From Humiliation To New York Queen

From Humiliation To New York Queen

Qing Gongzi

5.0
Comment(s)
7K
View
23
Chapters

My rival' s lies got me expelled from USC. The fight with my parents that followed was our last; they died in a car crash that night, leaving me with crushing debt and my rebellious brother, Bennie. To save Bennie from jail time over a fight he didn't start, I took a humiliating job at a high-end nightclub, a place where my dignity was the price of admission. There, I was forced to kneel before my ex-fiancé, Demetri. He watched with cold indifference, now engaged to the very woman who destroyed my life. He was even the lawyer for the family Bennie had supposedly bullied, his voice a weapon as he publicly shamed me. He was my everything, yet he believed I was a monster. He stood by as my world crumbled, choosing to defend the woman who orchestrated my downfall. After the truth was finally exposed, he sacrificed everything for me, losing his career and fortune in a desperate attempt at redemption. But it was too late. I had already taken my brother and moved to New York, ready to build a new life and find new love, far from the man who shattered my old one.

From Humiliation To New York Queen Chapter 1

My rival' s lies got me expelled from USC. The fight with my parents that followed was our last; they died in a car crash that night, leaving me with crushing debt and my rebellious brother, Bennie.

To save Bennie from jail time over a fight he didn't start, I took a humiliating job at a high-end nightclub, a place where my dignity was the price of admission.

There, I was forced to kneel before my ex-fiancé, Demetri. He watched with cold indifference, now engaged to the very woman who destroyed my life. He was even the lawyer for the family Bennie had supposedly bullied, his voice a weapon as he publicly shamed me.

He was my everything, yet he believed I was a monster. He stood by as my world crumbled, choosing to defend the woman who orchestrated my downfall.

After the truth was finally exposed, he sacrificed everything for me, losing his career and fortune in a desperate attempt at redemption. But it was too late. I had already taken my brother and moved to New York, ready to build a new life and find new love, far from the man who shattered my old one.

Chapter 1

Josie Cohen POV:

The cloying smell of stale coffee and forced pleasantries clung to the mediation room like a shroud. I wished I could disappear right through the cheap linoleum floor. But I couldn't. Not with Demetri Anderson sitting across from me, his face a mask of cold, professional indifference, just like it had been three years ago, the day he destroyed my life.

Three years. It felt like a lifetime. A lifetime ago, I was Josie Cohen, a USC art history major with a trust fund and a future as bright as the California sun. Demetri was my everything, the ambitious law student who' d swept me off my feet, his intensity both thrilling and comforting. We had plans. Big plans.

Now, he was here. Not as my past, but as a chilling reminder of everything I' d lost. He was representing the family of a boy my younger brother, Bennie, had allegedly bullied. The irony tasted like ash in my mouth.

Demetri's gaze swept over the room, settling briefly on me, then moving on as if I were a stranger. His dark suit was impeccable, his tie a muted blue, his posture ramrod straight. He exuded an authority that made the air crackle. He was everything he' d always wanted to be – a high-powered lawyer. I was... not.

He cleared his throat, the sound sharp in the quiet room. "Ms. Cohen, Mr. Anderson." He used formal titles, drawing a stark line between us. "Let's review the evidence."

He tapped a file on the table, a thick stack of papers and glossy photos. My stomach clenched. This wasn't a reunion. It was a crucifixion.

Demetri' s voice, once a gentle rumble that could soothe my anxieties, was now a weapon. It sliced through the tension, presenting facts, dates, and injuries with chilling precision. He laid out the case against Bennie, detailing how the victim, a boy named Leo, had suffered a broken arm and severe emotional distress. His words painted a vivid, damning picture.

My cheeks burned. Not from shame over Bennie's actions, but from the sheer indignity of facing Demetri like this. I swallowed hard, my voice a whisper. "Bennie isn't a bully. He's a good kid, just misunderstood."

Demetri didn't even flinch. His eyes, once full of warmth for me, were now granite. "Subjective feelings do not obscure objective facts, Ms. Cohen. The evidence states otherwise."

