Divorcing The Tycoon: Rebirth Of A Queen

The cold rain hit the shattered windshield like a thousand tiny fists.

Felicity Soto lay broken and battered amid the twisted wreckage of the car, the sharp, metallic tang of her own blood mixing with the sickly sweet scent of gasoline. Her breath came in ragged, shallow gasps. Each one felt like swallowing glass.

She forced her head to turn. The movement sent a fresh wave of agony through he.

There, standing beside the mangled wreck of her car, was Eden Ortiz, the woman Kayden Miller, Felicity's husband, had secretly loved for years. She held a black umbrella, a perfect, elegant silhouette against the stormy sky, completely untouched.

Eden bent down, her beautiful face twisting into a mask of vicious glee in the dim light. Her voice was a soft, victorious whisper, meant only for Felicity.

"How pathetic, Felicity."

"You know, your precious son, Leo... his death wasn't an accident."

Felicity's pupils contracted to pinpricks. A scream clawed at her throat, but only a wet, gurgling sound escaped, thick with blood. The six years of devotion to her husband, Kayden Miller, the unconditional love she had poured into their family, it was all a grotesque joke.

Eden savored her pain, her smile widening. "Oh, and one more secret. Those men who ruined you at the hotel and gave you that filthy disease? That was no accident. I arranged every one of them."

Felicity's eyes widened in horror. Her mind reeled as the truth struck her with devastating force. The hotel incident that had destroyed her reputation, ruined her health, and left her living in shame for years had never been an accident.

Eden had orchestrated it all.

Before Felicity could even process the revelation, Eden leaned closer, her voice dropping into a cruel whisper.

"Leo was never Kayden's son to begin with. You fooled the entire Miller family for six years with that little bastard."

Felicity's pupils trembled violently. Leo wasn't Kayden's son?

Then whose child was he?

A flood of questions surged through Felicity's mind. She wanted to demand answers. She wanted to grab Eden and force her to explain everything. She needed to know the truth about Leo, about the hotel, about every lie that had shaped the last six years of her life.

But her consciousness was already fading.

Darkness closed in around her, swallowing her desperate thoughts one by one. Her hatred remained, burning fiercely in the last fragment of consciousness she had left.

With the last shred of consciousness slipping away, Felicity made a silent vow to whatever darkness awaited her.

If she were ever given another chance, she would uncover every truth, tear apart every lie, and drag Eden and everyone who had betrayed her straight into hell.

With a violent jolt, Felicity shot upright in bed.

Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic, wild drumbeat. She gasped for air, her lungs burning.

She scanned her surroundings. This wasn't the crash site. This was the lavish, cold bedroom of the Upper East Side manor she shared with Kayden. Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, warm and bright.

Her hands flew to her body, patting down her torso, her legs. No wounds. No blood.

She threw back the silk duvet and scrambled to the full-length mirror. The woman staring back was pale, her eyes wide with terror, but she was whole.

She had been reborn.

With a trembling hand, she snatched her phone from the nightstand. The screen lit up.

The date read: June 12th.

A chilling thought seized her, and her fingers flew across the screen, opening a news app.

The headline stabbed at her eyes: "After Six Years Abroad, Piano Virtuoso Eden Ortiz Returns to the US Today. A Rekindling with First Love Kayden Miller?"

The accompanying photo showed Eden at the airport, swarmed by reporters. She wore a white dress, her smile gentle and innocent-the perfect white lotus.

In an instant, Felicity's post-traumatic confusion hardened into a sheet of ice. She was back. Back on the very day her tragedy began.

Her phone vibrated. A text from Kayden.

"Eden lands today. I'll handle airport security. As the lady of the house, you handle the reception at the manor. Don't embarrass me."

In her past life, this message had made her feel wronged and heartbroken. And then, pathetically, she had done exactly as she was told.

But now, Felicity stared at the message, and a slow, mocking smile curved her lips.

She tossed the phone onto the bed and walked, barefoot, into the enormous walk-in closet.

Her eyes scanned past the rows of demure, elegant dresses she had bought to please Kayden. She walked to the very back, to a corner that hadn't been touched in years, and dragged out a heavy, dust-covered suitcase.

She clicked it open.

Inside lay a sharply tailored black suit, an encrypted satellite phone, and several passports under different names. These were the things that belonged to her, before she became Mrs. Miller.

She picked up the encrypted phone. Her fingers moved with practiced ease as she powered it on. A blood-red letter 'P' flashed on the screen for a moment before disappearing.

She dialed a number.

