan looked like Id just slapped him.

Chapter 04

The lounge was just my side hustle. By day, I was a corporate drone.

Monday morning. The office was buzzing.

"I heard the client is a genius," a coworker whispered. "He built his entire system just to find someone."

"Who?"

"His ex, probably."

My stomach dropped. A red flag waved in my mind.

"Did he find her?"

"No idea. The system isn't even finished, but investors are throwing money at it. That's why Moore wants in."

I stacked the files, my hands steady despite the dread pooling in my gut.

Declans voice drifted from the conference room. "I need to think about the partnership."

I pushed the door open and placed the documents on the table.

Declans gaze snapped to me. Scorching. "What are you doing here?"

"Working."

This was my main gig.

Moore looked between us. "Quinn, you know Mr. Yang?"

I chose my words carefully. "We've met."

"Just met?" Declans jaw tightened.

I didn't understand his anger. He was the one who walked away without looking back.

He pointed a finger at me. "Moore, I'll sign. On one condition. Quinn becomes my assistant."

Moore agreed instantly. I didn't even get a chance to object.

They talked all day.

At 5:00 PM, I grabbed my bag.

Declan blocked my path. "Where are you going? I didn't dismiss you."

"Mr. Yang, I can't work overtime. I have things to do."

"Like what?"

"I have to deliver food."

Declan stared at me like I had grown a second head.

I used to be the girl who wouldn't touch takeout. Too greasy. Too cheap.

In college, Declan ran deliveries after class. His dinner was usually a rejected takeout box from the delivery company. I visited him once. He was crammed into a tiny room with a bunch of other riders, shoveling cold rice into his mouth.

"Declan, why are you eating that?" I had wrinkled my nose. "It's dirty."

He looked away, ashamed. "Does it matter?"

"Come on. Let's get steak."

I dragged him to a new steakhouse. Five hundred a head. He stood outside for a long time, silently peeling off his delivery uniform.

After my family fell, I finally understood how he felt that day.

Just like today.

It was snowing. The ground was slick. My bike skidded. I went down hard. The food spilled.

I called the customer to explain, but he screamed at me. "I don't want excuses! Late is late!"

My palms were scraped raw, stinging in the biting cold. I ignored the pain, apologizing over and over.

Suddenly, the bike was lifted.

Declan.

I didn't know how long he had been watching.

I hid my hands behind my back.

"Stop hiding." His voice was rough. His eyes were rimmed with red. "Go wash that off."

"I have to deliver this."

"Get in the car. I'll drive you."

The customer lived on the first floor. When I handed him the food, he muttered, "What the hell? Porsche drivers are doing Uber Eats now?"

I needed to pick up the next order.

"Stop," Declan said.

"I can't. I haven't made enough tonight."

"I'll buy it."

"What?"

Ding.

My phone chirped. A new order. Assigned by him.

"I'm buying your time tonight."

Chapter 05