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The Gold Digger Two Dons Couldn’t Buy
Novelix
Completed
Ava Brooks loved Don Luca Romano for five years, until his proposal became a public test and his friends branded her a gold digger. Two years later, Don Noah Bennett seemed to offer the tenderness Luca had destroyed—only for Ava to discover Noah’s romance was another game arranged by Luca. Humiliated, framed, and expected to accept a marriage without trust, Ava returns every gift, rejects both Dons, and leaves for Australia. But when Luca and Noah realize she is truly gone, they cross the world to win her back. Ava learns: freedom is worth more than any Don’s love.
Chapters (3)
第1章
The day Don Luca Romano proposed to me, he gave me a diamond necklace.
I had just taken it in my hands when every light in the living room flicked on at once.
A second later, his friends stepped out of the shadows.
Standing at the front was Grace Walker, the girl who had grown up with him.
She stood with her arms crossed, smiling without the slightest attempt to hide it.
"I told you, didn't I? She's a gold digger."
"A small-town girl, and she actually had the nerve to accept something from the Romano family."
She walked up to me and gave a little blink.
"Sorry, Ava. That necklace isn't for you. It's a birthday present Luca got for me."
I looked down at the necklace in my hands.
In that moment, every ounce of emotion I had felt was ripped to shreds in front of everyone.
I tore the necklace off and threw it on the ground.
Then I broke up with Luca.
Two years later, won over by Don Noah Bennett's gentle and patient pursuit, I finally said yes to his proposal.
He was the new Don of the Bennett family in New York. Polished. Steady.
The night before we were supposed to register our marriage, he said he had a surprise for me.
When I pushed open the door, the same group of people from two years ago was standing inside.
Grace was doubled over laughing.
"See? I told you I wasn't wrong about her."
"Some women put on an innocent face while they cherry-pick the richest, most powerful men to date. At the end of the day, they're just trying to get their hands on the ultimate prize."
Luca stood in the crowd, looking at me with disappointment.
"Ava, I always thought you genuinely liked me."
"Turns out, as long as the guy's rich enough and the last name's big enough, any Don can crook his finger and you'll come running."
I looked at Noah.
He held up both hands, his expression innocent to the point of cruelty.
"Don't look at me. I was just playing along. Can't help it if you're this easy to fool."
Looking at their grinning faces, one after another, a wave of absurdity washed over me.
So my heart, my real feelings, had to be dragged out and tested again and again.
Well, I was done playing their game.
I pulled off the engagement ring Noah had given me and threw it on the floor.
It hit the hardwood with a sharp, clear sound, then rolled into the shadows beneath the sofa.
"Noah Bennett. We're done."
The room went silent for a beat.
Then everyone erupted into laughter.
Grace laughed so hard she clutched her stomach, tears streaming down her face.
"Noah, she says she's done with you. That's hilarious. When did you two even start? How come we didn't know?"
Luca walked up to me and reached out to touch my hair.
I stepped back.
His hand froze in midair, and then he casually pulled it back as if nothing had happened.
"You silly girl. You and Noah never started anything. The one texting you was me. The one buying you gifts was me. Even that engagement ring? I bought it."
He looked at me and lowered his voice.
"All those sweet moments you thought belonged to you and Noah? They were all me."
Grace immediately raised her hand, grinning with triumph.
"And us. All those ideas for chasing you? We came up with them together. Surprise, Ava. This whole thing was arranged by the Boss to test you."
The others laughed along, their eyes roaming over me like they were watching a cheap joke unfold.
"I can't believe how easily she took the bait."
"Grace called it from the start. As long as the guy's rich enough, she'll say yes to anyone."
"Honestly, Ava's kind of impressive. She'll put up with anything to get into a family like that."
My nails dug hard into my palms.
All those days with Noah. The sincerity I had poured out. The vulnerability and pain I had shared in the middle of the night.
It had all been part of their entertainment.
Maybe because my face had gone too pale, Luca grabbed my wrist.
"Ava, you've really disappointed me. You already got it wrong during the test two years ago. And now it looks like you haven't changed one bit."
