Bride of Revenge

Chapter 1: Public Betrayal

“Sign the papers and get the f*ck out of my house.”

His voice was soft. It was steady and monotone the same pitch he employed when finalizing unsuccessful takeovers. The words pierced the stillness of the Valerius Penthouse like a blade slicing through silk shattering the peace Eliza Thorne had guarded for three years.

Damon Valerius avoided her gaze altogether. He rested against the dark quartz countertop, his stance relaxed yet filled with ruthless assurance. He flung a pile of documents—divorce papers—onto the twelve-foot marble surface. They came down with a gentle, mocking thump next to a vase of white orchids untouched.

Through the floor-, to-ceiling windows Veridian City sparkled in the darkness, a labyrinth of influence and desire. This evening it seemed like a trap.

Eliza remained motionless. She donned the ivory dress selected by his grandfather’s attendants, the type of attire anticipated from the spouse of a man in power. At once it seemed like an outfit, for a part she had already been dismissed from.

Damon had returned. Three weeks earlier he had been saved from the brink of death restored through the intensive medical treatment that money could provide. The first definite choice he made was to wipe out their entire history.

He let go of the bar. Moved in a gradual curve around the table restlessness evident, in each step. When his gaze eventually locked with hers—ice-blue. As piercing as shattered glass—they felt cold and detached devoid of any warmth she had once hoped for.

“Are you looking for a lawyer, Eliza?" His voice remained calm and polished, the one he employed during critical negotiations. "The settlement is quite favorable. The trust fund. The two Hamptons estates. The quarterly payout for half a decade. Plenty, for a woman who contributed her family name.”

The message was obvious. The debt had been cleared. She represented a deal, a risk that had been compensated.

Eliza avoided glancing at the documents. Instead she locked eyes with him. Maintained the gaze. For three years she had been the barrier preventing his family from falling. She had weathered murmurs, media scrutiny and the harsh condemnation of a town convinced she was a fortune-hunting spouse wed to an ailing man. She wasn't about to fail at this moment.

“My family name " she murmured softly "is the reason your grandfather’s scheme succeeded. It’s what kept Valerius Capital stable during the crash before your accident.. Did his last orders lose their significance the instant you regained consciousness?”

She brought the truth back to his attention. Their union had served as protection. Half a decade earlier when the international economy collapsed and the Thorne holdings almost sank their secret connections nearly dragged Valerius Capital down well. It was solely the families merger—mandated by the ailing Grandfather Valerius—that rescued them both.

Damon sneered. A brief icy noise saturated with disdain. He raised a silk napkin. Brushed away an unseen smudge, from the marble as though even the atmosphere repulsed him.