The Billionaire's Ex-Wife Is The Real Heiress 의 모든 챕터: 챕터 1 - 챕터 10

Vivienne POVI stood in the middle of the city hall, staring at the screen of my phone.Inside my bag were the torn pieces of my marriage certificate. It was a stupid accident. Our dog had knocked over a vase on my nightstand this morning, and while I was trying to save the framed document from the water, the damp paper tore right down the middle.I had panicked. Two years of being married to Ethan Montemayor, and I was still superstitious enough to think a torn document was a bad omen. So, I took an early lunch break from the bookstore where I worked and rushed here to get a replacement. I wanted it fixed before Ethan got home from his corporate meetings."Next," the clerk said, not even looking up.I walked up to the counter and handed her the pieces. "Hi. I accidentally tore my marriage certificate. Can I get a certified copy?"The woman took the papers, typed a few things into her computer, and waited. Then she typed again. Her forehead creased. She looked at the paper, then at th

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 ha

Vivienne POVThe cool night air felt amazing against my skin the second I walked out of the Montemayor mansion. Behind me, the muffled sound of the party was still going, but I didn't care. I walked down the sweeping stone steps, my heels clicking loudly in the quiet driveway.Two blocks away, just like Arthur had said, a sleek, black luxury sedan was idling under the shade of a large acacia tree. The headlights were dimmed, but the car looked like a shadow waiting to swallow the night. As soon as I approached, the driver’s door opened. A man in a sharp black suit and an earpiece stepped out, instantly bowing his head."Miss Valderama," he said, opening the passenger door for me. "Mr. Pendelton sends his regards. We are ready whenever you are."Hearing that name again made my chest tighten. Miss Valderama. It still felt surreal, like a jacket that was a few sizes too big, but I climbed into the back seat anyway. The door closed with a solid, heavy thud, cutting off the outside world c

Vivienne POVThe black pen felt heavy in my hand, but it was a good kind of heavy. For two years, my signature didn’t mean a thing. I couldn't even sign a lease or a utility bill without Ethan’s lawyers looking over my shoulder, reminding me that I had nothing of my own.Now, with a few strokes of ink, I held fifty-one percent of the country’s largest shipping conglomerate."Is there a specific way you want to handle the board meeting tomorrow, Vivienne?" Thomas asked, leaning forward. His voice was hushed, respecting the quiet atmosphere of the restaurant. "The Montemayor Group thinks they are walking in to sign a done deal with our board directors. They have no idea Alexander Valderama has a daughter, let alone that she now has the final say."I stared at my signature on the smooth white paper. The ink was still drying."Who is representing the Montemayors at the meeting?" I asked."Ethan himself," Thomas replied. "Along with his father, Richard, and their lead financial consultant,

Vivienne POVThe silence that followed the sound of tearing paper was loud. It filled the massive boardroom, heavy and suffocating.Ethan stared at the two neat halves of the contract lying on the polished wood. His hands stayed hovered in the air, his fingers twitching slightly as if he wanted to reach out and try to piece the fibers back together. He looked completely frozen. For two years, I had seen him angry, annoyed, and indifferent, but I had never seen him look utterly powerless.It was a strange feeling. I expected to feel a massive rush of adrenaline, or maybe a sense of panic. Instead, I just felt cold, quiet, and incredibly focused."Vivienne," Ethan whispered. He finally looked up at me, his eyes wide and dark with a mixture of disbelief and desperation. "You can't do this. This is a mistake. We're talking about a business deal that has been in the works for six months. You don't understand how these things work."He was still doing it