He paused for a moment, and when he spoke again, his tone had the ring of charity.
"But what can I do? I like you. I know you want to marry me. Just sign this prenup, and I'll make you my wife."
He held out the document in front of me.
I scanned it.
All assets under the husband's name after marriage, including the family trust, shares in legitimate businesses, and all earnings of the Romano family, shall have no connection to the wife.
Essential household expenses shall be split equally between both parties.
Every purchase made by the wife must be pre-approved by the husband, and receipts must be submitted for reimbursement, to ensure that the Romano family's assets remain uncompromised.
I had been with Luca for five years. I knew our backgrounds were worlds apart.
I had never dared accept a single expensive gift from him.
But five years of being together, day in and day out, apparently counted for less than one offhand remark from Grace.
I ripped the document to pieces and hurled them in Luca's face.
"Don't ever let me see any of you again. You make me sick."
As I turned to leave, I caught Luca's expression freeze for a split second.
Then he called out to my back.
"Ava, drop the act. If you want something, just say it. I don't like this hard-to-get routine."
"I'm only giving you this one chance. All you have to do is ask. Hmm?"
My steps didn't slow.
After I walked out of that house, I dialed my boss.
"Mr. Clark, the overseas posting to Australia. I'll take it."
第2章
I went to the office and printed out the documents I needed to prepare.
By the time I got home, it was already the middle of the night.
I had barely reached my front door when I heard the grating sound of music and raucous laughter coming from inside.
The moment I pushed the door open, I froze.
Luca's friends were throwing a party in my apartment.
Champagne and beer had been splashed all over the floor. Pizza boxes, bottles, cigarette ash, and wrappers were scattered everywhere.
When they saw me come in, not a single person in the room looked the least bit sorry.
Grace staggered over, grabbed my arm, and said with a sloppy grin:
"Ava, you really are something else. Even while you were with Don Bennett, you made sure to keep a backup plan for yourself."
As she spoke, she pulled a charm out of her pocket and dangled it in front of my eyes.
It was a protective amulet Luca had gone to pray for the night before my surgery, years ago.
It had been pouring rain that night.
He drove for hours, hiked up a mountain in the storm, and then rushed back through the night.
By the time he got to the hospital, his clothes were soaked through, his shoes were caked with mud, and he looked like an absolute wreck.
But his eyes were impossibly bright.
He pressed the charm into my palm like a boy who was both foolish and devout.
"Ava, God promised me. Your surgery is going to go perfectly."
I had run my hand over his hair and laughed at how silly he was.
In the end, before I even got wheeled into the operating room, he collapsed from exhaustion.
After the breakup, I threw away everything connected to Luca.
This charm was the only thing I kept.
Not because I couldn't let go of him.
But because those bright eyes, on that night, had once made me believe that even in youth, someone could love with a ferocity and a sincerity that was real.
I snatched the charm back from Grace's hand, my chest heaving.
"Who gave you permission to come into my home?"
Luca's gaze landed on the charm, and a faint trace of a smile surfaced at the corner of his eye.
"I didn't expect you to still have it."
He was about to walk over when Grace hooked her arm through his.
She turned to the crowd and announced loudly:
"Friends, you want to know what a top-tier gold digger looks like? This is what a top-tier gold digger looks like. Always keeping a card up her sleeve. Incredible."
Then she looked at Luca, her voice dripping with exaggeration.
"Luca, doesn't seeing that little charm just make you want to cry?"
The softness that had started to creep into Luca's eyes turned cold in an instant.
The others seemed to catch on all at once, whistling and egging things on.
"You've got to hand it to Ava. If Don Bennett dumps her, she can turn right around and bring this to the Boss."
"And the Boss takes one look. Some worthless little trinket from his younger days, treasured by the woman he loved for all these years. He'd be an absolute wreck."
"Then they get married, and the small-town girl transforms into Mrs. Romano overnight. Brilliant."
One after another, they piled on, spinning a story out of thin air.
I walked to the window, tore the charm to pieces, and flung them out into the night.
The instant the fragments were swept away by the wind, Luca's face twisted into something terrible.
"Ava, what the hell is that supposed to mean?"
