The Heiress Who Rose From Betrayal

On our daughter’s birthday, my husband had to prepare a charity gala at the hotel and couldn’t come. To surprise him, I took our daughter and checked into the hotel he managed. In the VIP ballroom, our daughter accidentally bumped into an elegantly dressed woman. The woman pointed at my daughter’s forehead and scolded her, “Whose child is this? Can’t you watch where you’re going?” I quickly shielded my daughter behind me and apologized. “I’m sorry. She was running too fast and didn’t see you.” The woman looked me up and down and snorted. “I really don’t know how the hotel let people like you in.” “My dad is the general manager of this hotel. Why can’t we be here?” My daughter sounded indignant. The woman raised her eyebrows. “What a coincidence. My husband is the general manager too—and he’s the hotel’s star general manager!” Seeing her smug expression, I smiled faintly. “Is that so?” A moment later, my husband’s steady voice came over the hotel intercom. The woman leaned toward me, unable to hide her smugness. “That’s my husband. If you know what’s good for you, leave on your own. Don’t stand around here and ruin my mood.” My entire body went rigid. How had I never known that my husband had another wife? I always sympathized with how hard he worked, so I usually didn’t go to the hotel and disturb him. This time, our daughter had insisted on coming, so I booked a room at the Starlight Hotel, the one he managed. I watched as our daughter, Mia, played with the handmade toys she had prepared for her father. Three slightly abstract clay figures stood in the middle of the orange-colored lobby. My heart sank inch by inch. I never imagined he had such a huge surprise waiting for me here. The woman shook the custom bracelet on her wrist again. “He said he couldn’t accompany me to the charity gala tonight. He spent most of last night comforting me and even gave me this bracelet. He specifically asked me to come to the hotel and keep him company.” I stared at the bracelet and recognized it as the gift I had given my husband only a few days ago. “How much did that bracelet cost?” I stared at it until my eyes hurt. I had commissioned it from a French jewelry master. Our names, Claire and Ethan, were engraved inside the bracelet. I had given it to him as a symbol of our love. Now it was on another woman’s wrist. “It wasn’t that expensive.” Sophie waved her hand, though the corners of her lips lifted proudly. “But someone like you could work your whole life and still never afford it.” “My husband makes hundreds of thousands of dollars a month. These things are nothing to him.” Hundreds of thousands a month? I knew exactly how much Ethan earned. My fingernails dug into my palms. The general manager of the Starlight Hotel earned a good salary, but nowhere near hundreds of thousands a month. And that was without mentioning that he had only gotten the position through my connections. Three years ago, his performance in the general manager promotion assessment had been average. I had personally begged my father, the chairman of the Starlight Hotel Group, to preserve Ethan’s eligibility for the position. Although he had held the title of general manager for the past three years, he had never actually designed or overseen any of the hotel’s core operations. “Your husband treats you very well,” I said, though I couldn’t take my eyes off the bracelet. Sophie was lost in her own happiness and didn’t notice how stiff my expression had become. “It’s what he should do. Since he said he couldn’t accompany me to the charity gala tonight, he spent half the night comforting me yesterday.” Last night, Ethan had called me, his voice filled with exhaustion. “Claire, there’s an emergency reception at the hotel tonight. It’ll be too late when I’m done, so I’ll sleep in my office and won’t come home.” “You still have to host the charity gala tomorrow. Won’t you be exhausted?” I had felt sorry for him then. “As long as it’s for you and our baby, no matter how tired I am, it’s worth it.” He had sounded so sincere—so sincere that I hadn’t suspected a thing. So his so-called emergency reception had actually been in another woman’s bed. “He’s given me more than just this. He gives me gifts every month.” Seeing how attentively I was listening, Sophie could no longer contain her urge to show off. She turned and picked up a limited-edition handbag from beside her seat. Under the ballroom lights, its orange color stabbed painfully at my eyes. “This was my birthday gift last year.” She stroked the handbag with an affectionate expression. My breathing stopped. There were only fifty of those handbags in the entire world, and they had disappeared from the market six months earlier. At the time, Ethan had told me he had accidentally scratched mine while carrying it, and eventually thrown it away. Then he had specially gone overseas and bought another one for me. I knew the handbag was only a replica, but when I saw the hopeful look on his face, I had still been deeply touched. “Mom,” Mia suddenly tugged at my sleeve, her clear little voice