The Fallen Princess

Once the Heartthrob Halo shattered, Preston, my fianc, and Reed, my childhood best friend, turned their backs on me.

They called me high-maintenance, spoiled, and painfully stupid.

As they stood there, hurling their arrogant insults from their high horses, I just stared back with dead eyes. I coldly watched these hypocritesthe exact same men who used to trail after me like lovesick dogs.

A mechanical sneer echoed in my head.

[ Tell them you finally realize your fatal mistakes. Tell them you are leaving this place, cutting ties with them forever, and building a life on your own. ]

I kept my expression blank and repeated its words out loud, echoing the system line by line.

"I'm sorry." I looked at them without blinking. "I shouldn't have relied on you.

I'm leaving. I'm going to make it on my own, get a normal 9-to-5 job, marry some average guy, and pop out a few ordinary kidswait, what?"

Chapter 1

I blinked, still processing the words I had just echoed from the system.

As my voice trailed off, a dead silence fell over the banquet hall.

"Excuse me?"

The man in front of me lifted his gaze, his eyes narrowing into dark, unreadable slits. His stare was heavy. I took a step back.

"You were the ones who just said I was so average I'd blend right into a crowd. So, since I'm so ordinary, I'm just adapting to my new reality." I met their stares, keeping my face as blank as a concrete wall.

It wasn't a lie. I never actually believed I possessed some fatal charm. I just got lucky with the Heartthrob Halo, and that was the only reason anyone gave a damn about me.

Now that the Halo was shattered, an adopted daughter of a wealthy family like me was practically invisible. It made sense to step down from the pedestal and face reality.

Reed let out a harsh scoff. He shot a sideways glance at the man next to him, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Your fianc just announced she's marrying some other guy."

Preston calmly took a sip of his wine. His eyes swept over me without a single trace of emotion. "The cancellation of our engagement will be made public in a few days."

The subtext was loud and clear: I wasn't his problem anymore.

Reed let out a cold laugh. He closed the distance between us in a single stride, backing me up until my hips hit the edge of the long banquet table.

His hand shot out, his fingers roughly gripping my chin and forcing my face up to meet his. "Is this your new game? Playing hard to get?"

He stared down at me from his towering height, his eyes stripping me down like he was evaluating a piece of defective merchandise. "With your spoiled, delicate little body you really think you'd survive a single night out there without us?"

The sycophants hovering around us, always eager to please the men in power, immediately chimed in. "Exactly! She's so used to living like a princess, she probably doesn't even know how to work a coffee machine!"

Preston swirled the red wine in his glass, his long, elegant fingers gripping the crystal tight. A microscopic, cruel smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "She won't be a princess for much longer."

I stiffened.

He was right. With the Halo gone, my adoptive parents' unconditional love had evaporated right along with it. To them, I was just an adopted stray with zero blood ties. And once this engagement was officially called off, my net worth to this family would plummet to absolute zero.

I jerked my head back, breaking Reed's punishing grip.

With my childhood friend and my fianc leading the charge, the rest of the high-society vultures dropped all pretense. The whispers erupted into open mockery. The consensus was clear: the adopted daughter had fallen from grace, the men who used to protect her now despised her, and she was about to be chewed up and spit out by this city.

My mind briefly flashed back to how it used to be.

"Why the hell is Preston your fianc?" Reed's face had been dark with jealousy as he gently pressed an ice pack against my forehead. "How did that bastard cut the line?" he hissed through gritted teeth.

Before I could even form a reply, his hand hovered over my cheek, his touch anxious. "You're burning up. Hang in there, Harper. The doctor is on his way."

I lay against the pillows, offering him a weak, hazy smile.

The tips of Reed's ears turned a faint pink. "Even when you're sick, you're a handful." He sat glued to the edge of my bed, his gaze locked on my face. "Why are you always so fragile"

When Preston finally showed up, he walked in flanked by assistants carrying boxes of expensive supplements.

Reed glared at him, his voice like ice. "She's been sick all day and you just now show up? Do you even care about her?"

Preston's expression was freezing, radiating an intense, territorial chill. "Get out of my way."

Chapter 2

The moment our eyes met, Preston's gaze softened instantly. His Adam's apple bobbed as he grabbed my hand. "I'm sorry, Harper. I'm late."

His fingertips brushed against my burning cheek.

I locked eyes with his deep, dark pupils, shook my head, and squeezed his hand back.

His entire body went rigid.

Reed watched us, his thick lashes dropping to mask the dark storm in his eyes. After a heavy beat of silence, he turned away.