My hands clenched into fists as I spoke, every word deliberate.
"It means get out. Get out of my apartment."
Luca looked as though he wanted to say something.
But Grace beat him to it.
"Luca, this move is called playing hard to get. Want to bet that if you propose right now, she'll say yes on the spot?"
She gave a light laugh.
"On one condition, of course. You'd have to share everything the Romano family owns with her."
Luca's face darkened.
"Ava, don't push it. Whatever you want, I can give it to you. But I hate it when people play games with me."
Noah, who had been heckling along with the rest, chimed in.
"Ava, the Boss has already said his piece. Maybe it's time to quit while you're ahead."
I drew a deep breath, ready to call the police.
That was when several officers appeared at the door.
One of them knocked on the doorframe, his tone stern.
"We've received multiple noise complaints about disturbances late at night. We're going to need everyone here to cooperate with our investigation."
第3章
It wasn't until I got to the station that I found out my neighbors had called the police more than once.
Officers had come by twice to issue warnings, but the group hadn't toned it down at all.
"Who organized this party?"
After the question was asked, everyone looked at Grace.
But no one spoke.
Grace stepped forward, opened her arms wide, and shielded everyone behind her.
"It was me."
"Officer, none of them had anything to do with it. If you're going to come down on anyone, come down on me."
She said it like a hero, but her arms were trembling slightly.
Before the officer could respond, Luca had already pulled her behind him.
"Officer, Ava invited us over. She's the tenant."
I stared at him in disbelief.
Noah immediately backed him up.
"That's right. We were all invited by Ava."
With two Dons leading the charge, the rest quickly fell in line.
I looked at Luca and Noah and spoke slowly.
"You both know that repeated late-night disturbances, after multiple warnings, can result in detention. Don't you?"
Neither of them said a word.
Of course they knew.
That was precisely why they couldn't bear to let Grace take the fall.
So they were going to pin it on me, the one person who had nothing to do with it.
In that moment, I lost every last shred of desire to deal with them.
"Officer, I have evidence."
I produced my records showing I had been at the office all night, screenshots from the building's security cameras, and timestamped records of the documents I had been printing.
After leaving the station, I went online and submitted my paperwork on an expedited basis.
Then I booked a flight to Australia, departing in five days.
When I got back to the apartment, I listed the place on a rental agency's website, then started cleaning up the wreckage.
The room was littered with little things Noah had given me.
Apart from the engagement ring, I had never accepted anything expensive from him.
I used to think every one of those small gifts was proof that he loved me.
Now they felt like slap after slap across my face.
For all I knew, the moment Noah handed me a gift, he was opening their group chat to give a live play-by-play of my reaction.
Telling them how gullible I was. How good I was at playing innocent.
The thought of it made me shove everything into a garbage bag.
I was about to head downstairs to throw it all out when the police showed up at my door again.
"Ms. Ava Brooks, based on multiple noise complaints on record, you are suspected of repeated late-night disturbances. If the allegations are substantiated, you may face detention and fines."
Bewildered, I went with the officers.
It wasn't until I was in the back of the car that I found out this wasn't the first time they had used my apartment for a party.
Noah had a spare key to my place.
Every time my relationship with him hit a new milestone, they would sneak over to my apartment to "celebrate."
Luca's lawyers had even assembled an entire chain of evidence.
Proof that I had regularly invited them over for parties and had been a repeat noise offender.
When we pulled up to the station, I ran into a crowd of people surrounding Grace as she was on her way out.
Luca spotted me and walked over.
"Ava, I'm sorry you had to go through this. Once you're out, we'll get married."
"Grace is too headstrong. If she gets penalized, it'll affect her career and her future."
"But you're different. Once you're out, you'll be Mrs. Romano. Quit your job if you want. I'll take care of you."
Grace let out a low whistle.
"You have to hand it to Ava. Five days in detention, traded for a lifetime as Mrs. Romano. Worth it."
I didn't acknowledge any of them and walked straight into the station.
Following procedure, I called Mr. Clark and explained the situation.
He arrived at the station quickly and helped clear my name completely.
