CHAPTER 3

Vivienne POV

"Hello?" I whispered, pressing the phone harder against my ear. I wiped a stray tear from my cheek, trying to force my voice to sound normal, but the tremor was impossible to hide.

"Am I speaking with Vivienne Hale?" The man on the other end had a deep, incredibly formal voice. He sounded like the kind of person who spent his entire life in high-end boardrooms, speaking with absolute authority.

"Yes, this is Vivienne. Who is this?"

A brief pause stretched over the line, followed by the crisp sound of rustling papers. "My name is Arthur Pendelton, senior partner at Valderama & Associates. I am calling on behalf of my client, Mr. Alexander Valderama."

Alexander Valderama.

Even someone like me, who stayed completely away from business news, knew that name. He was the undisputed king of the country's shipping and real estate industries. The wealthiest man in the Philippines. A tycoon whose net worth could easily buy the entire Montemayor empire ten times over.

"I think you have the wrong number," I said, a bitter, breathless laugh escaping my lips. "I don't know anyone named Valderama. I'm just an orphan."

"We did not make a mistake, Miss Hale," Arthur replied, his tone remaining unshakably calm. "Three weeks ago, our firm quietly acquired a discarded medical sample from a routine checkup you had at St. Jude’s Hospital. We ran a private, high-accuracy DNA profiling against Mr. Valderama. The results came back this morning."

My breath hitched. The cold stone of the fountain felt like ice beneath my hands. "What are you talking about?"

"Twenty-three years ago, Mr. Valderama’s infant daughter was abducted from a private estate. The case was never solved, and he has spent over two decades searching for her. Miss Hale... the DNA match is ninety-nine point nine percent. You are not an orphan. You are the long-lost daughter and the sole legal heir of Alexander Valderama."

The universe had to be playing a sick joke on me.

Just ten minutes ago, I was standing in a dark garden, listening to my fake husband plan my psychological destruction. I was a nobody. A penniless, helpless girl with nowhere to run. And now, a stranger was over the phone telling me I belonged to the most powerful bloodline in the country.

"This can't be real," I stammered, my head spinning. "The Montemayors... they always told me I came from nothing. They made sure I believed it."

"The Montemayors are fools who see only what is right in front of them," Arthur said, his voice dropping into a colder, deadlier register. "Mr. Valderama has been monitoring your situation. He knows how that family has treated you. He knows about the isolation, the rumors, and the absolute lack of respect. He wanted to step in sooner, but we needed the legal paperwork completely ironed out first. As of five o'clock this evening, your status as the primary successor to the Valderama estate is legally binding."

I closed my eyes, letting the words wash over me. For two years, I had begged for a crumb of validation from Ethan’s mother. I had endured Chloe’s insults, thinking I had to pay a price just to be loved. I had twisted myself into a quiet, submissive doll just to fit into their world.

And all this time, the blood running through my veins carried more wealth and power than the entire Montemayor family could ever dream of accumulating in three generations.

"Miss Valderama," Arthur spoke again, his voice snapping me out of my trance. He used the new surname with such casual ease it sent a shiver down my spine. "Your father is currently overseas receiving medical treatment, but he has given me full authority to handle your transition. A private security detail and a luxury vehicle are already stationed two blocks away from the Montemayor estate. You can leave right now. You never have to step foot in that house again."

I looked back toward the main villa. The grand glass windows were glowing with warm light. Inside, the music was playing, the champagne was flowing, and Ethan was likely still holding Elena’s hand, whispering about how easy it was going to be to throw me away like garbage.

They wanted a helpless victim. They wanted an orphan they could easily manipulate, silence, and institutionalize once they were done using her body to secure an inheritance.

A dark, icy calm suddenly settled deep inside my chest. The tears stopped completely. The crushing weight that had been pressing down on my lungs for the past two years evaporated, replaced by a cold, calculating clarity.

If I left right now, quietly disappearing into the night, they would win. Ethan would find another way to secure his board shares, Elena would step into my place, and they would live happily ever after while I carried the trauma of their betrayal for the rest of my life.

No. That was too easy.

They spent two years building a beautiful lie. It was only fair that I helped them watch it burn to the ground.

"Arthur," I said, my voice completely changing. The soft, timid tone of Vivienne Hale was gone. It was replaced by something sharp, steady, and dangerous. "Tell the security detail to wait. I'm not leaving yet."

"Are you certain, Miss Valderama? You don't have to endure their presence for another second."

"I'm not enduring anything anymore," I replied, a small, humorless smile playing on my lips. "Before we finalize the paperwork, I need to know one thing. If I am the sole heir, do I have immediate access to the Valderama legal and financial resources?"

"You have an open-ended corporate black card registered under your name, and our entire legal team is at your disposal twenty-four hours a day. You hold the power of the entire empire, Miss Valderama. You can ruin businesses with a single phone call."

"Perfect," I whispered.

"There is just one final detail I need to clarify for the official registry documents before we file them with the central court tomorrow morning," Arthur said, the sound of a pen clicking echoing through the receiver. "Regarding your current living arrangements... what is your official marital status? Do you have any legal attachments or children with the Montemayor family?"

I turned my body, staring directly at the bright villa, my eyes fixing on the silhouette of Ethan standing by the window.

"I am single," I said, my voice cutting through the night air like a blade. "And I have no children."

"Understood. The registry will be filed as unmarried. Welcome home, Miss Valderama."

I ended the call and slipped the phone back into my purse. I reached up, slowly unclasping the cheap silver necklace Ethan had given me for our first anniversary—the one he told me was an heirloom, but I later found out was just a leftover piece from a corporate giveaway. I tossed it carelessly into the murky water of the fountain.

Adjusting the straps of my plain navy dress, I stood up straight. My shoulders were back, my head held high.

I walked out of the shadows and marched straight back toward the den of vipers.