Todos los capítulos de HE PLANNED TO DIVORCE ME, SO I DUMPED HIM FIRST : Capítulo 41 - Capítulo 50

The morning of the gala arrived quiet and clear.Amelia stood in front of the full-length mirror in the master bedroom, fastening the last hook at the back of her dress. The gown was deep emerald, clean and elegant, the same one Adrian had approved weeks earlier when she still pretended this night would be ordinary. She smoothed the fabric over her hips, checked the line of her shoulders, and looked at her own face in the glass. It was calm. Her hands were steady.Her phone buzzed on the vanity.Chloe.Amelia stepped into the walk-in closet and closed the door halfway before she answered.“Everything you asked me to handle is done,” Chloe said without greeting. Her voice was low and even. “We’re good on this side.”“Thank you.”“You’re sure about tonight?”“Yes.”Chloe was quiet for a second. “Okay. We’re ready when you are. Be careful.”Amelia ended the call. Almost immediately the phone rang again. This time it was her mother.“We’re set,” Margaret Valmont said. “Your father and Ale

The ballroom doors opened again, and a small group stepped inside. Richard Valmont walked in first. He was tall and composed in a dark suit that fit him, the kind of presence that did not need to announce itself. Margaret was beside him, elegant and reserved, her posture straight and her expression calm. A few of their people followed at a respectful distance, moving as if they understood exactly how much space to leave. Almost immediately, a staff member near the entrance straightened and spoke quickly into his earpiece. Within moments several of the senior Cross executives turned to look, their conversations pausing just long enough to register the arrival. Adrian was speaking with two board members near one of the tall floral arrangements when someone leaned in and murmured something close to his ear. His expression changed at once. The easy smile he had been wearing sharpened into something more focused. He excused himself without hesitation and crossed the floor with long, purp

Adrian had only taken a few steps back into the ballroom when Gloria and Claire reached him.The noise of the room still moved around them—glasses, low conversation, the distant scrape of chairs—but the space immediately surrounding him felt tighter. Gloria’s expression was controlled, but the tension in her face was clear. Claire stood slightly behind her, arms crossed, eyes sharp.“Where were you?” Gloria asked, her voice low and tight. “The entire room was waiting. The MC had to call Amelia up to speak in your place.”Claire’s tone was sharper. “People were starting to talk. What was so important that you disappeared right when the program began?”Adrian adjusted his jacket with a small, deliberate movement and kept his voice smooth. “Victoria and I needed to finalize one last detail before the announcement. It’s handled. Everything is ready.”Gloria’s face eased only slightly. The hard line of her mouth softened, but the calculation in her eyes remained. “It’s about time. We’ve wa

 Adrian’s voice cut through the noise.“That’s enough.” He took another step toward the stage, his face tight with anger and something close to panic. The polished control he had worn all evening was gone. “I love Victoria. I am going to marry her. You and I are finished. Take the settlement, leave quietly, and stop this. You are embarrassing yourself and everyone in this room.”For a moment no one moved.The ballroom held its breath around the two of them. Cameras were still raised. People near the front remained half-standing. The frozen image from the second video still lingered on the large screen behind the stage — Adrian and Victoria in the service corridor, caught in the middle of something they could no longer explain away.Then a chair scraped hard against the floor.Alexander stood up.“Who the hell do you think you are?” His voice was loud enough to carry cleanly a

The moment Amelia and her family disappeared through the ballroom doors, the journalists closed in on Adrian like a wave. “Mr. Cross, are you going to apologize to your wife?” “Are you choosing Miss Victoria over Mrs. Cross?” “Both women are pregnant — which child are you going to claim?” “Is the Valmont Group fully withdrawing their investment?” “What happens to Cross Enterprises now?” The questions came from every direction at once. Microphones were pushed toward his face. Cameras flashed nonstop. Someone grabbed at his sleeve. Adrian opened his mouth, but no clear answer came out. His mind was still stuck on the screen, on Amelia’s voice, on the thirty-two percent that had just walked out of the building with her. Victoria moved first. She stepped in front of him, raising both hands toward the cameras. “That’s enough. The gala is over. Mr. Cross will