Chapter 1: The End of the Chase

Part 1 - Hopeless Romantic

(Serena's world revolves around Damian, until she overhears the conversation that changes everything.)

---

Serena Lancaster had always been a dreamer.

Not the kind that fantasized about fairy-tale endings—she was far too practical for that. No, her dreams had always been strategic. Calculated. She had spent her whole life preparing to take over her father’s empire, learning the ins and outs of business, mastering every skill needed to be the perfect heir. But the one thing she had never been able to master? Damian Westwood.

For two years, she had chased him. Not obsessively, not in a way that embarrassed her, but enough that it was obvious. She attended every party he did. Laughed at his sarcastic remarks. Found ways to be near him without making it too obvious.

And he had never outright rejected her. That was the worst part.

He never told her to stop. Never told her he wasn’t interested. Instead, he let her linger. Let her believe there was a chance. And maybe, deep down, that was why she had never given up—because he had never given her a definitive no.

Until tonight.

She hadn’t meant to overhear. It wasn’t like she made a habit of eavesdropping. But when she had stepped onto the balcony of the private club where their friends were celebrating the start of the new semester, she had heard his voice.

And then she had heard her name.

---

Damian’s Words That Shattered Her

"Serena? She'll never give up," Damian’s voice was smooth, careless, amused. Like she was a joke.

Jace Sinclair laughed. “Honestly, man, I think she actually believes you’ll fall for her someday.”

Serena’s chest tightened.

Damian chuckled, the sound casual, cruel. "It’s kind of sad, isn’t it? She tries so hard."

Jace whistled. "You could tell her to back off, you know."

"Nah," Damian said lazily. "She’ll get bored eventually."

---

She’ll get bored eventually.

Serena stood frozen in place, her nails digging into her palm.

All this time, she had thought—hoped—that maybe Damian simply didn’t realize how serious she was. That if she just showed him enough, proved that she wasn’t like the other girls who only wanted his last name or his money, he would finally see her.

But he had seen her.

And he had never taken her seriously at all.

---

A bitter laugh nearly slipped from her lips. She had been a fool. A blind, naive fool who thought love could be earned. That if she just kept showing up, if she just kept proving her worth, he would look at her the way she had always looked at him.

But he wouldn’t. He never would.

Because she was just entertainment to him—a girl who chased and chased, while he stood still and laughed.

Something in her snapped.

The soft, hopeful Serena that had waited for him for two years? She was gone.

If Damian thought she would never give up, he was about to find out just how wrong he was.

---

Serena turned away from the balcony, back straight, chin high.

She wasn’t going to cry.

She wasn’t going to scream.

She was going to walk back inside that party, smile like nothing was wrong, and then erase Damian Westwood from her life.

For good.

---

End of Part 1.

(Just as Serena decides to erase Damian from her life, her father calls with news that changes everything.)

---

The music inside the private lounge pulsed like a heartbeat—loud, steady, suffocating. Serena walked through the crowd like a ghost, ignoring the laughter, the clinking glasses, the meaningless conversations happening around her.

Damian was still outside, probably finishing his drink, completely unaware that he had just killed something inside her.

For two years, she had shaped her college life around him. And for what? A few smirks, a couple of half-hearted conversations, and the belief that if she just held on a little longer, he’d see her?

She had always been so sure that what she felt for Damian was real. That if she loved him enough, he would eventually realize he felt the same way.

But love wasn’t about effort.

It wasn’t a game of persistence.

And she had been the fool who kept playing while he laughed behind her back.

Never again.

She reached for her clutch, fingers tightening around the smooth leather. She needed to leave before she did something reckless, like throw a drink in his face or—

Her phone buzzed in her hand.

Dad.

Her stomach twisted. Her father, Richard Lancaster, never called unless it was important. And given the time difference—he was currently in Europe on business—this couldn’t be anything good.

She exhaled sharply and answered. “Dad?”

A pause. Then, “Serena. Are you alone?”

She frowned. “No, I’m at an event. What’s wrong?”

Her father sighed, a low, tired sound. “Your engagement.”

The blood drained from her face. “What engagement?”

“If you don’t have someone by graduation, I’ll be arranging a marriage for you.”

Her grip on her clutch tightened. “Dad, that’s ridiculous.”

