Broken to billionaire: A vengeful return

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 3

Zenith Lux is the supreme business body, with its net worth increasing every day. 

Its assets are over seven hundred billion dollars at the moment.

This is where all elite and booming businesses must register and pass through before they can thrive. 

It was the gateway to power, the validation of true success.

Then, Helena left the room to excuse her.

After she left, Tatiana thought of both Desmond and Alexander. 

The former was nothing compared to the latter. Alexander was wealthy to a fault, and Desmond was as poor as a church rat.

Tatiana couldn't believe she had dated such a man for years. There had been many wealthy suitors lining up for her.

 Is it Kingsley Wellington we should talk about? 

The eldest son of a well-known millionaire family group, the Wellingtons.

The Wellingtons were one of the top wealthy families in Halcyon City, although not as wealthy as the Zacks. 

Kingsley Wellington had once wanted to marry Tatiana a few years back, but with the intervention of Lord George, he insisted that Tatiana marry Desmond.

A decade and a few months ago, Lord George had decided to marry Tatiana to Desmond because he saved Tatiana from a mere death experience which she might not have survived if it were not for Desmond’s very fast intervention.

He did that to appreciate Desmond for his kind action and felt his granddaughter was in safe hands.

If not for her grandfather, Tatiana would have been with a wealthy man by now.

Damn it!

As she turned to leave, her gaze dropped to the floor.

 Scattered among the mess were a few of Desmond’s belongings. 

The things he had left behind in his rush to leave the villa. Looking at them disgusted her.

Clicking her heels against the floor, she kicked the items aside like they were garbage. 

That was when she noticed a gold-carved pendant peeking out from the pile of his stuff.

"Oh my God, did he try to steal my pendant?" Her heart skipped a beat as she bent down, grabbing it for a closer look.

"Ohh… it’s…"

Tatiana hurried to her jewelry box, where she always kept her pendant. It was still there, untouched, lying exactly as she had left it.

"Really?" Her brows furrowed, she was confused.

A wave of unease washed over her.

 If her pendant was right where she left it, then where did Desmond get this?

Only she and her best friend, Camilla Frederick, had owned such pendants. They had gotten them together that year.

Could it be…? No, impossible.

 She had never introduced Camilla to Desmond. They had never met, at least, not that she knew of. 

So how could this happen?

As for Camilla, she's the eldest daughter of the Frederick Group. She looks very good and has a captivating figure. She is also from a prestigious family.

Although the Fredericks weren’t one of the top wealthy families in Halcyon City, they were still well-known and highly respected for their connections and influence.

So how could she have something to do with trash like Desmond?

It must have been that Desmond had gotten the pendant through dirty means.

First, he was a snitch; next, he stole her friend's pendant.

“Gosh! Very irritating!”

Because she was curious, she ransacked through the rest of his abandoned belongings. 

That was when she found something even more unusual, a golden paper envelope.

 It was distinct, unlike anything she had seen before.

Carefully, she picked it up with just her thumb and index finger, as though it were contaminated.

 With precise movements, she opened it, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the contents.

The letter inside bore an official letterhead—Nicholas Everstone, Olympus Falls.

Her breath hitched.

The message instructed Desmond to return home whenever he wished, to take over Zenith Lux.

Her eyes darted to the details that accompanied it.

A black card granting access to over 200 million dollars, a VIP pass for first-class travel, and private lounge access…

And then, she laughed loudly.

"Ki ki… What a joke! Clown of the year!"

This was beyond absurd.

Nicholas Everstone? 

The man who stood at the apex of wealth and power? How could he possibly know “a nobody” like Desmond?

“And Zenith Lux?”

She burst into another fit of laughter, this time around, it almost made her fall, as she staggered as she laughed.

“Uhh ki ki ki”

The sheer ridiculousness of it all. It was almost impressive. A penniless nobody thought he could own something of that caliber?

Does he even deserve it?

Absolutely not.

He must have faked all of this, carefully crafting the details to live in his little dream.

The height of his delusion!

If he had dreamed of being a gatekeeper at Zenith Lux, maybe, just maybe, he could have fooled someone. 

But this? 

This was beyond laughable.

With a sneer, she tore the paper into pieces, shredding every last bit until it was nothing but scattered fragments in her hands. 

Then, with a flick of her wrist, she tossed it into the trash.

She would sooner believe a pig turned into a prince than believe this nonsense was real.

And just like that, she erased the absurdity from her mind.

But there was still one thing that needed answers. The pendant!

She would have to ask Camilla about it later.

For now, she had somewhere to be.

Tatiana glanced at the mirror, adjusting her dress one last time, ensuring every inch of fabric hugged her in the right places. 

Perfection was key, and she had mastered it.

Just then, a loud honk echoed from the gate, interrupting her thoughts.

"I'm coming!" she called out, her voice carrying through the room.

Alexander was already outside, waiting to pick her up, his usual confidence evident even from a distance.

Straightening her posture, she lightly dusted her face with her powder brush, ensuring she looked absolutely perfect for the outing ahead. 

She stepped outside, her heels clicking sharply against the marble floor, exuding elegance and authority.

"Hello, buddy," she greeted, her voice bright yet laced with the charm she knew worked best.

"Darling princess," Alexander grinned, his gaze sweeping over her from head to toe, scrutinizing her outfit with obvious approval. 

"Always looking good.” He smiled.

He stepped forward and opened the car door for her, a gesture she had grown accustomed to from men of his caliber. 

Without hesitation, she slid into the front seat.

With that, they drove off to the venue. A new chapter in her life awaited.