THE TRILLIONAIRE HEIR THIRSTY FOR REVENGE

“Me and my mother demand that you give us an additional €300,000.”

In Oakheart City, ten years ago, Ezekiele Moretti was disowned by his family. They cut off all ties with him and threw him into prison. Dejected and forsaken, Ezekiele had no choice but to serve a sentence for a crime he didn’t commit. Fast forward to years later, he came out and, with no one to turn to for help, started to rebuild his life. 

Starting from scratch, he painstakingly worked his way back up and was now a Great Marshal, respected and revered by many, with a massive amount of wealth. 

But the thing was, although people knew of the Great Marshal, not a lot of people could put a face to the name. Apart from his close contacts, everyone else knew him by the fake alias he created, Ezekiele Moretti. They had no idea of his real identity. 

Keeping it a secret was deliberate. Ezekiele’s plan? To pay back all the people who made an impact in his life, whether positively or negatively. 

Number one on the positive list was Emilia. 

In the darkest days of his life, she suddenly appeared, giving him the much needed strength that allowed Ezekiele to pick himself up. For that reason, he vowed that he would love and cherish her all the days of his life. Now he was about to marry her. What he didn’t expect was that she would turn out to be so materialistic. 

From his dressing room, the sound of the hired band playing the wedding song could be heard, but he couldn’t focus on that joyful sound because Emilia stood in front of him, glaring at him with her arms crossed. Standing next to her was her mother, Maddalena, wearing a similar expression. 

“An additional €300,000?” Ezekiele’s eyebrow went up in surprise. 

Not too long ago, he’d given that very amount to Emilia and her mother as dowry. There had been no complaints then, so he wondered why they were asking for more. Ezekiele watched Emilia carefully, sensing a shift in her attitude. 

“Why do you need the additional money? I asked you to wait until we got married, then I would show you all the wealth. Don’t you trust me anymore?”

Emilia and her mother exchanged looks, then both women scoffed at the same time. 

“Nevermind all of that, Ezekiele.” Under his gaze, Emilia’s sour expression changed to a smile. “Well, if you must know…The Great Marshal’s Comeback Ceremony is in a matter of weeks. My mother and I need to buy new clothes now that our reputation in the society is about to rise. Heaven forbid we wear the same old clothes to the ceremony!”

After Emilia finished speaking, Ezekiele didn’t say anything. He was thinking. The Great Marshal Comeback Ceremony was an event he planned to officially reveal his identity to the world. Of course, he’d given Emilia an invitation because she was about to become his wife. He was going to reveal it especially for her sake, but now he was a bit taken aback at the change in her attitude. 

“Isn’t that wasteful? I’m sure the Great Marshal won’t notice if you wear new clothes to his ceremony,” Ezekiele said these words, hoping she would change her mind. 

What he got in response was a sneer from Emilia. She and her mother, Maddalena, mocked Ezekiele with a laugh. 

“What would you know about class? Even if the Great Marshal doesn’t notice, there’s bound to be other important guests, who will definitely do.” Emilia explained in a condescending voice. “Anyway, you have no right to speak because you weren’t even worthy to receive an invitation from the Great Marshal.”

Again, Ezekiele didn’t respond. He stared at his bride-to-be for a number of seconds, until a voice interrupted him. It was a voice that had remained quiet all the while they were speaking. 

“Emilia, you shouldn’t act this way.” The voice belonged to Lucia, Emilia’s bridesmaid. “Ezekiele is right. Buying new clothes to attend the ceremony seems wasteful. Moreover, if you need to have this conversation, have it after the wedding. The guests have been waiting for a long time now.”

Ezekiele didn’t know much about Lucia—He only knew her as someone who acted timid around Emilia—but he was grateful for her coming to his defense. He was about to thank her when he heard a loud sound. Emilia had just slapped Lucia!

“Shut up, you!” In truth, Emilia held no fondness for Lucia. The reason she kept her around was due to the fact that Lucia never went against her words. She was usually obedient, just the way Emilia preferred. “What do you know?” An ugly expression crowned Emilia’s beautiful features. 

A hand to her face, Lucia didn’t say anything. 

“As a matter of fact, take back this piece of junk you gave me!” Reaching for the necklace hanging around her neck, Emilia pulled it off with great force, and hurled it at her bridesmaid. “I only kept you around because I pitied you!”

Emilia was still droning on, but Ezekiel had long stopped listening. His eyes were locked on the ‘piece of junk’ Emilia threw at Lucia, which was now on the ground. 

Years ago, when he first met Emilia, he gave her a jade pendant so that he would recognize her when they met again! 

Quietly, he bent at the waist and picked up the pendant. “Who do you say this belongs to?” His question wasn’t directed to anyone in particular, but Emilia was quick to answer. 

“Lucia gave it to me as a sign of her loyalty to me.” A scoff followed Emilia’s words. “But it’s just trash. Not worth anything at all!”

“It’s not trash,” Lucia protested quietly, not daring to raise her voice at Emilia. 

In the midst of this, none of the women in the room noticed that Ezekiele’s face had turned white. The reason he asked Emilia to marry him was because he recognized the pendant as the one that inspired him to rebuild his life. He didn’t expect that it was the wrong woman. 

All these while, he thought she was the owner, but he couldn’t be more wrong. No, it wasn’t Emilia who helped him all those years ago, it was Lucia!