Chapter 1 - The Final Word
My thumb hovered over the glowing screen of my phone,
the digital keyboard staring back at me,
begging for my command.
The message from Arthur,
my most trusted and lethal corporate attorney,
was a beacon of light in this suffocating darkness.
"Everything is ready,
Give the word."
Those six words were not just text on a screen,
they were the key to my heavy chains,
the beginning of the end for the parasites standing in front of me.
My cheek still throbbed with a burning,
vicious heat from where Daniel had struck me,
a physical reminder of his absolute cowardice.
I slowly raised my head,
my eyes locking onto his red,
furious face.
He stood there,
panting heavily,
his fists clenched at his sides as if he was preparing to hit me again,
while his mother,
Evelyn,
smirked from the comfort of her velvet armchair.
"Did you hear him?"
she sneered,
her voice dripping with venom,
"Get out of my house,
you useless,
barren beggar."
I looked at her,
really looked at her.
She was wearing a silk robe that cost more than most people's monthly rent,
a robe that I had quietly paid for through the shell company that funded Daniel's pathetic excuse for a business.
Her neck was adorned with pearls,
her wrists heavy with gold,
and all of it,
every single ounce of her luxury,
was bled from my secret accounts.
They thought I was a charity case,
a poor girl Daniel had rescued from the slums,
because that was the narrative I allowed them to believe.
I wanted a marriage based on love,
not my multibillion-dollar empire,
but I had been a fool.
I took a deep breath,
the cold air filling my lungs,
and I typed three letters.
"Yes."
I hit send,
and just like that,
the avalanche began.
I calmly slid the phone back into my designer purse,
a limited-edition piece that Evelyn had mocked as a "cheap knockoff" just yesterday.
"What are you doing?"
Daniel demanded,
stepping closer,
his shadow looming over me.
"I told you to pack your cheap trash and get out,
now!"
I didn't flinch,
I didn't cry,
I just smiled.
It was a cold,
hollow,
terrifying smile that made Daniel pause in his tracks.
"I don't need to pack anything,"
I said softly,
my voice steady and dangerously calm.
"The clothes in that closet,
the jewelry in that safe,
they mean nothing to me."
Evelyn rolled her eyes,
letting out a sharp,
barking laugh.
"Listen to her,
Daniel,
acting proud when she doesn't have a penny to her name,
she's probably going to sleep on a park bench tonight."
I turned on my heel,
the sound of my stilettos clicking sharply against the imported Italian marble,
the marble I had flown to Milan to select personally.
I walked toward the grand mahogany double doors,
not looking back,
not giving them the satisfaction of my tears.
"Don't ever come back!"
Daniel screamed after me,
his voice echoing in the massive foyer.
"You are nothing without me!"
I pushed the heavy doors open,
stepping out into the crisp,
chilly evening air.
The sun was setting,
casting long,
dark shadows over the sprawling estate.
I walked down the winding driveway,
past the manicured lawns and the roaring fountain,
feeling lighter than I had in three agonizing years.
As I reached the wrought-iron gates,
a sleek,
pitch-black Maybach pulled up silently beside me,
its tinted windows hiding the interior.
The rear door swung open,
and my personal driver,
Marcus,
stepped out,
bowing his head respectfully.
"Good evening,
Madam,"
he said,
his voice a comforting rumble.
"Mr. Arthur is waiting for you on the secure line."
I stepped into the luxurious leather interior,
leaving the mansion,
leaving Daniel,
leaving the lie behind.
"Take me to the corporate penthouse,
Marcus,"
I ordered,
May you like
picking up the encrypted tablet resting on the armrest.
"It is time to burn their world to the ground."
