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I never let my family know that I was the one keeping them wrapped in luxury. In their eyes, I was only a “peasant baker” with hands dusted in flour. They cut me from my sister’s engagement party for “ruining the aesthetic,” then expected me to cater everything for nothing after their chef walked out. My sister shouted that I envied her rich fiancé. Then the front door opened. Her fiancé had arrived—the billionaire hotel tycoon. He strode past them and bowed to me. “Ms. Abigail,” he said. “Your father has blocked my multi-million-dollar partnership proposals for months.” I met my parents’ horrified eyes, removed my apron, and simply offered the fiancé a coffee. “The engagement is over,” he said. “And the bakery is shut down.”
I never let my family know that I was the one keeping them wrapped in luxury. In their eyes, I was only a “peasant baker” with hands dusted in flour. They cut me from my sister’s engagement party for “ruining the aesthetic,” then expected me to cater everything for nothing after their chef walked out. My sister shouted that I envied her rich fiancé. Then the front door opened. Her fiancé had arrived—the billionaire hotel tycoon. He strode past them and bowed to me. “Ms. Abigail,” he said. “Your father has blocked my multi-million-dollar partnership proposals for months.” I met my parents’ horrified eyes, removed my apron, and simply offered the fiancé a coffee. “The engagement is over,” he said. “And the bakery is shut down.”
Jonathan Reed stopped in front of me, ignoring Haley’s outstretched arms, my mother’s trembling smile, and my father stepping forward to intercept him. He looked straight at me, at the flour on my hands and the apron tied around my waist, then dipped his head in a small, formal bow.“Ms. Abigail Mercer,” he said. “I’m sorry I had to come here myself.”Haley laughed too loudly. “Jonathan, what are you doing? She works here.”“I know exactly who she is,” he said.The bakery fell silent. My father recovered first, smoothing his blazer. “There’s been a misunderstanding. Abigail gets emotional. We were discussing desserts for tonight.”Jonathan finally looked at him. “No, Mr. Mercer. We were discussing the fact that for four months you have blocked every partnership offer my company sent to Abigail’s bakery.”My mother’s hand flew to her throat. Haley blinked. “What partnership?”“A three-year hospitality contract worth 4.8 million dollars,” Jonathan said. “Five emails, two phone calls, one formal draft. All intercepted.”I stared at my father. I had known Jonathan’s hotel group wanted a pastry collaboration. I had never known the offers vanished because my father still had access to an old vendor email tied to the family office.Dad forced a laugh. “I was protecting her from signing something reckless.”“No,” Jonathan said. “You were protecting your control over the only person keeping your family afloat.”Haley’s face went pale. “What is that supposed to mean?”Jonathan’s voice stayed calm, which somehow made it worse. “It means Abigail paid the overdue property taxes on your parents’ townhouse. Abigail guaranteed the loan on the Cape house. Abigail’s holding company has covered your family office losses for over a year. The Mercer name still looks wealthy because Abigail kept it from collapsing.”My mother stumbled backward into a chair.I untied my apron slowly and folded it on the counter. Then I poured a coffee, placed a lid on it, and handed it to Jonathan. He took it like this was the most natural thing in the world.Haley found her voice first. “You’re humiliating me over bakery gossip?”Jonathan turned to her. “I’m ending our engagement because your family lies for status, exploits the woman funding them, and demanded free labor from her after excluding her for ruining your aesthetic.”
