Chapter 3

Richie shoved me to the ground. Turning his back on me, he wrapped them tightly in his arms and comforted them. “It’s okay. I’m here now. Whoever did this to you is going to pay dearly!”

Melanie latched onto him as if he were her lifeline. She threw her arms around his neck and whined, “Richie, what took you so long? Look at the mess you caused! Those witches tried to set us on fire!”

Then, they started kissing as if they were completely alone.

Crystal covered her eyes.

“Ugh. Dad, Mom, I’m right here.”

Richie held Melanie in his arms like she was some fragile piece of glass.

“What are you talking about? I have no other women in my life. You’re the only one I love. Who hurt you? I’m going to make them pay!”

I watched the affectionate display with icy calm. Then, I began to clap for the loving couple.

“How touching. I’m honestly about to tear up. Who knew you could be such a manly man in private, Richie?”

Hearing my voice, his hands pulled away from Melanie as if they had been scalded by hot iron.

The force of his recoil nearly sent her to the floor.

He turned his head stiffly, and all the color drained from his face when he saw me.

Completely oblivious, Melanie grabbed his head and forced his attention back toward her.

“Honey, don’t get so worked up. Even when you’re getting even for me, your eyes should only be on me.”

Hearing them twist the truth, Megan could not stay silent anymore. She tried to defend me. “They’re the ones who bullied Mom! That girl even stole my necklace!”

Crystal immediately shouted at her, “Your necklace?! You stole that necklace from me!”

I calmed Megan and looked at Richie with an imperious gaze.

“Well, Richie, how exactly are you going to make me pay dearly?”

His lips parted, but no sound came out.

A thin sheen of sweat began breaking out across his forehead.

The watching guests were still clueless, so they snorted at me for being delusional.

“She actually claimed this place was hers earlier. Now that the real owner has shown up, she’s still running her mouth? Isn’t she scared that he’ll break her in half and toss her out like trash?”

“Look at her throwing herself at him, but Mr. Delgado won’t even glance her way. To think she and her daughter stole that pendant from his precious daughter! Women like her should be stripped naked and paraded down the street!”

“Oh, she’s finished. With Mr. Delgado’s power, he could ruin her and her family completely.”

Richie raised his chin a little higher under their flattery.

Melanie’s adoring gaze cemented him more firmly on that pedestal they had built for him.

When his eyes met mine, his jaw tightened as if he had made up his mind.

“You and your daughter have trespassed into our home and committed theft. I have every right to pursue legal action against you.”

Having spoken those words, he seemed to regain confidence.

Meeting my challenging gaze head-on, he no longer flinched. Instead, he adopted a commanding tone like he was the master of the house.

“As for the injury on my daughter’s face, Melanie is very kind. So, she won’t be too hard on you if you just do as she asks.”

Melanie was clearly not thrilled, but she still spoke in a sweet and delicate voice. “As long as you beg for my forgiveness in front of everyone, we’ll let this slide.”

I caught how Richie straightened up, as though he had finally grown a spine.

He was nothing like the man who usually hovered around us with a hunched back and forced smile.

Since he was so determined to buy his dignity by trampling on mine and my daughter’s, I saw no reason to hold back any longer.

I was just about to tell him that he was stripped of his position as CEO of Beran Corp. However, Megan rushed forward and tried to grab his hand. Her eyes were brimming with tears.

“Daddy, how could you do this to Mom?”

Melanie instantly slapped Megan’s hand away. Her eyes were filled with malice.

“Who are you calling Daddy? Any man will do, huh? You’re just like your mother.”

A bold guest chimed in, “Mr. Delgado’s about to press charges, kid. Calling him ‘Daddy’ won’t help you now. But you can try it with us instead. We might help you pay the fines.”

As soon as he said that, Megan could not bring herself to call Richie “Daddy” anymore. Her voice grew steady as she asked, “Why aren’t you saying anything? Didn’t you always say you loved me and Mom the most?”

Richie shoved Megan away and watched with cold indifference as she fell to the ground.

“Don’t be absurd! Keep spreading these lies, and I’ll sue you for defamation.”

Then, he shifted that icy glare to me.

“Know your place. I suggest you do as you’re told before I really lose my patience and you make this worse for yourself!”

I helped my sobbing daughter to her feet and gently brushed the dust from her knees.

After that, I fixed my eyes on Richie and uttered my warning clearly, “Since you’re feeling so mighty tonight, I suppose you’re not afraid of the division of assets that comes with our divorce, Richie.”

The moment I said that, the room erupted in mocking laughter.

“Jesus! Who let this lunatic wander out of the asylum?”

“So, now the lying lunatic isn’t just claiming the house, she’s claiming to be the wife? Asset division? Everything she owns combined wouldn’t even pay for Mr. Delgado’s janitor!”

“Good thing we’re living in modern times. Back in the day, a woman like her would’ve been paraded through town in shame.”

Melanie let out a smug little snort. She was fully convinced that she had won.

Feigning magnanimity, Richie gave me a condescending and triumphant look.

“It’s beneath me to waste another second on a low-class nobody like you. Apologize and get the hell off my property.”

Just as someone shoved a phone in my face to record my humiliation, an authoritative voice thundered from behind us.

“Everyone on site, be quiet! This is an official investigation! We’ve received a report of trespassing. Will the person who made the report please step forward and present identification?”