The call was answered almost instantly. "You've finally contacted us."

Felicity's voice was devoid of any warmth. "Sienna, it's me. I need you to do two things for me."

Sienna Vance, on the other end of the line, was her best friend and the manager of her hidden network of resources.

"First, I need a paternity test done between Leo and Kayden Miller. Use the highest level of encryption and get me the results as fast as possible."

"Second," she paused, her gaze drifting toward the bright sunshine outside, her eyes colder than a winter storm. "I want you to draft the divorce papers for Kayden and me immediately and have them delivered to JFK Airport within ten minutes."

After hanging up, Felicity walked to the window, looking down at the bustling panorama of New York City.

Kayden. Eden. Everyone who had wronged her. This time, she would make them pay every debt they owed her, with interest.

Felicity drove her Aston Martin toward JFK Airport.

She parked, put on a pair of dark sunglasses, and leaned against the cool metal of her car like any other person waiting for a pickup.

She wore the black suit from the suitcase, her long hair pulled back into a sleek, severe ponytail. She looked nothing like the gentle, accommodating "Mrs. Miller" she had been for the past six years. The woman who had once bent herself to fit Kayden's expectations was gone, replaced by someone cold, composed, and utterly unyielding.

Soon, the doors to the VIP arrivals channel slid open. Kayden Miller's tall, imposing figure emerged. Beside him, clinging to his arm, was Eden Ortiz in her pristine white dress, looking fragile and lovely.

Eden was playing her part perfectly. She leaned her head against Kayden's shoulder, her other hand holding that of a small boy of about five. She saw the flashes of cameras and pressed closer, a picture of vulnerability.

Kayden didn't push her away. He frowned, using his body to shield her from the reporters, a perfect protector.

The scene was identical to the one Felicity had watched on the news in her past life. A flicker of cold amusement crossed her face.

Suddenly, the boy at Eden's side, Noah Ortiz, broke free from his mother's grasp. He ran to Kayden and, in a clear, childish voice, shouted, "Daddy!"

The reporters erupted. The sound of camera shutters was like a hailstorm.

Kayden's expression froze for a fraction of a second.

Eden quickly stepped in, offering an explanation with a soft smile. "Noah is just young and doesn't know any better. He's always heard me talk about you, Kayden. That's probably why he mistook you for his father."

Kayden's expression gradually softened, and he accepted her explanation without pressing further. He bent down and patted Noah's head, his voice gentle. "Good boy, Noah. Let's go home."

Just as they were about to get into the waiting Miller family Rolls-Royce, Felicity extinguished the slim cigarette between her fingers. She pushed off her car and started walking towards them, her long legs eating up the distance.

Her presence immediately commanded the attention of everyone there.

Kayden saw her, and his brow furrowed in annoyance. "What are you doing here? I told you to prepare things at home."

Felicity's gaze passed right over Eden as if she were nothing more than a piece of luggage. She took off her sunglasses, revealing sharp, ice-blue eyes that locked directly onto Kayden's.

"I came to tell you something."

Her stare made Kayden frown, a flash of irritation crossing his face. He lowered his voice, his words tight with anger. "Whatever it is, we can talk about it at home. Don't make a scene here."

Eden chose that moment to tug on Kayden's sleeve, her voice a timid whisper. "Kayden, is it because of me? Did my return make Mrs. Miller unhappy? If so, maybe Noah and I should just leave..."

Kayden immediately patted her hand reassuringly. His tone, when he turned back to Felicity, was even harsher. "Eden just got off a long flight. She's not feeling well. Stop being unreasonable."

Unreasonable?

Felicity laughed. The sound was clear and sharp, but held no warmth at all.

"Kayden Miller, let's get a divorce."

Her voice wasn't loud, but in the sudden hush, every single reporter heard it.

Time seemed to stop. The impatience on Kayden's face solidified into pure, unadulterated shock.

"What did you say?" he asked, his voice a hoarse whisper. He thought he must have misheard.

Eden's hand, still on his arm, went rigid. A flash of panic crossed her eyes, quickly replaced by a deeper, triumphant glint.

The reporters were going insane. The flashes were blinding. A well-known CEO welcoming his long-lost first love home, only for his wife to demand a divorce right in front of everyone? This was the headline of a lifetime.

Felicity enjoyed the stunned look on his face.

"I said," she repeated, enunciating each word with chilling precision, "I. Want. A. Divorce."

She reached into her handbag and pulled out a folded document. It was a retainer agreement for a top divorce lawyer. She slapped it against his chest.