Preston pressed a glass to my lips, tipping the warm water into my mouth. "Harper is so lovable," he murmured, the tone of his voice completely unreadable.

Reed let out a sneer, looking like a vicious guard dog protecting his territory. "If you don't like her, then get the hell out of this room."

Preston yanked at his tie, a dark, hostile glint in his eyes. "Who gave you the right to decide for me?"

The air in the room practically froze. I tuned out the two men circling each other like rabid dogs and swiped through my phone screen, checking my new work emails.

Thanks to the system's Heartthrob Halo, I had been drowning in endless affection. Everyone around me worshipped the ground I walked on.

Soon, my adoptive mother walked in and handed me her phone. "Your brother wants to see you."

Every muscle in my body seized up.

If there was one person immune to the Heartthrob Halo, it was himmy adoptive parents' biological son, who was currently studying abroad. We didn't share a single drop of blood.

On the screen, the man pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses. His gaze locked onto me, wrapping around my throat like a cold-blooded snake.

He threw a cruel smirk, his deep voice oozing with absolute dominance. "My sweet little sister. Are you that nervous to see me?"

His eyes were burning with predatory ambition, staring at me exactly like I was a piece of prey about to step right into his trap.

I had asked the system countless times, and the answer was always the same: The Heartthrob Halo is functioning perfectly.

So, I forced myself to believe that maybe my adoptive brother was just naturally cold-blooded, making him more resistant to the effect. I mean, without the Halo, wouldn't he treat me even worse?

I forced a stiff smile. "I'm not, Damian."

My voice was thick and heavily congested. On the screen, the man paused.

His eyes narrowed.

Downstairs, Reed and Preston were moments away from throwing fists. My adoptive mother finally dragged them both out, using my need for rest as an excuse.

The bedroom was dead quiet. I was alone.

On the screen, Damian buried whatever emotion had flashed in his eyes. When he looked at me again, a low chuckle rumbled from his chest.

"Harper, claiming things that don't belong to you it always comes with a lethal backlash."

I froze.

Before I could even open my mouth, he added, "Rest up. You're sick, and everyone is just so heartbroken over it."

The screen went black. He hung up.

Everyone is heartbroken does that include him?

I refused to let my mind go there. I was just insanely lucky he was still out of the country. If I had to deal with his twisted, unpredictable games face-to-face, I'd be living in a state of pure paranoia every single day.

I really thought my life would just coast along like that forever. Playing the obedient, perfect daughter for my adoptive parents, going on routine dates with Preston until we inevitably tied the knot, and occasionally partying with Reed and the rest of our circle.

And then, the system dropped the bomb:

The Heartthrob Halo had shattered.

I was currently shoving my clothes into a suitcase when a knock hit my bedroom door. My adoptive mother walked in.

"Harper," she called out.

I glanced sideways and flashed her a tight smile. "Mom."

An incredibly awkward, uncomfortable look crossed her face.

She was probably losing her mind trying to figure it out. How did the adopted daughter she used to adore suddenly look so painfully average to her? She was probably questioning why she ever loved a stray like me in the first place.

"You're moving out to get a job?" she asked.

I nodded.

She rubbed her temples, her tone stiff and forced. "Kenneth has an open position at his company. Go try out for it. You don't need to move out right now."

I blinked, caught off guard. "I don't think that's a good idea"

"You've been spoiled rotten since you were a kid. What kind of job can you even do?" Her voice spiked with irritation.

"What if you get scammed out there? If you die on the streets, we're the ones who will have to clean up your"

Chapter 3

She caught how venomous that sounded and snapped her mouth shut.

I pressed my lips into a thin line. "I got it, Mom."

She shot me a long, unreadable look, didn't bother offering a single word of apology, and walked out. So, for the time being, I stayed put under their roof.

My first day on the clock.

Someone escorted me to a private office. I pushed the heavy door open.

The man slouched behind the desk, one leg arrogantly crossed over the other, slowly lifted his dark gaze and let it rake over me. I planted my feet right where I stood.

So this was what they meant by "being Reed's assistant."

Reed flashed a predatory smirk. He pushed off the desk and closed the distance with a slow, deliberate stride, kicking the office door shut behind him with the heel of his shoe.

"Ah. So this is what you meant by" he drawled. "Making it on your own? Getting a normal 9-to-5?"

His fingers locked onto my chin. His eyes shamelessly stripped down my button-up shirt and midi skirt. He leaned in, his warm breath ghosting against the shell of my ear.