ringing out. “That lady’s ring looks just like one you have!” My gaze mechanically shifted to Sophie’s hand. A delicate constellation ring rested on a silver band, with tiny diamonds set across its sparkling stars. It was truly the ring I had designed myself. I had stayed up for several nights before finally finishing the design.1 “Yeah, what a coincidence,” I heard myself say in a dry voice. Sophie’s smile finally stiffened, but she quickly recovered. “How could that be? My husband had this custom-made especially for me.” “What makes you think you can claim it?” I still remembered how moved Ethan had been when he received the ring. “I’ll never take it off again,” he had promised me. “From now on, you’re my entire universe.” How much time had passed since then? Now the ring was on another woman’s hand. I also remembered the day the ring had disappeared. Ethan had searched through the entire house. In the end, he had held me and said, “When one door closes, another opens. I’ll get you an even better one.” A month later, a more elaborate ring with a larger diamond had appeared in my jewelry box, commissioned through one of his friends in the Bay Area. Naturally, he had paid for it with the spending money I gave him. He had given my possessions to his mistress, then used my money to buy replacements for me. My stomach churned, and my face turned pale. “Hey, if you’re feeling sick, don’t collapse here and then accuse me of stealing your things.” Sophie finally noticed that something was wrong. “It’s nothing. I’m just a little short of breath.” I forced a smile. “How long have you and your husband been married?”Sophie froze for a moment, and an unnatural expression flickered across her face. “We’re not married yet.” Perhaps she caught the shock that flashed across my face, because she hurriedly added, “Don’t rush to look down on me. He and his wife don’t have any feelings for each other!” My fingers tightened around my water glass until my knuckles turned white. “He told me his family pressured him into that marriage. That woman was only interested in his status and forced her way into his family.” Sophie curled her lips, her eyes filled with contempt. “He said she was incredibly boring. Every day with her was torture. He was miserable. If he hadn’t met me, he wouldn’t have known how to survive that life.” As she spoke, her face filled with deep sympathy for Ethan. It was as if he were the greatest victim in that twisted relationship. I listened to her words as a storm erupted inside me. I could barely remain standing. She had forced her way into my family? Ethan had actually dared to say that I had pursued him? So in his version of the story, everything I had done for him had become an act of manipulation and coercion. A powerful sense of absurdity and disgust surged through me. I really had been blinded by love. I still remembered the first time I had brought him home. He had stood awkwardly in my family’s living room in a shirt washed so many times that its color had faded. His family had been poor, and his parents had been ordinary factory workers. He had worked with all his strength to get into a decent college. After graduation, he had spent several years doing ground operations at a hotel before finally becoming a low-level assistant manager. If he hadn’t used that reasonably handsome face to treat me well in every possible way—and if I hadn’t fallen for him so deeply that I threatened to starve myself—my parents would never have reluctantly agreed to our relationship. Unable to stand seeing his talent go unrecognized, I begged my father to use his connections and clear a path for Ethan, helping him rise all the way to general manager. Because I pitied his background, I had never treated him poorly materially. I gave him the life he had once never even dared to imagine. When his father became seriously ill, I used every medical resource available, hired the best specialists, and paid all the medical expenses. After that, seeing how hard he worked, I continued giving him support. Sophie had no idea what was happening inside me and continued with her twisted theory. “That’s how it works. The one who isn’t loved is the real mistress. So what if his wife occupies the position? She doesn’t understand him, and she doesn’t deserve him. Ethan said that once he found the right opportunity, he would tell her the truth and divorce her.” It felt as though an invisible hand had seized my heart and squeezed it until I could barely breathe. I took a deep breath and used every ounce of strength to keep my expression calm. “How long have you two been together?” A sweet smile immediately bloomed across Sophie’s face. “It’ll be exactly four years on the fifteenth of next month!” The fifteenth of next month… My mind buzzed, and everything went blank. Four years ago on that exact day, I had given birth to Mia. My labor had started early, and I had been rushed to the hospital. After seven or eight agonizing hours, I finally gave birth to our daughter. Ethan hadn’t been by my side for any of it. When I had finally emerged from the delivery room, exhausted