What He Never Deserved Novel by Rose. J _ Novel




What He Never Deserved Chapter 01

I spent years as Christopher Langston's kept woman, waiting for a proposal that was never going to come. When I finally ran out of hope, I packed my bags and walked away—carrying the child he believed I had miscarried.
Six years after I cut ties with Christopher, we ran into each other again at a business dinner.
He showed up with his wife, Rachel Burke. They were the guests of honor, and everyone in the room openly fawned over their picture-perfect marriage.
Christopher and I exchanged pleasantries like complete strangers. It wasn't until the night was winding down that he finally spoke to me directly.
"How have you been these past few years? Why are you still doing this? Relying on men to bankroll your life and get ahead?"
I simply gave him a courteous nod, choosing not to answer.
As Rachel called out to him, he glanced back. "You seem different now, Dorothy."
I pulled my shawl tighter around my shoulders and offered a restrained smile.
Then, I just told Rachel to get home safely and take good care of herself during her pregnancy.
***
When the executive, Richard Powell, introduced me to Christopher at the table, I held out my hand. Christopher just stared at it, momentarily frozen.
Richard cleared his throat to nudge him along. "Mr. Langston, this is Ms. Belmont, Director of Business at the Fairfax Group."
"Ms. Belmont must just look an awful lot like an old friend of ours. It caught Chris off guard," a soft voice chimed in.
A slender, manicured hand came to rest on Christopher's shoulder.
It belonged to his wife, Rachel.
She and I locked eyes.
Christopher snapped out of his daze and covered her hand with his own.
"You're in your first trimester. Why did you leave your seat?" he murmured, carefully guiding her into a chair. "I still don't know why you insisted on coming tonight."
Rachel covered her mouth to hide a smile, though her gaze remained fixed on me.
"I'm not that fragile," she said. "I wanted to meet your business partners instead of being cooped up at home."
Christopher chuckled, affectionately tapping her forehead.
The rest of the table ate it up, playfully teasing the happy couple.
Richard eagerly chimed in, recounting just how devoted Christopher was—renting out every billboard in the city to confess his love and outbidding an entire room at an auction just to win her a one-of-a-kind sapphire.
I sat there and listened quietly, as though I were hearing a fairy tale about total strangers.
When the conversation lulled, I stepped past Christopher and began toasting the other guests.
A few drinks later, my face was flushed, my footing unsteady.
Out of nowhere, Christopher—who usually let others come to him—walked over, a slight frown on his face.
"You can't hold your liquor. Stop drinking," he muttered. "The Fairfax Group? Are you really letting another guy fund your life again? Where is he? Why are you here by yourself?"
My fingers curled into tight fists.
I knew exactly what he was getting at.
He figured I was just someone's kept woman all over again.
But I had long run out of the energy to explain myself to him.
A dull ache pulsed from the scar on my arm, a reminder that we had ended things six years ago.
I raised my glass, drained it, and forced a composed, professional smile. "I hope you'll consider partnering with the Fairfax Group, Mr. Langston. This project would benefit us both."
Christopher stared at me, something unreadable flickering in his eyes.
He opened his mouth to say something, but the loud chatter and clinking glasses swallowed his words.
I didn't catch it, and honestly, I didn't have it in me to care, because the alcohol was turning my stomach.
I hurried back to my seat, rubbing my face to steady myself, refusing to fall apart in a room full of potential clients.
The dinner finally wrapped up.
Playing the good host, I walked each guest outside and saw them off.
Soon, only Christopher remained.
As we stood waiting for his car, he blurted out, "How have you been these past few years? Why are you still doing this? Relying on men to bankroll your life and get ahead?"
I simply gave him a courteous nod, choosing not to answer.
Moments later, a Maybach pulled up before us.
Rachel rolled down the window, her expression bright and carefree as she called for him to get in.
I took a deliberate step back, maintaining my role as the considerate host.
Right as he was climbing into the back seat, Christopher glanced over his shoulder. "You seem different now, Dorothy."
I quietly pulled my shawl tighter around my shoulders, shifted my gaze to Rachel, and said, "Take good care of yourself and the baby."
The car sped off into the night.
My assistant, Elise Sloan, who had come to pick me up, finally gathered the nerve to walk over to me. "Wow, was that the CEO of the Langston Group?" she asked, looking envious. "I finally got to see him in person today. He's gorgeous, and he loves his wife so much... What a catch."
She glanced around before lowering her voice conspiratorially. "But I heard that before he got married, he kept a woman for five years. Apparently, she tried to baby-trap him into marriage. She even set fire to the Langston's estate, trying to kill them both.
"If Mr. Langston hadn't shown mercy, she'd definitely be in prison."
Once again, I was getting a front-row seat to the rumor mill of my own life.
I just smiled calmly and rolled up my sleeve. "I'm that woman."

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