Bride of Vengeance

Everyone in the gilded world of New York’s elite knew the titan Gaten Wolfhard had one weakness: the girl he’d raised as his own. A girl who was spoiled, arrogant, and unbearably possessive. So much so that even at my own wedding, she stood on a balcony in a dress that was a blatant copy of my own bridal gown. Making me, the actual bride, look like a pathetic fool. This continued until my family and I orchestrated Gaten Wolfhard’s spectacular downfall. Only then did the little princess come to me, bowing and scraping, begging for my forgiveness. I just laughed in her face. “You were so jealous before, weren’t you? You wanted to be Gaten’s bride yourself,” I said, my voice dripping with ice. “Well, congratulations. May the two of you live happily ever after—in prison.”

1 As I walked down the aisle, my eyes were drawn upward. There, on a small second-floor balcony, stood the girl. She wore a white gown nearly identical to mine, her eyes filled with tears as she gazed down at my fiancé, Gaten, waiting for me at the altar. And Gaten was looking right back up at her. The moment stretched, turning me, the bride, into a sideshow clown. My father, whose arm I held, clenched his free fist, but I gently pressed his hand down, a silent command to stay calm. Whispers slithered through the pews, impossible to ignore. “Who is that girl? Wearing white to a wedding… does she have any class at all?” A young woman beside her tugged at her arm, hissing, “That’s Mia, the girl he’s raised for eighteen years. They’re practically inseparable!” “Please, everyone knows what she’s after. But the Wolfhard matriarch couldn’t stand her. Forced Gaten to marry Seraphina Shaw instead.” Finally, under the searing glare of his mother, Gaten reluctantly tore his gaze away from the balcony. Someone quickly pulled the girl, Mia, from view. A moment later, she reappeared at Gaten’s side, stripped of the white gown and now wearing a simple dress. I smiled serenely and continued my procession, the picture of poise and grace—exactly the kind of “blue-blooded lady” the old Mrs. Wolfhard demanded for her son. Then, right in front of Mia, I let Gaten place the ring on my finger. We exchanged vows under the watchful eye of the officiant. I could see Mia’s eyes growing redder, her knuckles white. Gaten’s expression was a thundercloud. I watched them both, a flicker of cold amusement in my eyes. Oh, does your heart ache for her? I thought. Good. Let me make it worse. Just as Mia looked about to break, I reached out and grabbed her hand, my face alight with a warm, welcoming smile. “You must be Mia,” I chirped. “From today on, you can call me Mom.” A collective gasp went through the crowd, followed by a ripple of suppressed laughter. I maintained my dignified smile, looking down at her with mock maternal affection. “They say a daughter is her father’s first love. In your case, that seems to be quite literally true, doesn’t it?” My smile never wavered. But for Mia, it was as if I had stripped her naked in front of the entire world, exposing the secret she held closest to her heart. Under the weight of a hundred curious, mocking eyes, she turned and fled, her face burning with shame and fury. Gaten made a move to follow, but I held his arm in a vise grip. My smile remained plastered on my face. “For the sake of the Wolfhard-Shaw merger, darling husband, I suggest you plaster on a smile and let’s go greet our guests.” He shot me a look of pure hatred but clenched his jaw and, swallowing his rage, allowed me to lead him into the crowd.

