The silence in the Grand Imperial Ballroom was so thick it was suffocating. Hundreds of eyes were pinned on the woman in the blood-red dress. Luella Qiao stood amidst the splendor she had once been born to inherit, her presence alone enough to turn the celebratory atmosphere into a courtroom.
Tiffany Qiao's hand trembled as she reached out to grab Julian's arm, her knuckles turning white. Julian, the man who had promised Luella forever before testifying against her, looked like he had been struck by lightning. His mouth hung slightly open, his gaze trapped between Luella's cold, beautiful face and the powerful man standing behind her.
"Luella... you're... you're alive?" Tiffany finally choked out, her voice high and brittle. She tried to force a smile, but it looked more like a grimace. "We all thought—the police said there was an accident at the facility. We mourned for you!"
Luella took a slow, deliberate step forward. The click of her designer heels echoed like a ticking clock. "Mourned? That's a strange word to use, Tiffany. Is that why you're wearing my mother's heirloom diamond necklace tonight? Is that how you mourn? By stripping the 'dead' of their belongings before the body is even cold?"
The crowd gasped. Whispers broke out like wildfire.
"Is that really the Qiao heirloom?" "I thought Tiffany said it was a gift from her father for her engagement..."
Tiffany's hand flew to her neck, covering the shimmering diamonds. "I—this was—Father gave it to me because he didn't want it to gather dust! Luella, you've been gone for five years. You can't just walk in here and start making accusations!"
"I didn't walk in here to make accusations," Luella said, her voice dropping to a dangerous, silky whisper. "I walked in here to take back what is mine."
Suddenly, a heavy hand landed on Luella's waist. The heat of it burned through the silk of her dress. Xavier Vane stepped forward, his cold eyes scanning Tiffany and Julian as if they were nothing more than insects beneath his expensive shoes.
"Is there a problem here?" Xavier's baritone voice rumbled, vibrating through the room.
The mention of his name caused several people in the front row to instinctively step back. In North City, Xavier Vane wasn't just a CEO; he was a kingmaker. If he supported someone, they were untouchable. If he targeted them, they were erased.
Julian finally found his voice, though it was weak. "Mr. Vane, I think there's been a misunderstanding. This woman... she has a criminal record. She was convicted of embezzlement from the Qiao Group. We don't know why she's with you, but you should be careful."
Xavier didn't even look at Julian. He kept his eyes on Luella, his expression unreadable. "A criminal record? That's interesting. Because according to the files I've recently acquired, the 'evidence' used in that trial was curiously fabricated. In fact," he turned his gaze to Julian, "I'm currently looking for the person who signed those false affidavits. Do you know anything about that, Mr. Lin?"
Julian's face went from pale to ghostly. He began to sweat, the collar of his tuxedo suddenly feeling too tight. "I... I only reported what I saw..."
"Then you must have very poor eyesight," Xavier said coldly. He looked around the room, his voice projecting to the furthest corners. "Let me make this clear to everyone in attendance. Luella Qiao is no longer a 'disgraced' daughter. She is my wife. And an insult to her is an insult to the Vane family."
The room exploded into a roar of hushed conversations. Wife? When did they marry? How did a woman who was supposedly dead manage to capture the heart of the most untouchable bachelor in the country?
Luella looked up at Xavier. She knew this was part of the contract, a performance for the public, but the way he held her felt terrifyingly real. For a moment, she forgot about her revenge and felt a flicker of something else—a strange sense of safety she hadn't felt in five long years.
"Luella!" A booming voice interrupted the chaos.
Philip Qiao, Luella's father, pushed through the crowd. He looked older, his hair grayer, but his eyes were still full of the same stern judgment that had broken Luella's heart years ago. He stopped in front of her, his chest heaving.
"You have a lot of nerve showing your face here," Philip growled. "You brought shame to this family. You stole from your own blood!"
"I never stole a cent from you, Father," Luella said, her voice cracking slightly before she hardened it. "The only people who stole anything are the two people standing next to you. They stole my life, my reputation, and my mother's memory. And you? You gave it to them on a silver platter."
"Enough!" Philip raised his hand as if to strike her.
Before he could even move an inch, Xavier's hand shot out, catching Philip's wrist in a grip of iron. The sound of bones creaking was audible in the silence.
"Mr. Qiao," Xavier said, his voice dropping to a temperature that could freeze blood. "I suggest you remember whose wife you are reaching for. If that hand moves toward her again, I will ensure the Qiao Group doesn't survive until midnight."
Philip looked at Xavier, then at the silent, watching crowd, and finally at Luella. He realized, with a sinking feeling, that the power dynamic had shifted. The daughter he had discarded was no longer a beggar. She was a queen with an army behind her.
Luella leaned in close to her father, so only he, Tiffany, and Julian could hear. "This is just the beginning. By the time I'm done, you won't just lose your jewelry and your fiancé, Tiffany. You'll lose every single thing you ever took from me. Sleep well tonight. It's the last time you'll do so in that house."
Without waiting for a response, Luella turned on her heel. "Xavier, I'm bored of this party. Let's leave."
Xavier nodded, his hand remaining firmly on her waist as he led her toward the exit. The crowd parted like the Red Sea, everyone bowing their heads as the most powerful couple in North City walked out, leaving a trail of destruction behind them.