"Starting today," I said, my voice ringing clearly through the microphone, "Mr. Seres and I are officially divorced."
A hush fell over the room.
Whispers erupted like sparks on dry grass. Gasp tore through silence, others exchanged scandalized glances. The reporters began murmuring excitedly, fingers flying over their phones and cameras. The flash es almost blinding me.
I stood in the center of the press conference hall, dressed in an elegant off-shoulder black dress that hugged my figure , dress that I prepared especially just for today. My face was expressionless and regal even, as if this wasn't the funeral of my marriage but the fruit of everything I did until this moment.
Across from me stood Damien Seres — my now ex-husband — in a tailored navy suit, face impassive, gaze cold. Next to him clung Margot, the best friend who betrayed me, the woman my husband had chosen over me, the woman he paraded around before our divorce was even final, the reason Allesha lived such a pathetic life. She wore white, of all colors. Like she was the bride. Even before divorce she always tried to act like one.
Margot looked at me with that same condescending smirk she'd worn since the affair became public, since my lying, cheating husband finally admitted their betrayal. I could practically hear her thoughts: "She's finally been discarded. I've won."
I turned my attention back to the crowd, the cameras, the journalists who were waiting for me to speak. They expected tears, hysteria, a bitter woman grasping for dignity. But none, my tears are too precious for such insignificant creatures.
Fools.
I lifted the microphone again and leaned in slightly.
"Honey?" I called out sweetly.
The word sliced through the tension like a blade.
The large double doors at the back of the room swung open with a dramatic bang. The murmurs became a roar as heads turned toward the entrance.
A line of men in black suits strode in, moving with synchronized precision. They formed a perfect aisle from the door to where I stood.
And then—
He walked in.
Lucien Vale.
CEO of Vale Corp. Number one on every business ranking. Billionaire. Elusive. Brilliant. Dangerous.
And most importantly — Damien Seres's greatest rival.
He was a vision of tailored power: jet-black suit, dark brown hair slicked back, his sharp jawline cleanly shaved. His eyes turned hazel under the lights. He scanned the room like a king entering foreign territory, unfazed by the chaos and maybe, also enjoying it.
The crowd went silent. Even the cameras froze.
Lucien didn't hesitate. He walked straight toward me, his steps purposeful, each one louder than the last. When he reached me, I smiled and slipped my hand into the crook of his arm like we'd done this a thousand times before.
"And I," I said, raising my voice just enough to carry through the room, "am here to announce my upcoming wedding."
Gasps. Shouts. Someone dropped a glass. Silence.
Lucien looked down at me with a smirk, then turned his gaze toward Damien and Margot.
"Pleasure to finally meet you both," he said coolly. "She told me a lot about the two of you."
Damien's eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched. He tried to keep his composure, but his hands gave him away. It's clenched into fists at his sides.
Margot looked as though she'd swallowed glass. The triumphant light in her eyes flickered. The smug look faded like smoke.
I leaned closer to Lucien and tilted my head toward them. "You're looking too happy."
Lucien chuckled, his voice low and amused. "I am. You don't know how much I wanted to be here."
For a moment, no one moved.
And then, all at once, the press exploded with questions.
"Mrs. Seres or Ms. Reeves – is this real?"
"Lucien Vale — are you truly engaged?"
"When did your relationship begin?"
"Is this revenge?"
"How long have you been in a relationship?"
I held up a hand. The room turned silent everyone shot me with an expectant look.
"I understand everyone has questions," I said calmly. "But here's all you need to know—"
I turned slightly, my gaze locking with Daniel's.
"All of you witnessed how much I begged for his love. How much I endured his affairs, his cruelty, his public humiliation. But not anymore."
Then my voice dropped, almost to a chilling degree.
"Today marks the end of an old chapter. The woman who cried for him is dead. And the woman standing before you…?"
I turned back to the crowd and smiled.
"She's done begging."
Lucien placed a hand over mine. "She's here to conquer."
A stunned silence fell.
Damien's face paled slightly, but I saw the rage simmering beneath. His pride he so carefully constructed was crumbling. After all, his discarded wife had just publicly become the fiancée of the man he could never beat in business, power, or influence.
He'd lost. In front of everyone.
And he knew it.
Margot tried to pry open her mouth as if to say something, but not a sound came out.
"Let's go," I whispered to Lucien, my head held high.
Together, we turned and walked back down the aisle of suited men. Each step echoed triumph. The cameras flashed behind us, catching the perfect shot of his powerful frame, my confident stride, our entwined arms. I worked so hard to get to this point and I'm not yet done. Until you beg for my forgiveness none of you deserves to live in peace.
Just before I exited the hall, I glanced back one last time.
Damien was staring at me, eyes dark, chest rising with silent fury. My lips curl into a victorious smile.
So, how does it feel?
To be betrayed?
To be replaced?
To realize you were never that man? And that I can always do better?
It's a bitter pill, isn't it?
But it's only the beginning.
They thought I was defeated. That I had surrendered.
What they didn't know was this:
The woman they broke… was already dead.
What stood in her place now was not some weak woman who lets people belittle her.
I was no longer Allesha Seres, the humiliated wife.
I was Esther, once Empress of a fallen empire, reborn in a new world. I've also been betrayed once and my anger has been simmering for quite long.
And this is my act of revenge now as Allesha Reeves.