2 The wedding was a resounding success, cementing the powerful new alliance between the Shaw and Wolfhard dynasties. In the weeks that followed, Gaten was consumed with managing the overseas aspects of our new joint venture, leaving him no time to mediate between his new wife and his precious ward. So, I had to take matters into my own hands. When the car pulled up to Gaten’s private villa, I saw my custom-monogrammed luggage strewn across the manicured lawn like discarded toys. And there she was, standing at the front door with the air of a reigning queen, a smug smirk on her face, waiting for me. I may have married for business, but I was still a Shaw, raised with every privilege. The maid who had come with me from my family home saw the scene and her hands curled into fists. “Miss Seraphina, just say the word.” I held up a hand to stop her. Stepping out of the car, I calmly walked over and picked up an emerald necklace lying at Mia’s feet. I straightened up, my eyes glinting as I looked at her. “Do you have any idea how much this necklace is worth?” Mia tossed her head back. “That’s junk for poor people. I wouldn’t be caught dead in it,” she sneered. “My vanity is covered in jewels Uncle Gaten bought me. I could give you a dozen if you beg nicely.” The words had barely left her mouth when I gave my maid a subtle nod. She understood instantly. She strode forward and delivered a slap so hard the sound echoed in the quiet, upscale neighborhood. Mia staggered back, clutching her cheek, her eyes wide with disbelief. My maid laughed coldly. “Who the hell do you think you are, talking to my lady like that?” Then, following another silent cue from me, she grabbed the struggling girl and forced her to her knees at my feet. I tilted Mia’s chin up with one hand, studying the pampered, delicate face. Then I slapped her. Twice. Hard. Gaten lived in a row of exclusive villas, and the houses weren’t far apart. The sharp, cracking sounds drew curious neighbors to their windows. Seeing the raw humiliation on Mia’s face, I let out a soft laugh. I didn’t care who she was or what she meant to Gaten. I, Seraphina Shaw, return every slight with interest. If you make me unhappy, I will make your life a living hell. I ground the stiletto heel of my shoe into the delicate knuckles of her outstretched hand. “Mia,” I said, my voice dangerously soft, “I know you’ve been by Gaten’s side for over a decade.” “But let me give you a piece of advice. Know your place.” “There is only one mistress of this house. If you had what it takes to make Gaten marry you, I wouldn’t be here. But you don’t. So you will learn to live under my roof, by my rules.” “Bury those pathetic little fantasies of yours, or I will beat them out of you. I’ll do it every single time, until you learn your lesson.” Mia opened her mouth to curse me, but I cut her off with two more swift slaps, leaving her sputtering with a mouthful of blood. Just then, a man who had been watching from the next villa couldn’t stand it any longer. He ran over and grabbed my raised hand. “Seraphina, that’s enough! Mia is just a child!” Without missing a beat, I redirected my swing and slapped him across the face. He recoiled, his hand flying to his cheek in the exact same pose as Mia. I raised an eyebrow. “Connor Vance. I suggest you stay out of things that don’t concern you.” “Mia is a legal adult. If you want to play house with her, that’s your business.” “But I am the mistress of the Wolfhard estate. This is a family matter. I’m disciplining my ungrateful stepdaughter. What business is it of yours?” Connor’s face flushed with anger, but I shut him down with one final sentence. “My family’s company, Shaw Industries, just acquired a thirty percent stake in your father’s corporation. We are now his largest shareholder.” My voice dropped to a silky threat. “So if you don’t want to cause problems for him, I suggest you leave. Now.” With that, I nodded to my maid. She grabbed Mia by the hair and dragged her into the villa like a sack of trash.

