Chapter 68

Daniel’s POV

“I am his fiancée.”

Ellie’s words slammed into me like a physical blow.

The glittering ballroom, the polite chatter, the clink of glasses—all of it faded into a dull hum. Shock, cold and sharp, ripped through me, tearing through my practiced composure.

My mind raced, trying to grasp what she’d just said, trying to make sense of the absurdity.

Fiancée?

The word felt alien, impossible, a stone in my mouth. My eyes snapped to hers, wide with surprise, with a raw sense of betrayal. She couldn’t be serious.

This was a high-stakes business party, a place for calculated moves and careful words, not a damn theatrical play. I opened my mouth, a furious denial already forming on my tongue, ready to correct her, to loudly deny it, to put an end to this outrageous, dangerous claim right then and there.

“Daniel is very good at what he does,” Ellie announced, cutting me off smoothly, her voice perfectly confident, utterly unwaver