beyond words, I had seen only my anxious parents. It was a long time before Ethan came running over, drenched in sweat. He said he had gone to buy the expensive dessert I had always wanted, but the line had been too long and it had taken him forever. I had felt hurt, but seeing the guilt and concern on his face as he hugged me, my heart had softened immediately, and I had even comforted him instead. I had stopped my parents when they tried to lecture him. So while I had been fighting for my life in the delivery room, he had been sweetly confirming his relationship with another woman. That made sense. What kind of dessert could possibly take that long to buy? I looked at Sophie’s smug face, my voice as cold as ice. “Does his wife know about you?” Sophie raised her eyebrows proudly, her tone full of contempt. “That stupid woman? Of course she doesn’t know. Ethan has kept me completely hidden from her. She probably still thinks she has a happy marriage.” She gave a mocking laugh, as if she had just told the funniest joke in the world. “But it would be better if she found out. If she has any sense, she’ll leave on her own and save Ethan the trouble.” “Stupid woman.” “Leave on her own.” Those words were poisoned daggers stabbing into my heart. I had reached my limit. I suddenly stood up, grabbed the wine from the table beside me, and threw it straight into her face.“Ah! Are you insane?!” Sophie’s scream tore through the silence of the ballroom. She sprang up from her seat. The elegant makeup on her face had run, her eyeliner smeared into a mess, leaving her looking both disheveled and vicious. Mia was frightened by the sudden turn of events and burst into tears, wrapping both arms tightly around my leg. I immediately shielded my daughter behind me and stared coldly at the hysterical woman before me. “You crazy bitch! What the hell are you doing?” Sophie wiped her face with her sleeve while cursing at me, completely abandoning the elegance and poise she had shown earlier. The hotel attendants hurried over when they heard the commotion. “Ma’am, what happened? Please remain calm.” “Calm? You didn’t see this crazy woman throw wine at me?” “Do you know how much this dress cost? Even if you sold yourself and that bastard daughter of yours, you couldn’t afford to compensate me!” Sophie pointed at my nose, trembling with rage. One attendant tried to calm Sophie while another turned to me. “Ma’am, could you explain what happened?” Before I could say anything, Sophie broke free of the attendant’s restraint and lunged at me, clawing wildly. “Looks like your husband doesn’t love you either, just like that useless old wife! Did I hit too close to home?” “Smack!” Without hesitation, I raised my hand and slapped her across the face. The entire ballroom fell silent. Even Mia stopped crying for a moment. Sophie covered her cheek and stared at me in disbelief before letting out an even more hysterical scream. “You hit me? Do you know who my husband is?” “He’s the general manager of this hotel! He’s the son of the chairman of the Starlight Hotel Group. You’re finished!” She turned toward the attendant and ordered, “Go get the general manager right now and let him see how his wife is being bullied!” The attendant looked troubled. “Ma’am, the general manager is currently handling the event’s central operations…” “Enough excuses! If you don’t go, I’ll file a complaint against you. Go, now!” Sophie practically roared the words. The attendant hesitated, then walked toward the operations room. A few minutes later, she returned with a complicated expression. “General Manager Ethan said… he’s handling the event’s operations and can’t leave at the moment.” “He asked me to relay that everyone should remain calm. He’ll come and handle everything shortly.” Sophie was clearly dissatisfied with the response and was about to explode when a team of security guards rushed in. The man leading them announced, “We received a report that someone is causing trouble here and disturbing our VIP guests.” Sophie’s expression instantly turned smug as she pointed at me. “Yes, it’s her! Arrest her!” My heart sank inch by inch. “Did someone really report this? You’re trying to arrest a guest without even determining what happened. What kind of training did you receive?” One of the security guards pulled out a radio. Ethan’s voice came through it. “A guest in the VIP ballroom is seriously disrupting order and attacking another person, causing harm to my wife.” “My wife checked into this hotel specifically to accompany me today, yet she encountered this unpleasant incident. I cannot ignore the injustice done to her.” “Security, immediately restrain the troublemaker and ensure the safety of the other guests and my wife. Please trust that we will handle this properly and ensure the gala proceeds smoothly.” When the message ended, every gaze in the ballroom focused on me. Those eyes were full of contempt, condemnation, and excitement at the spectacle. “So she was the one who started it…” “She looks like she snuck in. How shameless…” “The general manager’s wife is so pitiful. She comes