BOUND TO LOVE MY ENEMY

(MARIANNA'S POV)

I froze in the doorway of the ballroom, unable to process what I'm seeing.

Tyler, my Tyler, is down on one knee in front of my half sister, holding out a diamond ring that caught the light from the chandelier.

"Sophia Kingwicke," he began, his voice carrying across the suddenly silent room, "will you marry me?"

My half sister's hands flew to her mouth, surprised. She looked happy.

The guests which included our family friends, business associates, the eight families are all watching with bated breath.

This can't be happening.

Before I realized what I'm doing, I'm striding across the polished floor, my heels echoing in the silence.

"What the hell is this?" My voice cracked like a whip. Tyler's head whipped around, his expression shifting from adoration to annoyance in an instant.

"Marianna. This is not the time."

"Not the time?" I laughed, the sound brittle and harsh. "When exactly would be the right time to tell me you're proposing to my half sister?"

Sophia stepped forward, placing a protective hand on Tyler's shoulder.

"Marianna, please. You're making a scene."

"A scene?" I moved closer, trembling with rage. "Six years, Tyler. Six years I gave you everything you ever wanted. I helped you start your company. I paid off your family's debts. I sacrificed my reputation to be with you when everyone said you were just using me for my money and connections." I sobbed “Only to get this from you. Betraying me”

Tyler stood, slipping the ring into his pocket. "That's enough, Marianna."

"Did our relationship mean nothing to you? Was it all just a way to get close to my family? To Sophia?"

The room is deathly quiet now, everyone watching our drama unfold.

"We grew apart," Tyler said stiffly. "These things happen."

"Grew apart?" I laughed again. "I saw you three days ago! You told me you loved me!"

"Marianna," Sophia interjected, her voice honeyed with fake concern, "you've been so busy with work. Tyler and I... it just happened. We didn't mean to hurt you."

The betrayal is so profound I could barely breathe.

My hand moved before I can think, slapping Sophia hard across her perfect cheek. Gasps echo through the ballroom.

The sting in my palm was satisfying for exactly two seconds before Tyler's hand connected with my face, sending me stumbling backward.

"Don't you ever touch her again," he growled. I held my burning cheek, staring at him in disbelief.

"Tyler!" I called out his name "You hit me."

"You hit my fiancée."

"Your fiancée is my half sister!" I screamed. "She knew exactly what she was doing!"

I turned to my father, standing at the edge of the crowd.

"Dad? Are you just going to stand there and watch them embarrass me?"

My father stepped forward, but not to defend me.

"Marianna, you need to leave. Now."

"Me? I need to leave?” I asked “This is my birthday. They're the ones....."

"This behavior is unacceptable," my step mother said, her voice cold. "Sophia and Tyler have our blessing."

The room spun around me.

"Your blessing? You both knew about this too?" No one answered, but their silence is confirmation enough. Sophia, emboldened by our parents' support, approached me.

"It's not just Tyler, Marianna." Her voice is low, meant only for me, but carrying just enough to be heard by those nearby. "The eight families and the company have shifted their support.”

There are actually ten families that were our exclusive partners. Eight of those families kept supporting us, me especially, unlike the remaining two. Who would have thought they had ulterior motives?

“I think the vote of confidence has already started." she uttered. I stared at her, uncomprehending at first, then with growing horror.

"The eight families are my allies"

"Was your allies," she corrected me, her smile vicious. "They are mine now"

With a sudden shove, she pushed me, letting me stumble backwards before I lost my balance and fell hard to the floor.

Looking up at her from the ground, I saw a stranger wearing my sister's face.

"Did you really think you deserved that CEO position?" she asked. "Everyone knows I've always been the best one. The more strategic one. You just had Grandfather's favor."

She is only talking like this because I trained her personally when she started as an intern. She followed me to meetings, stayed at my office to see how I operate and even helped with errands just to incorporate herself with the daily tasks.

Her first time closing the deal was because I was beside her. Everything she did first, I was beside her to guide and direct her. It was only recently she began doing things on her own.

"Get out, Marianna," my father demanded, stepping forward. "Don't embarrass us further."

I rose unsteadily to my feet, dignity in tatters but still intact enough to walk rather than crawl from the room.

The sea of faces parts for me, some pitying, others carefully blank, a few openly smugged.

“Fine” I thought, as I stomped out of the hall “I'll just have to handle it on my own like I used to”

The executive floor of Kingwickes company was eerily quiet when I arrived. My key card still works, at least. I head straight for the boardroom, drawn by the voices I hear inside.

Through the glass walls, I saw the board members and the eight families' representatives. They turned at once when I push open the door.

"Miss Marianna," Albert Chen, one of the board members, has the decency to look uncomfortable. "We didn't expect you."

"Clearly," I said, spotting the papers spread across the table. "What's this about fraud allegations?"

Silence fell.

"You don't need to concern yourself with this anymore," James Kostas finally said. "The board has voted. Your services as CEO are no longer required."

"On what grounds?"

"Financial impropriety. Misappropriation of funds. Unauthorized transactions." He slided a folder toward me. "The evidence is quite damning."

I flipped through the pages, my blood running cold. Account numbers I recognized. Transactions I never authorized. My signature, forged but convincing.

"This is Tyler's work," I realized aloud. "He had access to my accounts. My passwords." Pity flickers across a few faces, but not enough.

"The decision is made," the COO said from the head of the table. "Clean out your office by the end of the day."

I battled to drop a tear “You are all going to hear from my lawyer” as I gathered the false evidences and shredded them before storming out of the room.

An hour later, I'm at the offices of Sullivan & Brooks, my personal attorneys. The receptionist looked up in surprise when I entered.

"Ms. Kingwicke! We weren't expecting you."

"I need to see John or Patricia immediately."

"I'm sorry, they're both out of the country."

Did they know this was coming? Were they part of it?

"Thank you," I muttered mechanically, turning to leave. Everything clicked into place as I walked back to my car.

Tyler gaining my trust. My sister's sudden interest in my division. The eight families drew me into their confidence, then pulled away without explanation.

My parents' increasing criticism of my leadership. They didn't just betray me. They orchestrated my downfall.

The streets blurred past as I drove aimlessly with no destination in mind. It's only when I noticed the same black sedan made three consecutive turns with me that I realized I'm being followed.

I accelerated, taking a sharp right into an alley I know was connected to a busier street. The sedan follows.

I cut across two lanes of traffic, earning angry honks. The sedan stayed with me. Panic rose in my throat as I took another turn, this one too fast.

My car skidded, tires screeching, and slammed into a concrete barrier. The airbag deployed, stunning me momentarily.

By the time I unbuckled my seatbelt and stumbled out of the car, the black sedan had pulled up behind me.

I ran, abandoning my heels as I heard car doors opening with footsteps following. A dead end. A brick wall loomed before me.

I spun around, panting, cornered.

A figure approached, face shadowed, hand emerging from a coat pocket with something metallic. A gun.

"Please," I gasped. “Don't shoot......" The shot is deafeningly loud in the enclosed space.

Fire exploded in my abdomen. I looked down in disbelief at the spreading stain on my blouse.

Sirens wailed in the distance. The figure cursed, retreating quickly to the sedan, which peeled away.

I slided down the wall, pressing my hands to the wound. I was losing so much blood. My vision dimmed around the edges. Through the haze, I saw someone running toward me.

A stranger.

Face swam above mine, mouths moving, but I couldn't hear the words.

“I wished I wouldn't experience this in my next life” that is if I'll have one again.

And in my final moment, I let my last breath escape from my lips before darkness claimed me.