CHAPTER 4

The silence in the hotel lobby was deafening.

Silas White’s face turned from a fiery red to a ghostly, sickly pale.

He stared at Liora’s hand, which was tucked firmly into the crook of Mavric’s arm.

He stared at the way Mavric stood possessive, looming, and dangerous.

"Husband?" Silas finally managed to choke out.

His voice was trembling, a mix of disbelief and sheer terror.

"Liora, stop this nonsense. You’ve been drugged, you’re confused!"

He turned to the police officers standing behind him.

"Officer, look at her! She’s not in her right mind!"

"Mavric Thorne must have forced her to say this!"

Mavric didn't even look at the police.

He looked at Silas as if he were a particularly annoying insect.

"Force her?" Mavric’s voice was a low, silky threat.

"Silas, do you really think I need to force a woman to be with me?"

"The only thing being forced tonight is your exit from this building."

Mavric’s grip on Liora’s waist tightened, a silent show of support.

Liora stepped forward, her chin tilted high.

She looked at her father the man who had sold her for a business deal.

The man who had stood by while her mother’s legacy was stripped away.

"I’ve never been clearer in my life, Father," Liora said.

Her voice was cold, echoing through the marble-clad lobby.

"In fact, for the first time in twenty-four years, I can finally see everything."

She turned her gaze to Sarah, who was trembling behind Silas.

Sarah was clutching her pearls, her eyes darting around the room.

She was looking for a camera, a reporter any way to save her image.

"Sarah, dear," Liora said, her voice dripping with fake sweetness.

"Why are you hiding? Weren't you the one so 'worried' about me?"

"Weren't you the one who saw me enter a room with a 'strange man'?"

Sarah flinched. The reporters in the crowd began to whisper.

They were smart enough to see the cracks in Sarah’s story.

If Liora was with Mavric Thorne, he wasn't exactly a "strange man."

He was the man every woman in the city dreamt of.

"I... I was just..." Sarah stammered, her eyes filling with fake tears.

"I only wanted to make sure you were safe, Liora! I didn't know!"

"You didn't know?" Liora laughed. It was a sharp, dry sound.

"You didn't know that you were the one who handed me that glass of juice?"

"The one that made my head spin and my legs go weak?"

The crowd gasped. The police officers exchanged uneasy looks.

Silas stepped in, trying to shield his favorite daughter.

"Enough! Liora, you are shaming your sister! You are shaming this family!"

"This family shamed itself the moment it started treating me like a pawn," Liora countered.

She looked at the Head of Security standing nearby.

"Bring the tablet."

The security guard stepped forward and handed a sleek device to Mavric.

Mavric took it and held it up for everyone to see.

"My hotel has the most advanced surveillance system in the world," Mavric announced.

His voice carried to every corner of the lobby.

"Not just video. But thermal and motion sensors."

"Let's see what happened at exactly 9:45 PM tonight."

He swiped the screen. A high-definition video began to play.

It was projected onto the large LED screen behind the reception desk.

The lobby went silent as the video showed Sarah White.

She was standing in a corner of the gala, talking to a waiter.

In the video, she clearly handed him a small vial.

Then, she pointed toward Liora, who was standing alone by the balcony.

The crowd erupted in murmurs.

"Is that... is she drugging her own sister?" someone whispered loudly.

Sarah’s face went from pale to a translucent, sickly white.

"That's a lie!" Sarah screamed, her voice cracking. "That video is fake!"

"Mavric Thorne is powerful, he could have edited that!"

Mavric didn't even blink. He swiped the screen again.

"Then explain this," Mavric said.

The screen showed a bank transfer record.

It was a payment of $50,000 from Sarah White’s private account to the waiter.

The timestamp was thirty minutes after the gala began.

"The waiter has already been detained," Mavric added coldly.

"He’s currently giving a full statement to my legal team."

Silas White felt the world spinning.

His reputation, his company, his standing in high society...

It was all evaporating in the heat of Mavric Thorne’s fury.

"Liora, please..." Silas whispered, his voice cracking.

"We can talk about this at home. This is a family matter."

"I don't have a home anymore, Silas," Liora replied.

"The moment you allowed Sarah to target me, you lost a daughter."

"The moment you tried to use the police to 'save' me from my own husband..."

"...you became nothing more than a stranger to me."

Mavric looked at the police officers.

"Officers, I believe you have enough evidence for an attempted assault."

"And perhaps a deeper investigation into the White family’s finances."

The lead officer nodded, his face stern.

"Mr. White, Miss Sarah, we’re going to need you to come with us."