“It’s practical,” he corrected. “You’re the only heir to Lancaster Holdings. You need a partner who understands the weight of that responsibility.”

Serena’s nails bit into her palm. “You’re telling me this now?”

“You’ve had years to find someone,” her father said evenly. “And all I’ve seen is you wasting your time chasing after a boy who doesn’t even respect you.”

Her throat closed up.

Even her father had noticed.

“I won’t let you run our empire alone,” he continued. “So either find someone you love, or I’ll choose for you.”

Then, before she could argue, he hung up.

---

Serena stared at her screen, her heart pounding in her chest.

A year.

She had less than a year before her father decided who she would marry.

Not out of love. Not out of emotion. But as a business strategy.

---

Her entire life, she had been raised to be the perfect heir.

She could negotiate million-dollar deals before most people even had their first cup of coffee.

She had studied under some of the best minds in finance and business since she was a teenager.

She knew how to command a boardroom, hold her ground against men twice her age, and control an empire.

But she had no control over her own damn love life.

She let out a hollow laugh, the irony of it all settling deep in her bones.

First, she had been humiliated by the boy she had spent years loving.

Now, she was being told that if she didn’t find someone by next year, she’d be married off like a chess piece.

Her vision blurred at the edges, but she refused to let any tears fall.

No.

If tonight had taught her anything, it was that chasing people who didn’t love her back was a waste of time.

If her father wanted her to find love, she would.

But it wouldn’t be with someone like Damian Westwood.

It would be someone who actually wanted her.

And if she couldn’t find that?

Well.

She’d just have to fake it.

---

End of Part 2.

(Serena makes the decision to stop chasing Damian and starts thinking about her next move. The world is about to see a very different Serena Lancaster.)

---

Serena didn’t go back inside.

Instead, she walked past the VIP lounge, down the marble steps of the high-end club, and out into the crisp night air. The sounds of Westbridge University’s elite—her so-called peers—faded behind her as she made her way toward her car.

She needed to clear her head.

For two years, she had let her emotions rule her. And for what? A guy who never even saw her as an option? A father who still thought of her as a business asset instead of a daughter?

No more.

Tonight was a lesson.

Damian had never deserved her attention.

Her father would never stop seeing her as an heir first.

Chasing after people who didn’t appreciate her was a waste of time.

She reached her sleek, black sports car and leaned against the door, exhaling slowly.

For the first time in years, she felt… free.

I don’t have to prove anything to anyone anymore.

No more chasing. No more waiting. No more Damian.

From this moment forward, she was done being the girl who pined after a guy who didn’t want her.

She was going to live for herself.

And if that meant making some very strategic changes in her life? So be it.

---

Step One: Ignore Damian Westwood.

Not just for a few days, not just to make a point—for good.

She would never look at him the same way again. Not in class. Not at events. Not anywhere.

He was going to learn what it felt like to be invisible.

---

Step Two: Start acting like the real Serena Lancaster.

The real her—the one she had buried for the sake of fitting in, for the sake of seeming like a normal rich girl—was about to come out in full force.

She had spent years hiding her true nature because men found it intimidating.

But now?

She didn’t give a damn.

No more playing dumb in social settings to seem relatable.

No more pretending she didn’t have ruthless business instincts.

No more dimming her intelligence to make herself more approachable.

The world would finally see Serena Lancaster, the heir to the richest empire in Los Angeles.

And if that scared people? Good.

---

Step Three: Find a solution to the engagement problem.

She could deal with her father later, but she needed a strategy—a way to shut down any arranged marriages before they started.

Because there was no way in hell she was letting her father pick a husband for her like she was some asset to be traded.

She tapped her fingers against her car, mind racing.

She needed someone powerful enough to keep her father at bay, but not someone she’d actually have to marry.

A temporary distraction. A business arrangement.

Her phone buzzed. A text.

Theo Bennett: You left early. Everything okay?

Serena blinked.

Theo.

The heir to the Bennett luxury empire. One of the few men in her circle who wasn’t a complete idiot. Smart. Charming. And, if she remembered correctly, someone who also had a problem with love.

Her lips curled.

Maybe she didn’t need to find someone.

Maybe she already had the perfect candidate for a mutually beneficial arrangement.

She typed back:

Serena: Let’s talk. I think we can help each other.

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End of Part 3.