"How did the rest of it go?" he murmured, his voice dropping low. "Marrying an average guy? Popping out a few ordinary kids?"

I smacked his hand away without a shred of hesitation, grabbing a cup of hot coffee off his desk to wedge between us. "Get your filthy hands off me. If that woman hadn't forced me, I would literally rather go flip burgers at a fast-food joint than ever set foot inside your office."

Reed didn't even blink.

"Makes sense," he said dryly. "Preston dumped you. Your family probably figured since we used to be so tight, maybe we could hook up.

After all, they dumped a fortune into raising a stray like you. Might as well squeeze out some return on their investment."

I spun on my heel for the door.

His hand shot out, clamping around my wrist like a vice and yanking me right back. Reed snaked a heavy arm around my waist, plastering my back against his chest. Every ounce of his past gentleness had evaporated.

"Running away so soon?" he taunted. "Nobody wants you anymore. Where exactly do you think you can go?"

He dug his long fingers into my cheek, rubbing the soft skin with rough, careless force. I dropped my gaze to the floor, refusing to give him a single sound.

Reed narrowed his dark eyes, his voice dripping with pure malice. "I love this.

You used to whine if I even brushed against you too hard. Look at you now. So perfectly obedient."

A sudden knock on the door shattered the tension.

Reed didn't even bother looking away from me. "Who is it?"

The assistant's muffled voice bled through the wood, laced with panic. "Sir Damian is back in the country. He's demanding to take his sister home."

Dead silence choked the room.

His grip on my face tightened, forcing my chin up. "Damian?" he muttered, a flicker of genuine suspicion flashing in his eyes.

I was just as lost. Damian had never treated me with anything but icy indifference, spending his entire life safely out of the country except for the occasional forced holiday dinner.

Reed raised his voice just enough to cut through the door. "Tell him to go cry to his mother. She already signed Harper over to me. What the hell does he think he's doing?"

I shot him a cold glare. "That's Damian."

Reed let out a harsh, incredulous laugh. "Seriously? You're complaining about my attitude? You two don't even share a single drop of blood, and you're defending him now?"

Before I could snap back, his fingers dug painfully into my skin. "Knowing him, he probably just wants to drag you back so he can personally throw you out onto the street.

You're still leeching off his family's estate. You think he's happy about that?"

I froze, letting the cruel logic wash over me.

Reed was right. For one pathetic, delusional second, I actually let myself believe Damian was here to save me.

The bitter realization must have shown on my face.

Reed sneered.

"Hasn't he been rotting overseas this whole time? Since when are you two so tight?"

I flat-out refused to give him the satisfaction of an answer. "I never realized you were this damn nosy."

A dangerous shadow crossed Reed's face before he masked it with a cruel scoff. "I'm just giving you a reality check. Nobody gives a damn about you anymore. Stop looking for a savior."

I slammed my hands against his chest, shoving him away with everything I had.

The timid knock returned. "Sir Damian refuses to leave."

Reed clicked his tongue in pure annoyance. He clamped his hand around my wrist like an iron shackle and yanked the office door open with violent force. "Damian, have you completely lost your mind?"

The man standing in the doorway was a towering, imposing wall of pure dominance. He wore a pitch-black dress shirt, the sleeves rolled up just enough to expose his lean, vascular forearms. The gold rims of his glasses gleamed under the harsh office lights, and a chilling, perfectly measured smile rested on his lips.

His eyes bypassed Reed entirely, locking onto me with a terrifying focus.

Chapter 4

His smile sent a violent shiver down my spine. "Harper. It's been a while."

The next second, his eyes zeroed in on my cheek. "What happened to your face?"

Oh, just Reed acting like a rabid dog.

But Reed's warning had just slapped me awake. Damian and I had absolutely zero sibling bond. As the sole heir to the estate, he probably wanted methe fake daughterout of the picture more than anyone else on the planet.

I knew exactly who I was dealing with. This cold-blooded wolf was definitely not here to play the hero and avenge my honor.

I let out a sharp, cynical laugh and stared directly into his eyes. "I got bitten by a mad dog. If you came all this way just to watch me bleed, you can get out."

The polite smile dripped off Damian's face, leaving behind a chilling flash of raw possessiveness.

After a heavy beat, he shifted his gaze to Reed. "I am here to take my sister home. Is there a problem? Let go of her."

Reed's iron grip on my wrist only tightened, his fingers digging right into my bones.

"Why don't you ask Harper?" Reed arched a careless brow. "Ask her if she actually wants to go."

