Bride of Revenge

Chapter 2: The Decision

The ride down in the elevator seemed like the coldest and most crucial passage in Eliza Thorne’s existence. She rested against the metal panel, the atmosphere with the costly clinical fragrance of Valerius. The motion resembled a transition, a separation, from the woman she had been compelled to be and the power she planned to ascend into.

As the doors quietly opened to the ground-floor lobby she kept walking without hesitation. She didn’t search for a chauffeur or a housekeeper. She glided beyond the security desk like a phantom who had inhabited these halls for three years.

Outside the chilly late-autumn breeze of Veridia City brushed against her skin. It was sharp and tangible. It was the inhale of liberation she’d experienced in five lengthy years. She tightened her silk shawl around her shoulders, the fragile material suddenly amusing compared to the drive that thrived in this city.

She lifted her hand. Hailed the first black town car that came into view. The driver looked shocked that Mrs. Valerius had exited a lobby and entered a public cab.

"The Thorne Family Estate " she stated smoothly. ". I require absolute confidentiality. Drive as if someone is tailing you. Ensure you aren’t."

The driver gave a nod. He merged seamlessly into the flow of traffic without hesitation.

--The Aftermath at the Penthouse--

Upstairs the quiet she abandoned seemed weighty, than her being.

Damon Valerius stood near the window, his posture stiff. He was someone who anticipated every factor in billion-dollar acquisitions. Still he had not foreseen this.

"Mr. Finch, " Damon said, his tone. Menacing. "Did she really turn down the settlement?"

Mr. Finch straightened his tie, his hands trembling. "Yes, sir. She signed the divorce documents. Declined any monetary settlement. The money, the assets, the earnings. Her sole request was a legally enforceable dissolution of the marriage."

Ms. Keller, the lawyer said cautiously "This is unprecedented sir. The agreement guaranteed her secrecy. By turning it down she leaves with no ties, to the Valerius family "

At last Damon shifted his gaze. His eyes settled on the signed documents lying on the marble surface. Her signature was clear, precise and hauntingly definitive.

No tears. No arguing. No clinging.

He anticipated a woman. He hoped she would crumble, validating his assumption that she was fragile and reliant. Her defiance was an act of resistance. It infuriated him as it introduced a factor. Pride.

"Discover her destination " he commanded. ". Clarify the meaning behind her words. She must not be underestimated."

While he was speaking another notion slowly intruded. Something unwelcome. A hesitant reluctant admiration, for the woman who had looked squarely at his harshness.

He filled a glass with water clutching the crystal vessel firmly. The haughty grin he displayed before had entirely disappeared.

--The Road to Reclamation--

Inside the town car Eliza refrained from tears. Throughout the journey she was absorbed with her protected satellite phone erasing her existence completely. She removed all Valerius contacts, all links, every bond, to her previous life.

Her mind wasn't on packing. It was focused on activation.

The Thorne Family Estate continued to sit on the outskirts of Veridia City, silent and faithful, to its mysteries. It remained the unspoiled part of her genuine legacy. Her father’s private study lay concealed behind a bookshelf secured long ago when creditors attempted to seize all assets.

Upon her arrival she settled the driver’s fee. Quietly passed through the servants’ quarters. She steered clear of the chambers and the handful of employees still faithful. She headed directly to the library, a space filled with books and even older spirits.

She exposed the concealed door. Opened the sturdy steel gateway using the tiny key she had carried on a chain for five years. The office was filled with the scent of dust and quiet. Each document remained undisturbed suspended in time.

She disregarded the ledgers documenting her family’s downfall. She headed directly to the file cabinet. Retrieved one faded business card.

Mr. Chen. Stellar Investments. London.

Mr. Chen had long been a confidant to her father. A silent prodigy. A man who had withdrawn from the eye many years prior. He was the individual she had communicated with throughout Damon’s three-year coma. He alone was aware of the reality behind Thorne 's downfall. The reality Marcus Thorne had engineered.

She retrieved her satellite phone from the safe and entered the secured number.

The phone was picked up on the ring. "We've been anticipating your call, Miss Thorne. I presume the policy has been cancelled."

"The policy is null " Eliza stated, her tone clear and firm. "Five years are over. The moment has come. I demand my company return.. I seek justice."

There was silence. Then a hint of enthusiasm, in Mr. Chen’s tone. "The shell company is set up. The initial capital is secured. We just await your command. Where do you want us to begin?"

Eliza approached the antique globe positioned in the corner. She turned it gently, her finger tracing the perimeter of Veridia City.

"We target the places he values most. His identity. His standing. His business. I demand an acquisition of Valerius Capital by the end of next quarter. Yet initially we focus on the individual who shattered my family. Our first move is to seize Marcus Thorne’s holdings."

Her finger paused on the spot indicating her foe. The icy resolve, in her gaze, corresponded with the promise she pledged in the elevator.

The innocent girl had disappeared. The CEO had arrived.

"Get the transfer papers ready " she instructed. "I possess my start. Now I am going to terminate theirs."

She faced the window of the Thorne Estate. The lawn was not, in her view. Instead she beheld Veridia’s skyline. The realm is owned by the Valerius family.

Her plan was to demolish it and reconstruct it under the name Sterling.

The decision had been made. The fight had already begun.