The Billionaire who forgot me

Jennifer’s POV Four Years Ago “I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Jennifer.” I stared at the man standing in front of me, wondering if I had heard him correctly. “What?” Grayson smiled and took both my hands in his. “You heard me.” We were standing on a quiet beach behind my family’s inn. The sun had already disappeared, leaving the sky dark. A small table stood a few feet away, decorated with candles and flowers. Grayson had arranged everything himself. When he asked me to dress nicely for dinner, I thought he was planning something romantic. I never imagined this. “Grayson, are you serious?” He laughed softly. “Have I ever joked about something like this?” “Well, you once told me you could cook.” “That was one mistake, Jennifer. Are you going to remind me forever?” I laughed. Six months ago, I would never have imagined myself standing here with Grayson Sutton. He had arrived at our little inn under the name Gray Stone, claiming he needed somewhere quiet to stay for a while. At first, I thought he was just another wealthy guest escaping the city. He was handsome, arrogant, and extremely demanding. I couldn’t stand him. He complained about the coffee, questioned our internet connection, and once asked why we didn’t have a twenty-four-hour kitchen. I told him that if he wanted a five-star hotel, he should have booked one. Instead of getting angry, he laughed. That was how everything started. Somehow, the man who annoyed me more than anyone became my favorite person. He stayed longer than he originally planned. We started having breakfast together, taking walks along the beach, and spending evenings talking. Eventually, he told me his real name. Grayson Sutton. The billionaire businessman whose face appeared in financial magazines. I was shocked. But by then, I had already fallen in love with him. And he loved me too. Or at least, that was what he told me. “Jennifer?” His voice pulled me back to the present. I looked up. Grayson was watching me nervously. “Have I frightened you?” “No.” I shook my head. “I’m just surprised.” He smiled. “Good. Because there’s something else.” Before I could ask what he meant, he reached into his pocket. Then he got down on one knee. My hands flew to my mouth. “Oh my God.” Grayson opened a small velvet box. Inside was the most beautiful diamond ring I had ever seen. “Jennifer Monroe, these past six months have been the happiest of my life. Before I met you, I thought money and success were everything.” His voice softened. “Then you came along and made me realize how lonely my life was.” Tears filled my eyes. “I love you, Jennifer. I want to wake up beside you every morning. I want us to have children, grow old together, and build a family.” He took a breath. “Will you marry me?” I didn’t even let him finish smiling. “Yes!” His eyes widened. “Yes?” “Yes, Grayson! Of course I’ll marry you!” He slipped the ring onto my finger before standing and pulling me into his arms. I laughed as he lifted me off the sand and spun me around. “Put me down!” “Not until you say it again.” “I’ll marry you, you crazy man!” He kissed me. And for that moment, I believed nothing could ever separate us. We spent the rest of the evening talking about our future. Grayson wanted us to move to New York after the wedding. I wasn’t sure I could leave my parents or the inn behind. He promised we would figure everything out together. “We could buy a house near the ocean,” he suggested. “And what about your company?” “I can work from anywhere sometimes.” I raised an eyebrow. “You? The man who answers business calls during breakfast?” He laughed. “I’ll change.” “You better.” He kissed my forehead. “Anything for you.” Later that night, we returned to his room. I fell asleep in his arms, wearing my engagement ring and dreaming about our wedding. I had never felt happier. But when I woke up the following morning, Grayson was gone. At first, I wasn’t worried. I assumed he had gone for his usual morning walk. His side of the bed was cold, but that wasn’t unusual. I showered, dressed, and went downstairs. “Mom, have you seen Grayson?” She looked up from the reception desk. “No, sweetheart. I thought he was with you.” I checked the dining room. The garden. The beach. Nothing. By noon, I was worried. I called his phone. The number you have dialed is currently unavailable. I tried again. And again. By evening, I was terrified. His clothes were gone. His suitcase was missing. There was no note. No message. Nothing. It was as though he had never been there. For the next three days, I barely slept. I called every number he had ever used to contact me. I searched online for Sutton Corp’s office details. Nobody would tell me anything. When I finally managed to reach someone at the company, the woman who answered claimed she couldn’t discuss Mr. Sutton’s whereabouts. I cried. I begged. I even asked whether he had been involved in an accident. She ended the call. My parents tried to comfort me. Dad suggested that Grayson might have been called away for an emergency. Mom told me to give him time. But every day that passed made me more frightened. Then, exactly one week after he disappeared, I saw him. On television. I was sitting in the dining room when the news came on. “Billionaire businessman Grayson Sutton appeared alongside his father, Victor Sutton, today to announce Sutton Corp’s latest acquisition.” My spoon slipped from my hand. There he was. Grayson. Alive. Healthy. Standing in an expensive black suit beside an older man. I rushed toward the television. “Grayson?” He looked different. His expression was cold. There was no smile. No warmth. Nothing resembling the man who had held me in his arms a week earlier. A reporter asked where he had been recently. Grayson answered calmly. “I’ve been overseas handling private business matters.” Overseas? My chest tightened. He had been with me. He had promised to marry me. The reporter asked another question, and Grayson turned toward his father before answering. He looked perfectly comfortable. As though his life had continued without interruption. As though I had never existed. I stared at the engagement ring on my finger. Then I began to cry. He hadn’t disappeared. He had left me. Three weeks later, I stood in my bathroom staring at two pink lines. Pregnant. I was pregnant with Grayson Sutton’s child. I sat on the floor and cried until my mother found me. She held me while I told her everything. For days, I considered contacting Grayson again. But I remembered the television interview. The disconnected number. The silence. He knew where to find me. If he wanted me, he would have returned. Eventually, I stopped waiting. I took off my engagement ring and placed it inside a small jewelry box. Then I made a promise to the baby growing inside me. “You might not have your father, sweetheart. But you’ll always have me.” Four years passed. I gave birth to a beautiful little girl named Sophie Grace Monroe. I found work at Coastal Regency Hotel and eventually became its manager. Life wasn’t always easy, but I was happy. At least, I thought I was. Until one Monday morning, when my assistant Maya rushed into my office holding a reservation file. “Jennifer, we have a very important guest arriving tomorrow.” I barely looked up. “Who?” “Grayson Sutton. The billionaire.” My fingers stopped moving across my keyboard. Slowly, I raised my head. “What did you say?” Maya smiled excitedly. “Grayson Sutton. He’s booked our presidential suite for an entire week.” My heart began pounding. Four years. Four years of trying to forget him. And now the man who broke my heart was coming back. I looked down at the reservation. Guest Name: Grayson Sutton. For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. Because the man I had spent four years trying to forget was about to walk back into my life. And he had no idea that he had a daughter.