Chapter 3 - The Price of TreacheryThe royal suite at the St. Regis Penthouse was filled with soft candlelight and the gentle melody of a harp. Specialist doctors had already treated Maya’s bruised lip, applying soothing organic ointments while she slept peacefully in a massive king-sized bed wrapped in Egyptian cotton sheets.
I sat by the window, sipping dark tea, watching the city skyline glow beneath us.
Harrison stood nearby, holding a crystal tablet. “My Princess, the Grand Duke will arrive via private jet tomorrow morning. In the meantime, the liquidations have begun.”
“Tell me,” I said quietly.
“Julian Vance attempted to visit three major banks within the last two hours to secure emergency bailouts,” Harrison reported with a faint, ruthless smile. “Every board of directors refused to see him. By midnight, news of Vance Tech’s defaulted loans broke on Wall Street. Their stock value has dropped by eighty-four percent.”
“And Genevieve?”
“Genevieve Miller was terminated from her firm within an hour of your departure,” Harrison replied. “Her father’s logistics company, which relied entirely on Sovereign shipping contracts, was placed under immediate audit for tax evasion. They will be bankrupt by Friday.”
A soft knock sounded on the suite door. One of our guards stepped in, leaning down to speak to Harrison.
Harrison raised an eyebrow. “My Princess... Julian Vance is downstairs in the lobby. He has been standing in the rain for three hours, begging for five minutes of your time.”
I looked down at Maya’s sweet, sleeping face, remembering the bruise on her cheek and the heartless words Julian had spoken while his daughter bled.
“Bring him up,” I commanded softly. “Let him see what he discarded.”
Five minutes later, Julian was escorted into the penthouse by two guards.
He looked wretched. His expensive suit was soaked through with rainwater, muddy at the hem, and hair plastered to his forehead. The arrogant CEO who had stood over me hours ago was gone. In his place was a broken, shivering man.
As he walked into the room, his eyes took in the unimaginable luxury—the gold-leaf ceilings, the armed guards in immaculate uniforms, the rare art lining the walls, and me, dressed in a sweeping white silk gown adorned with sapphire jewelry.
Julian fell to his knees on the Persian rug, tears spilling from his eyes.
“Elena...” he sobbed, reaching his hands out toward me. “Elena, forgive me! I was blind! My mother forced me to treat you that way! Genevieve manipulated me! She tricked me!”
“Your mother forced you?” I asked, leaning back in my chair, looking down at him with quiet detachment. “Did your mother force you to stand by while Genevieve struck your five-year-old daughter? Did Genevieve force you to call me a parasite?”
Julian choked on his own breath, unable to answer.
“For six years, Julian,” I said, my voice cutting through his pathetic weeping like ice. “I washed your clothes. I cooked your meals. I comforted you when your business was failing. I asked for nothing—no diamond rings, no fancy cars, no high-society parties. All I wanted was your heart and a safe home for our daughter.”
“I still love you, Elena!” Julian pleaded, crawling a few inches closer before the guards blocked him. “We are a family! Think of Maya! She needs her father!”
“Maya needed a father when she was bleeding on your marble floor,” I spat, my eyes flashing with dangerous heat. “You didn't act like a father then. You acted like a monster.”
I stood up, walking toward him until my embroidered silk slippers stopped inches from his muddy hands.
“Tomorrow, my lawyers will serve you with divorce papers,” I announced. “You will sign over full custody of Maya. You will surrender all rights to Vance Tech. And you, your mother, and your mistress will face criminal charges for child abuse and assault.”
“Elena, please! Don't destroy me!” Julian cried out, slamming his forehead against the floor. “I’ll do anything! I’ll be your servant! Just don't take everything away!”
May you like
“I’m not taking anything away from you, Julian,” I whispered, leaning down closer to his trembling ear. “I’m simply taking back everything that belonged to me.”
I signaled the guards. “Throw him out.”