3 There was no blood relation between Mia and Gaten Wolfhard. But he truly had raised her like a delicate doll, sheltering her from the world. Her bedroom was even right next to his. According to the Wolfhard family staff, it was because “Miss Mia” had frequent nightmares, and Gaten needed to be close by to comfort her to sleep. I laughed out loud. The household staff, already aware that I was not a woman to be trifled with, lowered their heads nervously. “So,” I said, a dangerous smile playing on my lips. “That makes me, the new Mrs. Wolfhard, feel rather… superfluous. Am I just a prop in their twisted little psychodrama?” The head butler immediately understood. He turned and ordered the staff to move Miss Mia’s belongings to a room on the first floor. I watched, my expression glacial, as her things were carried downstairs, piece by piece. I didn’t care what their relationship had been before I arrived. But if Mia was stupid enough to challenge my authority in my own home, she would learn that my patience was non-existent. The Wolfhard-Shaw merger was in its critical early stages. No one would dare to cross me. It seemed news of his “little girl” being mistreated traveled fast. Gaten came home that night. At dinner, I was the picture of elegance in a pale green silk sheath dress and a simple shawl, every inch the perfect high-society wife. I smiled graciously as I ladled soup for him. But as I placed the bowl before him, he shot me a look of pure contempt. Then, he backhanded the bowl, sending scalding soup flying across the table. Droplets splattered onto the back of my hand, raising an immediate, angry red welt. Across from us, a flicker of triumph crossed Mia’s face before she masked it with a look of practiced pity. Gaten sneered. “Does it hurt?” “Did you think about Mia’s pain when you were hitting her this morning?” “Seraphina, who the hell do you think you are?” Mia stood up, her voice trembling as she played the part of the concerned peacemaker. “Uncle, please, it’s all my fault. Don’t fight because of me.” But I slowly straightened up, the demure and gentle expression gone from my face, replaced by a cold fury. I looked Gaten dead in the eye. And then I slapped him, hard, across the face. “Gaten,” I said, my voice like steel, “let me return your words to you.” “Who the hell do you think you are, to speak to me like that?” The sound of the slap echoed in the silent dining room. A perfect red handprint bloomed on his cheek. The diamond on my wedding ring had caught the light for a second before it connected, leaving a thin, bloody scratch across his perfect cheekbone. Mia let out a horrified shriek and rushed to his side. “Uncle, are you okay?” she cried, gently touching his face. I stared at the two of them, clinging to each other. Then, I let out a cold laugh, grabbed a dinner plate, and smashed it on the floor. The porcelain shattered, and by a stroke of perfect luck, a sharp fragment flew up and sliced Mia’s eyelid. She screamed, clutching her eye. Gaten, his face contorted with rage, lunged at me, but my bodyguard, a man built like a mountain, stepped between us. Smiling, I bent down and picked up a jagged piece of the broken plate. And I started walking toward Mia.

4 Gaten knew exactly what I intended to do. He struggled against my bodyguard’s iron grip, his voice a furious roar. “Seraphina! You dare!” I ignored him, giving my personal maid a look. She moved instantly, grabbing Mia’s arms in a grip so tight she couldn’t possibly break free. Then, with the porcelain shard in her other hand, my maid made two quick, clean slashes. Two deep cuts blossomed on Mia’s pretty face. Mia screamed, a raw, piercing sound, and stumbled backward, her hands flying to her ruined cheeks. I stood by the table, arms crossed, and calmly picked up a glass of red wine. I raised it in a mock toast to Gaten, a triumphant smile on my face. “Gaten,” I said, my voice sweet as poison, “if you didn’t want to play by my rules, you shouldn’t have married me.” “You came to my family for help. You brought me into this house. That makes me the one in charge here.” “Who does this little brat think she is, trying to challenge me?” I brushed an imaginary speck of dust from my dress and rose gracefully. “Consider this a small price for her insolence.” “If she ever tries something like this again, I wouldn’t hesitate to make her blind or deaf.” With a final, chillingly polite nod to Gaten, I turned and walked out, my staff following in my wake. While all this was happening, my maid had already called the old Wolfhard estate, painting a dramatic picture of how Miss Mia had humiliated me, and how Gaten had sided with her against his own wife. With the merger just beginning, the Wolfhard matriarch was terrified I would run back to my family and jeopardize the deal. By the time I finished delivering my ultimatum to Gaten, a car from the main estate was already waiting at the gate. Without a backward glance, I got in and was driven away. That night, after the Wolfhard matriarch had exhausted herself trying to soothe my “hurt feelings,” she was ready to storm over to Gaten’s villa and deal with Mia herself. But I played the part of the magnanimous wife. “She’s just a girl, acting out,” I said with a sigh. “It’s not worth making a fuss over.” The old woman was so moved by my “grace and understanding” that she immediately gifted me several priceless pieces from her private jewelry collection.