"We have some questions regarding the illegal substance used tonight."

"No! You can't do this!" Sarah wailed as an officer reached for her arm.

"Marcus! Marcus, do something!"

She turned to Marcus, her 'hero' from the past life.

But Marcus was already backing away into the shadows of the lobby.

He was a coward who only cared about his own skin.

When he saw Mavric’s eyes land on him, he turned and ran toward the exit.

"Don't bother," Mavric said to his guards. "He won't get far."

"Every bank account associated with Marcus Miller is frozen as of five minutes ago."

"He’s a dead man walking in this industry."

As the police led a screaming Sarah and a broken Silas away, the lobby fell into a tense, respectful silence.

The reporters were frantic, typing on their phones, sending the story of the century to their editors.

The Rebirth of Liora White. The Thorne Marriage. The White Family Scandal.

Liora stood there, watching them go.

She didn't feel the joy she thought she would.

She felt a cold, hollow satisfaction.

This was only the first layer of her revenge.

There were still five years of pain to pay back.

Suddenly, she felt a large, warm hand on the back of her neck.

Mavric pulled her back toward the elevator.

He didn't say a word until the gold doors closed, shielding them from the world.

He let go of her waist and leaned against the mirrored wall.

"You handled that well," he said.

His voice was no longer cold; it was intrigued.

"Most women would have cried. You just watched them burn."

Liora looked at her reflection. Her eyes were hard, like diamonds.

"Crying is for the weak, Mavric. I’m done being weak."

"I can see that," he said, stepping closer.

He reached out and traced the line of her jaw with his thumb.

The touch sent a spark through her, a reminder of the drug still in her blood.

"But don't forget, Liora. You still belong to the Thorne family now."

"And the Thorne family has its own set of rules."

Liora looked up at him, her gaze unwavering.

"I’m a quick learner."

The elevator dinked, arriving at the penthouse floor.

As the doors opened, Liora realized her life had truly changed.

The "Hidden Wife" was no longer a secret to the world.

She was now the most famous woman in the city.

And the most dangerous man in the city was her only ally.

"Go to sleep, Liora," Mavric said, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"Tomorrow, the real war begins."

Liora walked into the luxurious penthouse, the silk of Mavric's jacket still heavy on her shoulders.

She didn't go to bed immediately.

She went to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked out at the city.

The lights twinkled like distant stars.

Somewhere out there, Marcus was running.

Sarah was sitting in a cold interrogation room.

And Silas was realizing he had lost his greatest asset.

Liora touched the glass, her breath fogging the surface.

"I’m coming for everything you have," she whispered to the city.

"And I’m not stopping until the name 'White' is a curse."

She turned back to the room and saw Mavric watching her.

He was pouring a glass of whiskey, his movements fluid and masculine.

He didn't look like a hero. He looked like a king-maker.

"Why are you helping me this much?" Liora asked suddenly.

Mavric paused, the amber liquid swirling in the glass.

"Because, Liora," he said, looking at her over the rim.

"I like a woman who knows how to use a knife."

"And you... you’re a master at it."

He finished the drink in one go and set the glass down.

"The guest room is the first door on the right. My room is at the end of the hall."

"Don't wander around. The security system will tase you if you step into the wrong zone."

Liora nodded. She walked toward the guest room, but stopped at the door.

"Mavric?"

"What?"

"Thank you."

Mavric didn't reply. He just turned off the lights in the lounge.

Liora entered the room and closed the door.

She lay on the bed, her mind racing.

She was tired, her body aching, but for the first time in two lifetimes...

...she felt safe.

She closed her eyes, and for the first time in five years, sleep didn't come with nightmares.

It came with the image of a burning car—and the knowledge that she was the one holding the match.

Meanwhile, in the police station.

Sarah White sat under the harsh fluorescent lights.

"I want my lawyer!" she screamed for the hundredth time.

"Your lawyer isn't coming, Miss White," the officer said, dropping a folder on the table.

"It seems your family’s firm just declared bankruptcy."

"And every lawyer in this city is currently refusing to take your call."

Sarah’s heart stopped. "Bankruptcy? That’s impossible! We were fine this morning!"

"Mavric Thorne is a fast worker," the officer shrugged.

"He bought your debt, called it in, and liquidated your assets in two hours."

Sarah slumped back, her world turning black.

She thought she was the one playing the game.

But she hadn't realized that Liora had brought a god to the table.

And the god of the Thorne family didn't know the meaning of mercy.

END OF CHAPTER 4…