He set down his cup with a sigh and looked at me like I was a particularly spoiled soufflé that refused to rise. “Zacharias’s family wealth makes Winston look like a pauper. I know what this is about. You don’t want him. You want what he owns.”
“I want everything she has!” I exploded. “Her name in headlines. Her smug little smile. Her stupid calm voice like she’s always five steps ahead. I hate her. I want to be the one married to Zacharias, not… her.”
“And what about Winston?” he said coolly. “The man who bought you that auction–winning painting and jewelries. The man who let you win that race against Scarlett just to soothe your ego. The man who dragged you out when that panther nearly mauled you. That Winston.”
“I didn’t ask him to save me!” I shouted. “I didn’t ask for any of it. I only said yes to him because I thought Zacharias was a corpse! I didn’t think he was ever going to wake up, and now he’s–he’s awake and he’s married to her!”
My voice cracked, and I threw myself down onto the chaise like some tragic heroine. “You don’t get it. I can’t let her win. Not like this.”
Papa exhaled and rubbed his temples. “Alina…”
I sat up and narrowed my eyes. “If you don’t demand Scarlett divorce him, I’ll call Mum and tell her you don’t love me anymore.”
He blinked slowly. “You are a menace.”
“I’m your menace,” I said sweetly. “And I want what’s mine.”
There was a long pause. Then Papa finally gave in with a reluctant sigh. “Fine. I’ll talk to Scarlett.”
I clapped my hands like a child at a birthday party. “Yay!”
“But Alina…” he warned, standing and straightening his cufflinks. “If she says no, and she will, you’ll drop it. Understood?”
I batted my lashes. “Of course, Papa.”
Liar. I had no intention of dropping anything.
Because the girl who once had everything?
She just met the one thing she couldn’t tolerate.
Scarlett Colombo with my crown. And I was going to take it back–one way or another.
12:18 Mon, 19 May GM
***
82%
I wore Valentino red.
Not because I liked her. But because I wanted her to look at me and know she
could never pull it off.
Scarlett was already seated when I walked into the private salon of the Aurelio Estate, calm as ever, sipping something out of a porcelain cup like this was tea time and not a damn confrontation. She looked effortless–like a queen who
didn’t need a crown to burn cities.
Papa stood by the window, quiet, hands clasped behind his back. Which was rare. Usually, he enjoyed orchestrating the show. But today? He looked like a priest caught in a room with two devils and no holy water.
I smiled sweetly as I approached the table, smoothing my dress before sitting across from her. “Scarlett,” I said with a practiced sigh, “thank you for agreeing to meet. I know how precious your time must be now that you’re playing nursemaid to a recovering amnesiac.”
She didn’t even flinch. Just raised one brow and smiled faintly like I was a mildly amusing child who’d spilled wine on a white couch. “Alina,” she said smoothly. “Always such a charmer.”
I ignored the heat crawling up my throat and crossed one leg over the other. “Let’s skip the usual pettiness, shall we? I’m here to offer you something civil. Dignified. A peaceful exit.”
She tilted her head. “A peaceful what?”
“Exit,” I repeated, enunciating it like she was hard of hearing. “You and I both know this marriage of yours–it wasn’t supposed to happen. It was a mess, a tragic little moment of chaos. But Zacharias… he was mine. And you married him while he was unconscious. You know how it looks. But I’m willing to let it go–if you annul it quietly. Let me take over. It’ll be better for everyone. I’ll even pay off your little debts if you want.”
She chuckled. Not laughed. Chuckled. The kind of sound people make when they’re too bored to be angry. She leaned back in her chair and looked at Papa. “You said you raised her better than this.”
He opened his mouth but before he could say a word, Scarlett sliced the air with a glare. “We have a deal, Dad. You abide by yours, and I’ve secured your alliance, I suggest you don’t forget that. Oh, not to mentioned I want my money now. Wired them to my account.”
My Ex–lover Begged for My Love after He Abandoned me
VA 41.7%
12:18 Mon, 19 May G M
Papa shut his mouth and turned away. Traitor.
82%
My fingers curled slightly around the silver spoon next to my glass. “You really think he’ll stay with you?” I asked softly, voice dipped in sugar. “You’re not even his type, Scarlett. Do you know what the press will say once I give them the real story? That you took advantage of a comatose heir. That you stole my fiancé while I was grieving him. The world loved me. They still do.”
Scarlett actually laughed then. “Oh, sweet Alina. That’s the part you still don’t get. The world doesn’t care about your little tragedies anymore.”
I narrowed my eyes. “He doesn’t remember you. He only remembers a blur. A name. A voice. That’s not real. I could-‘
”
“You could what?” she cut in, her voice low, sharp, and silk–lined. “Push more photographers at us? Leak photos of yourself crying in Dior? Turn his recovery into a circus so you can play the victim again?”
I opened my mouth, but she leaned forward, eyes locked on mine like she was daring me to breathe wrong.
“You want Zacharias now? Now that he’s awake and no longer a convenient corpse for your fantasy wedding?” She smiled, slow and venomous. “Why don’t you go play dollhouse with Winston instead? You love doing that, don’t you?”
The heat in my face was wildfire. “Winston is-”
“Was mine,” she cut in, voice gleaming. “But you, being the sneaky little bitch you are, played dress–up and stole him while you were pushing Papa to marry me off to a man you thought would never wake up. And now you want to reverse it all? How convenient.”
I snapped. “Don’t call me a bitch-”
She stood, brushing invisible dust off her coat. “Oh, I will. I am. And unlike you, I don’t beg for what I want. I take it.”
My breath was shallow now. Rage clawing at my chest.
Scarlett’s voice lowered into a whisper, just for me. “Even if you fell to your knees and begged, I would never divorce him. He’s mine now. And I’m going to burn down everything you and Winston built. Slowly. While you watch. So go ahead. Cry to Papa. Call Winston. Tell the tabloids. But just remember–he woke up, and the first thing he remembered… was me.”
Then she turned, heels clicking against marble, and walked away. I sat there, shaking with fury, chest tight, throat burning.
Scarlett declared war
244
1554
12:18 Mon, 19 May GM.
Scarlett declared war.
And I don’t lose wars.
I end them.
82%
12:19 Mon, 19 May GJM
WINSTON’S POV