"My lawyer will be in touch. As of today, we are done."

Without another glance at Kayden or the woman clinging to him, she put her sunglasses back on, turned, and walked away through the sea of flashing lights.

She slipped back into her Aston Martin. The engine roared to life, and the black car shot away, disappearing into the flow of traffic like a phantom.

She left Kayden standing there, frozen, the cold document clutched in his hand, his face a mask of disbelief and fury.

He had never, not once, imagined that Felicity-his quiet, obedient, worshipful Felicity-would ever do something so public, so decisive, so utterly devastating to him.

Eden watched his expression, her heart singing with victory, but her voice was laced with concern. "Kayden, are you alright? Mrs. Miller... she must just be upset, right? It's just an impulse?"

Felicity didn't go back to the Miller manor.

She drove to a penthouse apartment she had purchased before her marriage. It was a place Kayden never knew existed, her own private sanctuary high above Manhattan.

She stripped off the black power suit, trading it for soft loungewear. Pouring herself a glass of red wine, she stood before the massive windows, watching the city lights glitter below.

The scene at the airport played in her mind, but she felt no turmoil. The anger and sadness belonged to the Felicity of the past. The woman standing here now lived for one thing only: revenge.

Her encrypted phone vibrated softly. A new email. The sender was Sienna.

Felicity's heart skipped a beat. She took a deep breath and opened it.

The email contained a single attachment: a password-protected PDF file.

She typed in a combination of her and Leo's birthdays. The file opened.

It was a DNA paternity test report from one of the most reputable labs in the country.

Her eyes scanned past the complex data, going straight to the conclusion on the final page.

The words were printed in bold, black letters: "Based on the analysis, the alleged father, Kayden Miller, is excluded as the biological father of the child, Leo."

Even though she had expected it, seeing the black-and-white proof sent a wave of profound relief through her. Eden hadn't been lying about that. Leo was not Kayden's son.

Her entire six-year marriage had been a fraud. A complete and utter joke.

She saved the report, encrypted it, and then permanently deleted the email.

Just then, the apartment door creaked open and a small figure peeked inside.

"Mom?" Leo's voice was hesitant. He had his backpack on, clearly having been dropped off here directly from school by one of Sienna's people.

Felicity instantly shed her icy demeanor, turning to her son with a warm embrace. "Leo, my love. You're here."

Leo, ever perceptive, sensed something was different. "Mom, why are we here? Are we not going back to that 'home'?" He had never liked the Miller manor.

Felicity knelt, bringing herself to his eye level. Her voice was serious but gentle. "Leo, Mom is going to divorce Kayden. From now on, this will be our new home."

Leo's eyes lit up instantly. He had always hated that man who was always scowling, who looked at him as if he didn't exist. "Really? That's great!"

Seeing his pure joy brought a pang to Felicity's heart. She decided to tell him part of the truth. "Leo, there's something I have to tell you. Kayden... he's not your biological father."

Leo had always known that he didn't look much like Kayden. Even their personalities seemed worlds apart. Kayden was never particularly smart, while Leo had always been quick-witted and exceptionally sharp. He had quietly wondered about it before, but he had never thought too deeply about why.

Leo was silent for a moment before nodding with the gravity of a tiny adult. "I figured. He never liked me."

Felicity's heart ached. She stroked his hair. "That's not your fault, my love. It's mine."

"Then who is my real father?" Leo asked the most important question.

Felicity fell silent. That was the answer she desperately needed, too. In her past life, she had died without ever knowing.

"I don't know who he is, baby," she answered honestly, her eyes meeting his. "But I swear to you, I will find him."

Leo looked at his mother's determined expression and nodded firmly. "Mom, I'll help you look."

Later that night, after she had tucked Leo into bed, Felicity stood watching his sleeping face. Her resolve hardened into steel. For Leo's sake, she had to uncover the truth of what happened six years ago. She had to find that man.

After spending the entire day locked in his room, Leo emerged holding a tablet. "Mom, look."

Felicity took it. The screen displayed a beautifully designed website with the title "LOVELESS"-the name of the haute couture brand she had founded before her marriage, a dream she had since buried.

The site showcased all her old design sketches, each one brimming with talent and a unique spark.

"I rebuilt your brand's official website and registered all the social media accounts," Leo said, looking for praise. "It's time for 'M' to come back." "M" was the name Felicity had used as a designer.

Felicity looked at the dreams she had abandoned, and her eyes grew moist. She stroked Leo's head. "Thank you, my little genius."