He Rejected My Future, Gave It To Her Chapter 05

He Rejected My Future, Gave It To Her Chapter 05

The sound of paper tearing wasn’t loud. But the entire banquet hall went silent.

For the first time, Julian’s composure cracked.

“Eleanor.”

I didn’t look at him. I took the microphone from the MC.

“I’m sorry, everyone. Tonight’s event is over.”

A low wave of murmuring swept through the room.

Julian’s mother stood up first.

“Eleanor, have you lost your mind?”

I looked at her. My voice was steady.

“Mrs. Sterling, Julian already gave me the ultimatum backstage. The wedding is off.”

His mother’s mouth opened, but nothing came out.

Julian reached for me. I stepped out of reach.

He dropped his voice.

“Put the mic down.”

I looked at him.

“Give me back my phone.”

His jaw clenched.

From the audience, the overseas advisor rose to his feet and spoke up.

“Eleanor, do you need help?”

I nodded.

“Yes.”

Someone handed me a phone. I logged into my email, pulled up my personal statement, and hit send right there.

The moment the confirmation flashed on the screen, I saw it register on Julian’s face. This wasn’t a tantrum.

He grabbed my wrist.

“Eleanor, let’s go home and talk about this.”

I couldn’t pull free. His grip dug right into the bone.

A man stepped forward from beside the advisor and placed his hand firmly over Julian’s.

“Mr. Sterling. You don’t want to make this worse than it already is.”

I looked up.

Arthur Callahan.

He was the stateside coordinator for the overseas program, and he’d been on the selection panel when I first applied.

Julian’s eyes went cold.

“This is between me and my fiancée.”

Arthur’s voice stayed calm.

“Confiscating an applicant’s documents and interfering with a program selection isn’t personal. That’s professional misconduct.”

The words hit the silence like a grenade.

The murmuring around us swelled.

Chloe went pale and jumped in.

“Mr. Callahan, that’s not what happened. Julian was just worried Eleanor might do something she’d regret.”

Arthur looked at her.

“Miss Bennett, three attachments in your application are nearly identical to materials Miss Vance submitted months earlier. The project team has already opened a review.”

The tears froze on Chloe’s face.

Julian went still.

Then it clicked. That was why the advisor had given me until midnight.

It wasn’t a deadline.

It was a lifeline.

I walked back to the dressing room and knelt beside the scattered pearls.

One. Two. Three.

Arthur stood in the doorway. He didn’t come in.

“Do you need help?”

I shook my head.

“I’m okay. Thank you.”

He paused, then held out a clear folder.

“The project team kept backups of your original application. And you can use tonight’s script as proof of his interference.”

I took the folder.

My hands were still shaking.

Not from fear.

It was the kind of trembling that comes after holding yourself rigid for too long, and your body doesn’t know how to stop.

By the time Julian followed me in, the pearls were already in my hands.

He saw the folder and his voice came out rough.

“Eleanor, you planned this?”

I met his eyes.

“You’re the one who made it necessary.”

His jaw worked before he finally spoke.

“I just wanted to keep you close.”

“So you tore down everything I was building?”

He went quiet.

A long moment passed before he spoke.

“I didn’t want to destroy anything.”

I pulled off the engagement ring and set it on the vanity.

“But you did.”

He stared at the ring. The color drained from his face.

A quiet knock came from the hallway. Arthur.

“Miss Vance, the advisor is still waiting for you.”

I nodded, stepped around Julian, and walked out.

Julian caught my sleeve.

“Eleanor, don’t go.”

I looked down.

The white fabric was crushed in his fist.

I pulled hard.

A few threads snapped.