He bought into his own delusion that his little reality check earlier had terrified me into staying.

Suddenly, the suffocating tension in the room centered entirely on me.

I let the silence stretch for a second before I flashed them a perfect, hollow smile.

"I'm ready to go."

What was the worst that could happen? Getting kicked out of the estate? Was that really supposed to be a death sentence?

Even without the designer clothes and the bottomless credit cards, I wasn't going to starve on the streets. Anything was better than standing in this room. Watching my supposedly loyal childhood best friend mutate into this arrogant, toxic prick was just making me sick to my stomach.

Reed's smug expression froze.

I stepped right past him, closing the distance to Damian. Refusing to show a single ounce of fear, I smoothly slipped my arm through his. "Let's go, Damian."

Reed's jaw clenched so hard I could hear his teeth grind. "Harper. Are you actually this naive, or just flat-out stupid?"

When I didn't even flinch, his voice dropped to sub-zero temperatures. "If you walk out that door today, the price of crawling back to me will be more than you can ever afford."

I didn't even bother giving him the satisfaction of looking back. I simply threw a brazen middle finger over my shoulder and marched out of the office, the sharp click of my heels echoing off the marble floor as I left with Damian.

Damian's legs were long, his strides ruthlessly fast. I struggled to keep up with his punishing pace until we finally stepped out of the corporate tower.

The second we hit the pavement, Damian pulled his arm free from my grip.

He wore a faint, chilling smile as his eyes slowly dissected every single micro-expression on my face. Of course. He hadn't played the knight in shining armor out of the goodness of his heart.

His long, elegant fingers casually adjusted his cuffs. "Does it hurt? Feeling helpless?"

His tone was conversational, like he was asking about the damn weather.

I kept my mouth shut, operating on pure survival instincts. I had this suffocating feeling that he knew something, but I couldn't figure out exactly what, or how much.

Damian didn't push it. His voice was a smooth, measured drawl. "Didn't you announce you were moving out? I'll drive you back to pack your bags."

Reed had nailed it. He really was here to throw me out with the trash.

I gave a sharp nod. "Fine."

Back at the estate, I left all the millions in diamonds and haute couture right in the vault. I only stuffed my everyday clothes into a single suitcase.

But there was one crucial thing missing.

I tore my bedroom apart, flipping over every drawer, but the item was nowhere to be found.

I stepped out into the hallway and cornered a maid. "Are my parents home?"

She kept her eyes glued to the floor. "Sir and Madam are out. Master Damian is in the study."

I hesitated for a fraction of a second before marching over and knocking on the heavy oak doors.

"Come in."

I pushed the door open. Damian was leaning back in a leather chair, effortlessly spinning a fountain pen between his fingers. Behind the gold rims, his dark, calculating eyes locked onto me. "What is it?"

"Do you know where my mother's jade pendant is?" I demanded.

Damian smiled.

A spark of hope flared in my chest, thinking he actually had the answer.

Then, his voice dropped into a soft, deliberate cadence. "That was a gift from your mother to mine. Therefore, it belongs to this family."

Panic spiked through my veins. "But"

My adoptive mother had explicitly promised me I could keep it as a memento, since it was the absolute last relic of my biological mother.

I clenched my jaw, my nails digging into my palms. "I will leave every other damn thing behind, but I am taking that pendant."

The pen in Damian's hand abruptly stopped spinning.

He looked at me with chilling calmness. "Unfortunately, you are not taking it anywhere."

Chapter 5

I stared at him, my brow knitting. Did a billionaire empire actually care about a worthless piece of jade that meant nothing to them?

Rage pounded against my skull.

The system chimed in my head.

[ Cry for him. ]

I clenched my fists.

[ I can't force tears right now! I just want to punch him in the face. ]

[ Cry and ask him if he'll give the pendant back if you agree to stay. ]

[ I am leaving. ]

[ Get the pendant first, then walk out. Don't tell me you don't know how to play him? ]

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

[ Doesn't he want me gone? Why would he give it back if I tell him I'm staying? ]

The system went dead silent.

I kept my head down and slowly closed the distance to Damian.

I dug my fingernails hard into my thigh, forcing a few pathetic tears to well up. I slipped right into the fragile, broken mask I knew he was desperate to see.

"Damian" I softened my voice into a whisper, deliberately leaning against the edge of his mahogany desk and looking up at him through my lashes. "I won't go anywhere. As long as you give me the pendant back, I'll be perfectly obedient. Okay?"

Once the tears started falling, I made sure they flowed in a desperate, broken stream