Before the World Burns: The CEO's Regret and the Queen of th
In her previous life, Victoria Vance lived as the overlooked, plus-size hidden wife of billionaire CEO Julian Sterling under a cold contract marriage. Mocked by high-society elites and taken for granted by Julian, her life was upended when an unexpected pregnancy threatened Julian's lifelong devotion to his slender childhood savior, Chloe Bennett, who framed Victoria and caused a tragic fall. When a sudden bio-hazard catastrophe struck, Julian believed Chloe's forged contamination files and left a bleeding Victoria locked in a vault while carrying Chloe to safety.
Dying in the dark, Victoria's love turned to ice. Waking up ninety days before the apocalypse, she wastes no time on tears. Armed with future knowledge, she signs an unconditional divorce, liquidates her assets, and utilizes her hidden master engineering skills to construct an impenetrable subterranean fortress. When the world collapses and Julian's billions become worthless, he and Chloe face starvation at her blast doors, only to discover that the plus-size ex-wife he left to die is now the absolute sovereign ruler of the new world, demanding complete submission before she grants any form of mercy or intimacy.
قراءة
Chapter: The Inner SanctumThe heavy steel bulkheads of Sector 7 absorbed the impact of Julian's fists without even a hollow ring. Outside, the toxic rain hissed against the reinforced metal, turning the air into a suffocating green haze that smelled of burning ozone and decay. Julian pressed his forehead against the cold surface of the door, his chest heaving as the brutal reality set in. He was locked out. The man who owned half the skyline of the metropolis was standing in the mud, completely powerless against a vault built by the wife he had spent five years underestimating.Deep inside the subterranean command hub, three hundred feet beneath the churning earth, the air was crisp, sterile, and perfectly climate controlled. Victoria stood in front of the master surveillance wall, her hazel eyes scanning the exterior camera feeds. On screen, Julian looked smaller than he had in the boardrooms of Sterling Enterprises. His tailored suit was speckled with toxic moisture, his dark hair damp against his forehead,
آخر تحديث: 2026-10-31
Chapter: The Iron GateThe air inside the upper executive office of Sterling Tower tasted like chilled glass and old paper. Down below, the streetlights flickered and died as the municipal grid gave out under the sudden, massive strain of emergency power rerouting. Julian stood frozen by the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, his hand still resting against the cold pane. Across the skyline, the sky had completely lost its natural blue, replaced by a bruised, sickly violet canopy that radiated an eerie, silent glow.Katherine lowered her walking cane against the hardwood floor with a sharp, echoing thud that broke the heavy silence."You can stand there staring at the sky until your eyes bleed, Julian, but it will not change what is coming," Katherine said, her voice cutting through the quiet room with razor-sharp authority. "While you were busy playing protector to a woman who hides behind tears, your real wife spent the last ninety days building an ark of steel and concrete while you slept."Julian turned slo
آخر تحديث: 2026-10-31
Chapter: The Weight of SteelThe private jet touched down on the tarmac with a harsh, heavy jolt that rattled the landing gear. Outside the oval cabin window, the skyline of the metropolis loomed beneath a dull, gray haze, looking ordinary and entirely unaware of the clock ticking down its final days. Julian did not wait for the ground crew to roll up the mobile staircase. He grabbed his tailored coat, pushed past a startled flight attendant, and strode down the steps into the biting wind.Chloe hurried behind him, her heels clicking rapidly against the concrete as she tried to match his long, furious strides."Julian, wait for me," she called out, her voice thin against the roar of the idling jet engines. "Where are we going? Are we heading back to the estate?""We are going to the main downtown office," Julian said without turning his head. His jaw was clenched so tight his teeth ached. The digital logs on his tablet had been flashing warning lights for the last hour. The corporate legal division had flagged a
آخر تحديث: 2026-10-30
Chapter: The Sound of Closing DoorsThe private jet cabin smelled of French leather, expensive roasted coffee beans, and the faint, sweet trace of Chloe's jasmine perfume. Julian sat at the mahogany conference table built into the aircraft, his laptop open to a live feed of the global financial markets. His eyes were bloodshot. He had not slept in thirty-six hours, driven by a raw, burning agitation that clawed at his chest every time he looked at his phone and saw zero missed calls from Victoria.Across the aisle, Chloe lounged against the plush white leather seats, her blonde hair cascading over her shoulders in soft curls. She wore a cream cashmere sweater that hugged her slender frame, her expression carefully tuned to project a fragile, devoted vulnerability."Julian, darling, you are pushing yourself too hard," Chloe murmured, unbuckling her seatbelt and sliding over to his side of the aisle. She rested a manicured hand against his forearm, her fingers tracing the edge of his crisp white sleeve. "Victoria will tur
آخر تحديث: 2026-10-30
Chapter: The Empty VaultThe silence in the master bedroom felt heavy, pressing down on Julian's chest with a physical weight that made it hard to breathe. His gaze remained locked on the single gold band resting on the linen pillow. The metal caught the pale morning light, gleaming with an offensive, mocking brightness.He took two long strides forward and snatched the ring, his fingers closing so tightly around it that the sharp edges bit into his skin. This was another test. It had to be. Victoria was throwing a tantrum because he spent the night downstairs with Chloe. She was making a point, acting out in the most dramatic way possible to force him to chase her.He spun around, fully intending to storm down to the garage, drag her back upstairs, and force her to listen to reason. But as he crossed the room, his foot caught the edge of the manila folder she had left behind on the mattress. The papers spilled out across the floor.Julian crouched down, gathering the pages with an impatient curse. His eyes s
آخر تحديث: 2026-10-30
Chapter: The Scent of panicThe hallway outside the master suite was cold enough to frost glass. Julian did not move toward the door for a full five seconds, his boots glued to the hardwood as his mind tried to process the physical shock of what Victoria had just done. A woman who had spent five years absorbing his moods, folding his clothes, and accepting his absences without a single raised voice had just shoved him away and tossed a stack of legal papers onto his bed.The shrieking from downstairs cut through the silence again, sharper this time."Julian, please, you have to come down!" Chloe's voice echoed up the grand staircase, wobbling with theatrical panic. "Something is happening outside the gates!"With a low curse, Julian turned on his heel, abandoning the bedroom without looking back at Victoria. He did not sign the papers. He did not accept her defiance. In his mind, this was just another emotional outburst, a dramatic reaction to feeling neglected while he managed Chloe's fragile state. He would de
آخر تحديث: 2026-10-30
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