The Party of Humiliation
Inside the Grand Monarch Hotel, the ballroom spilled over with luxury. Crystal chandeliers glittered overhead, waiters moved gracefully with silver trays, and the air was filled with the self-satisfied hum of the city’s elite. Marco stood at the center of it all, champagne in hand, his arm wrapped around Valerie, his grin overflowing with pride.
“Congratulations, Marco! I hear the mysterious Chairwoman of the company is attending tonight,” an executive said. “Hope you impress her!”
“Of course,” Marco replied, arrogance seeping from every syllable. “I’m their best VP. And who wouldn’t be impressed with Valerie and me? We’re the perfect power couple.”
They laughed, completely unaware that the very woman whose dress Marco had burned hours earlier was about to walk in.
Suddenly, the orchestra stopped. The lights cut out. A single spotlight sliced through the darkness, aimed directly at the grand entrance.
Mr. Sebastian stepped onto the stage.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” he announced, his voice ringing like a decree, “after a long period of maintaining her privacy, it is my great honor to introduce the one and only owner and Supreme Chairwoman of Vanguard Empire… Madame Clara Vanguard!”
The Arrival of Light and Truth
The mahogany doors swung open. Twelve armed bodyguards entered first, forming a V-shape, their presence like a moving fortress.
And at their center… I walked in.
A midnight-blue gown shimmered with real diamonds. Around my neck, the Heart of the Ocean necklace caught the light. My hair was perfectly styled, my posture carrying absolute authority and control.
Billionaires, politicians, and celebrities erupted into applause. Camera flashes exploded like lightning. But my gaze locked onto Marco—and I watched his champagne glass slip from his hand.
CRASH!
His face drained of color. His body stiffened. Valerie froze beside him, her smile collapsing into fear.
“C-Clara…?” Marco whispered, his voice trembling as though even the air had turned against him. “I… I-impossible… s-she’s my wife…”
I walked toward him slowly, the crowd parting in silence. I stopped just inches away and let my gaze sweep over him, mirroring the same contempt he had shown me only hours before.
“Good evening, Marco,” I said, my smile ice-cold. “I’m here. Sorry I’m a bit late. My husband burned the dress I was supposed to wear.”
Executives nearby exchanged confused looks.
“B-babe… w-what does this mean…?” Marco stammered. “Y-you’re the Chairwoman…?! You own Vanguard Empire?!”
“The company you’re so proud of? Yes, it’s mine,” I replied calmly. Then I turned to Valerie, who was now visibly shaking.
“And you, Valerie. Didn’t you tell my husband you’d look perfect together tonight because you both come from high society? What a pity—you’ll both be unemployed by tomorrow.”
Valerie broke instantly. “M-Madame Chairwoman… I didn’t know he was your husband! He was the one who flirted with me!”
The Final Punishment
Marco collapsed to his knees. The man who had called me trash hours earlier now sobbed in front of hundreds.
“Clara! Please forgive me! I didn’t mean it! I was drunk when I burned your dress! I love you, Clara! We’re family!”
Two bodyguards stepped forward, stopping him from reaching me.
“Don’t touch my dress, Marco. It might get dirty—just like you said earlier,” I replied coldly. I turned to Mr. Sebastian.
“Draft his termination papers. Revoke his promotion. Take back the company car. Blacklist him from every corporation in Asia. Audit his personal assets—I want everything he built using my money reclaimed.”
“Yes, Madame Chairwoman,” Mr. Sebastian answered.
“C-Clara! Please! I’ll have nowhere to go! I’ll be ruined!” Marco screamed as they forced him upright.
“You told me I don’t belong in your world anymore,” I said. “You were right. Because your world is small—full of arrogance and fake power. My world is the one you only work in.”
I turned away.
“Remove him. He’s ruining the atmosphere of my party,” I ordered.
Marco’s desperate cries echoed through the ballroom as he was dragged out. The night he had believed would crown his success became the collapse of everything he thought he owned.
And me?
I lifted my champagne, savoring the freedom I had taken back from a worthless man, and let the applause wash over me.
