Chapter 5: Broken Vows

Vicky

The Grand Regency Ballroom was packed with crystal chandeliers, expensive tuxedos, and the richest people in the city. Everyone who mattered was there for the annual Imperial Gala.

It was also Philip’s thirty-fifth birthday.

This morning, while he stood by the bedroom window buttoning his shirt, I walked up behind him with a sweet smile and wrapped my arms around his waist.

“Happy birthday, darling,” I whispered gently in his ear. “I have a very special surprise planned for you tonight. Something big. Something you will never forget for as long as you live.”

Philip had turned around and looked down at me with that superior smile I had grown to hate. He cupped my face in his hands, playing the perfect loving husband.

“Oh, sweetheart… I thought you completely forgot about my birthday with everything going on,” he said, kissing my forehead. “You don’t need to throw a big surprise for me. And please, stop stressing about us not having a baby yet, okay? You worrying about getting pregnant only makes your dizziness worse. I love you just the way you are, Victoria. Your health is all that matters to me.”

I love you just the way you are.

He loved that I was childless, weak, and slowly being poisoned into an early grave so he could inherit my family’s billions without an heir in his way.

Now, standing in the middle of the crowded ballroom next to Jane, Philip looked like a man who owned the world. He adjusted his cufflinks, practically glowing with pride, fully expecting my “birthday surprise” to be a public announcement that I was handing over control of my fortune to him.

“Victoria, sweetie, are you sure you should be standing so long?” Jane purred, touching my arm with fake worry. “All these bright camera lights… wouldn’t you feel better sitting down?”

“I’ve never felt better, Jane,” I said, keeping my voice cool and confident.

I wore a floor-length dark blue velvet dress that hugged my curves perfectly. Paired with my mother’s diamond necklace, I didn’t look like a sick woman losing her mind—I looked like a queen inspecting her property.

“Look at them watching us,” Philip whispered, leaning in close with a fake smile for the news photographers. “Victoria, when the reporters ask about the family money tonight, let me do the talking. We don’t want them thinking you’re too sick to handle business.”

“Oh, don’t worry, Philip,” I replied with a sweet, dangerous smile. “I’m going to give you your birthday present right now.”

A sudden hush fell over the room as the host stepped up to the microphone on stage.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome!” the host announced, his voice booming over the speakers. “To start tonight’s main event, please welcome the owner of the company—Mrs. Victoria!”

The crowd clapped warmly.

Philip puffed out his chest and stepped forward to walk up the stage steps with me to share the spotlight. But before his foot touched the bottom step, I put my hand firmly on his chest and stopped him cold.

“Stay here, Philip,” I whispered, staring straight into his eyes. “This is my moment.”

I left him standing there and walked past him up the wooden steps.

I stood behind the microphone. The room went completely silent. Hundreds of eyes and flashing cameras locked onto me. In the front row, Philip stood with his hands in his pockets, beaming with greedy expectation, while Jane stood right next to him.

“Good evening, everyone,” I began. My voice was clear and strong.

“Tonight is very special. Not only are we celebrating our family’s business, but today is also my husband Philip’s thirty-fifth birthday.”

The crowd clapped, and several people turned to smile at Philip. He bowed his head modestly, a smug look in his eyes.

“This morning,” I continued, leaning toward the mic, “Philip reminded me of how much he loves me just the way I am. He told me not to worry about our lack of kids, or my health, because all he ever wanted was to take care of me.”

A few older women in the front row let out soft “awws.” Philip’s smile grew wider.

“So tonight, for his birthday, I decided to give him a gift he will never forget.”

I stopped and let the silence settle heavy over the room.

“As of 5:00 PM today, my entire family fortune, all stocks, and total control of the company have been locked inside an irrevocable bloodline trust. No outside person, no husband, and no marital claim can ever touch a single dollar of my money.”

Gasps echoed across the ballroom. Company board members leaned in, whispering frantically, while reporters scrambled to record every word.

Philip’s fake smile dropped instantly. His face went deathly pale, and his cheek twitched out of control.

“And finally,” I said, my voice as sharp as a razor, “to make sure my life stays completely clean of trash… happy birthday, Philip. I am officially divorcing you.”

The entire ballroom exploded into loud chaos. Flashing cameras blinded the stage, reporters screamed questions, and socialites covered their mouths in shock.

Philip stood frozen, like he had just been hit by a train. His mouth hung open, his eyes bulging in pure terror as his entire three-year plan to poison me and take my fortune crumbled to pieces in front of the whole world.

I stepped away from the mic, ignored the loud press, and walked down the stage steps.

The crowd split down the middle like the Red Sea, opening a clear path straight to Philip, who was trembling in the middle of the floor.

I reached into my small handbag and pulled out a heavy legal folder stamped in bold red ink: PETITION FOR DIVORCE.

I walked right up to him and stopped inches from his chest. His eyes were wide, bloodshot, and filled with utter panic.

“V-Victoria…” Philip choked out, sweat pouring down his neck. “What… What the hell are you doing?! Is this some sick birthday joke?!”

I didn’t say a word.

With a fast, hard motion, I slammed the heavy divorce papers straight against his chest.

Philip’s hands automatically grabbed the folder to keep it from hitting the floor, hugging the proof of his total ruin against his suit jacket.

“Happy birthday, Philip,” I whispered, leaning in so only he could hear me. “Sign them. Because if you don’t… my next gift to you will be a police report and a poison test.”

I pulled back and looked at his terrified, ruined face one last time.

Without waiting for him to speak, I turned on my heels, brushed right past a trembling, speechless Jane, and walked straight out of the ballroom as every camera in the room captured his public fall.