He Waited for Fifteen Years Chapter 01

He Waited for Fifteen Years Chapter 01

On my twentieth birthday, my father sat me down in his study to discuss marriage candidates.

“Verona. It’s time to decide.”

He named a few names. A branch of the Rockefeller family. A major energy family out of Texas with serious weight. A few more from old East Coast bloodlines. Behind every file was a deal that could lock the DeLuca Group into a stronger position for decades.

And on top of the stack, as always, was Lowell DeLuca.

The man I’d been in love with since I was a girl.

In my last life, I chose him.

I handed over the DeLuca name and all our resources. In return, I got seven years of public humiliation.

The woman he actually wanted, Talia Whitfield, spiraled hard because of our engagement. She drank herself into alcohol poisoning at a Hamptons party and nearly died. Lowell blamed me for all of it.

Later, he quietly moved my family’s patents and commercial properties into shell companies under Talia’s name. He used a web of complex transactions to hollow out the entire DeLuca Group.

And in the end, he let her tamper with my car.

My parents and I died at the bottom of a cliff off Montauk Highway. The police report gave it four words: brake failure.

No one ever looked deeper.

I took a breath. My fingers moved past Lowell’s file and pulled out the one at the very bottom.

Shepard Lombardi.

The man in the photo had calm eyes. The shot wasn’t taken at a Hamptons yacht party. It was inside an observatory in Montana. The bio was sparse: Lombardi family heir, MIT PhD in astrophysics, rarely left the family estate in Montana, almost never showed up at New York social events.

“Him.”

My mother leaned over to look. Her expression flickered with surprise.

“Are you sure? That boy never shows his face anywhere. I’m not even sure he owns a suit for formal occasions.”

“That’s exactly why.”

If I was getting a second chance, I wanted someone with zero ties to the New York social scene.

And more importantly, I already knew what marrying Lowell would cost me.

My father and mother exchanged a glance, then nodded.

“The Lombardi family has enormous mining and land holdings in Montana. Their resources match anyone’s. But this doesn’t go public until the engagement is formal.”

“I understand.”

That night, I went to a charity gala. Reporters must have caught wind of something, because the moment they spotted me, they swarmed.

“Miss DeLuca, word is you’ve already chosen someone. Is it true?”

“A lot of people know you’ve been in love with Lowell DeLuca for years. Is it him?”

The flashbulbs blurred into one blinding wall.

I was about to answer when I caught movement at the edge of my vision. Lowell walked into the ballroom.

The cold, dismissive look on his face was identical to the one I knew from my last life.

“Move.”

His security pushed the reporters aside. He pulled Talia into his arms without missing a beat. She looked pale. His voice stayed low, but it carried just far enough for everyone nearby to hear.

“The only woman I have ever loved is Talia. Even if my family forces me into a marriage, don’t expect me to give anyone else a shred of affection.”

Talia pressed herself against him, arms locked around his waist.

A few girls nearby who had always hated me laughed out loud.

“So what if she’s the DeLuca heir? Lowell doesn’t even look at her.”

“He only has eyes for that Texas oil man’s daughter.”

“It’s pathetic. She’s been chasing him for years and she still won’t stop.”

The voices multiplied. Talia glanced up at me. Pure triumph in her eyes.

I looked away. I didn’t bother with her.

Of course, the organizers had seated Lowell right next to me.

He dropped into his chair, face dark.

“Verona DeLuca. I’ve told you over and over. I will not marry you. How much longer are you going to keep this up?”

I had heard those words too many times before. Even now, hearing them again, something pressed down hard on my chest.

“I’m not keeping anything up.”

Lowell’s fist slammed against the table.

“Then why are you still forcing me into this marriage? Your branch of the family has money and power, so that gives you the right to decide my entire life?”

“You are destroying my life. Even if we actually get married, I will never look at you.”

He meant it.

In my last life, he went seven years without ever really looking at me.

That was when Talia walked over. Her eyes were red-rimmed. She didn’t explain anything first. She just stood at the edge of my table and spoke in a trembling voice. Loud enough for the tables around us to hear.

“Miss DeLuca, please. Just let us go. You had security throw my parents out of the gala. My father almost collapsed. If leaving Lowell will make you happy, then I’ll go. Right now.”

She played the scene beautifully.

I was still trying to figure out what she was even talking about when Lowell shoved her behind him. The look he aimed at me went even colder.

“What’s between us has nothing to do with Talia. If you’ve got a problem, you take it up with me.”

All I felt was disbelief.

“I didn’t have security throw anyone out.”

“You’ve never been afraid to pull anything.”

The words were barely out of his mouth before someone shoved a gift box toward him with a fawning grin.

“Mr. DeLuca, this is for your engagement.”

Before the man could finish, Lowell snatched the box and hurled it straight at me.

“Verona DeLuca. Apologize to Talia.”

“Otherwise, even if our branch doesn’t match yours, I will reject this engagement. I will never marry someone like you.”