to her husband’s hotel and still has to deal with something like this…” Whispers came from every direction. Mia shrank into my arms and asked softly, “Mommy, why would Daddy say that?” A chill rose in my heart. Two security guards tried to grab me. “Ma’am, please cooperate while we investigate.” Sophie immediately cut in. “This woman attacked me for no reason!” “My husband just said she lost control. Arrest her!” I shook them off. “Don’t touch me. If either of you lays a hand on me today, you’ll lose your jobs.” The two security guards seemed intimidated by my presence and froze, afraid to move recklessly. An older attendant quietly advised me, “Ma’am, I think you should apologize to this lady. Her husband isn’t only the general manager—he’s also the chairman’s son. He has a great deal of influence in the company. Escalating this won’t benefit you.” I could hardly believe my ears. “The chairman’s son? How could I not know that the chairman of the Starlight Hotel Group has a son?”My father couldn’t possibly have another child. I never imagined Ethan had been claiming to be my father’s son behind my back. No wonder he acted so arrogantly. Sophie snorted. “What could you possibly know? My husband is Chairman Victor’s illegitimate son. He was only recently acknowledged by the family. A commoner like you obviously wouldn’t know.” I stared coldly at her. My voice wasn’t loud, but each word was as sharp as a blade against glass. “Have you ever heard of the powerful Harrington family from the North?” Sophie’s smile froze on her face, and confusion and unease flashed through her eyes. She had clearly never heard of them, but instinct told her the name carried weight. She turned toward the security guards and barked imperiously, “Why are you still hesitating? Arrest this woman immediately. Do you want to wait until she hurts someone else?” The security guards’ expressions also turned colder. “Ma’am, you’ll have to come with us.” “I haven’t done anything wrong. Why should I go with you?” I looked at them coldly. “She’s the one who publicly insulted me. She should be the one apologizing.” Seeing that I refused to back down, the attendant had no choice but to contact Ethan again. This time, the response came quickly. “The general manager instructs security to remove the disruptive guest from the VIP ballroom immediately to maintain order. Force may be used if necessary.” The surrounding guests began whispering even more loudly. I could hear them pointing at me and Mia. One of the security guards sighed and picked up my daughter. The other two moved in to restrain me. “Ma’am, please cooperate with us.” Mia burst into frightened tears. I broke free and pulled my daughter back into my arms. I gently wiped the tears from her face and comforted her softly. “Don’t be scared, sweetheart. Mommy will protect you.” Sophie lifted her chin smugly, her expression practically saying, This is what happens when you go against me. I looked around at the guests who knew nothing of the truth, the hotel staff who were determined to enforce their orders, and my trembling daughter in my arms. An unprecedented fury burned in my chest. Ethan, you had betrayed our marriage, and now you were using your authority to openly side with your mistress and twist the truth against me? Fine. Very well. I raised my head and looked around at everyone, holding my daughter tightly as I spoke clearly and firmly. “Fine. I’ll go with you.” I followed the security guards toward the security office at the back of the hotel. Mia tilted up her tear-filled face and asked in a small, trembling voice, “Mommy, does Daddy not love us anymore? Why is he helping that lady?” My heart felt as if it had been tightly wrenched. I crouched down to meet her eyes and gently wiped away her tears with my fingertip. “Sweetheart, Daddy made a terrible mistake. Mommy will take care of everything. Remember, no matter what happens, Mommy will always love you.” Mia pressed herself tightly against me, her little hand never letting go of my clothes. As I looked at the city lights slowly brightening outside the window, my resolve grew stronger. Ethan, you would pay for your betrayal and shamelessness. The charity gala finally ended. The door to the security office opened, and two hotel security guards were waiting outside. With everyone watching, Mia and I were escorted into the security office, where security personnel waited with us. Mia was frightened, but she stayed brave and didn’t cry out loud. She only held my hand tightly. The lights in the security office were cold and white. We had barely sat down when a familiar voice came from outside. Sophie whined sweetly, “Ethan, you have to stand up for me. That crazy woman was awful! My face still hurts.” “Okay, okay, Sophie. Don’t be angry. Now that we’re here, I’ll get justice for you. It’s only a disruptive guest. Dealing with her will be easy.” The door opened. Ethan walked in first, wearing a sharply tailored suit. “Where’s the person causing trouble?” I spoke coldly. “Right here, General Manager Ethan.” I slowly rose and calmly met Ethan’s widening eyes.