I glanced at Leo, who sat beside Demetri, his arm in a sling, his eyes wide and scared. Bennie, slumped in his chair next to me, had his jaw set, his gaze glued to the floor. He refused to meet anyone's eyes. It didn't look good. I knew that.

"Can we... can we see the footage leading up to this?" I asked, desperation creeping into my voice. "There's always a reason. Bennie wouldn't just-"

"Forget it, Josie!" Bennie snapped, cutting me off. He pushed back from the table, his chair scraping loudly across the floor. "I did it! So what? He deserved it!"

My heart leaped into my throat. "Bennie!"

He ignored me, his furious gaze landing on Demetri. "You want to punish me? Go ahead! I'm not scared of you, lawyer boy."

Bennie shot up, storming out of the room. The door slammed behind him, rattling the flimsy walls.

"Bennie, wait!" I scrambled to my feet, chasing after him. I caught his arm in the hallway. "What are you doing? We need to talk this through."

He ripped his arm away, his eyes blazing. "Talk what through, Josie? More apologies? More humiliation? Isn't that what you're good at?" He jutted his chin out. "Just like you were good at letting them kick you out of USC, good at letting them take everything from you! Thanks to you, we have nothing left!"

His words hit me like a physical blow. My body stiffened, the air knocked out of my lungs. He was right. Thanks to me, we had nothing. But it wasn't my fault. My mind screamed the words, but my voice failed.

Bennie didn't wait for a response. He spun on his heel and disappeared down the corridor. I stood frozen, the harsh fluorescent lights of the hallway glaring down on me. When I turned back, Demetri was standing in the doorway of the mediation room, his gaze fixed on me.

Our eyes met. His held no pity, only a chilling resolve.

He stepped out, closing the door behind him. "Since your brother has chosen to forego mediation, Ms. Cohen, we will proceed with our demands. We are seeking substantial compensation for Leo's injuries, including medical bills, psychological counseling, and punitive damages for emotional distress. Our current estimate stands at..." He named a figure that made my head spin, a number so astronomical it might as well have been spoken in an alien language. "And a public apology from your brother."

"We can't pay that," I whispered, the words catching in my throat. "Please, just... give us some time to figure it out."

Demetri's jaw tightened. "My clients are not interested in delays. If full compensation and a public apology are not received within one week, we will escalate this. To juvenile detention, if necessary."

My eyes widened in horror. "No, you can't-"

"We can," a soft voice interrupted. Leo, the boy Demetri represented, had emerged from the room. He looked up at Demetri, a shy smile on his face. "Thank you, Demetri. You're the best. No wonder Claudia said you'd be the best brother-in-law ever."

The words hung in the air, a cruel, invisible blade twisting in my gut. Claudia. Demetri's fiancée. My old university rival. Of course. It all made perfect, sickening sense.

I felt a sudden, sharp ache in my chest, a familiar bitterness. I pushed it down. There was no room for old wounds now.

Demetri nodded at Leo, a small, almost imperceptible softening of his features. Then his gaze flickered back to me, hardening again. "Those who do wrong, Ms. Cohen, eventually face consequences."

His words were a direct hit, aimed not just at Bennie, but at me. A warning. A judgment.

When they had finally left, the hallway felt too quiet, too empty. I leaned against the cool wall, the last shred of my composure crumbling. My legs gave out, and I slid to the floor.

Three years.

My parents had been thrilled when I got into USC. The art history program was prestigious, and they' d always encouraged my creative spirit. And then Demetri came along, a scholarship kid from a working-class background, brilliant and driven. We were an unlikely pair, but we fell hard. He saw past my privilege, and I saw past his ambition to the kind, passionate man beneath.

That all changed the day Claudia Vazquez, my old classmate, spun her web of lies. She' d always been jealous, green with envy over my effortless popularity and the ease with which I moved through life. She framed me for a sorority hazing incident, a fabricated trauma that painted me as a cruel bully. Demetri, blinded by her tearful performance and what he called "evidence," sided with her. He stood by as I was expelled from USC, my future shattered.

The fight with my parents that followed was brutal. They accused me of ruining our family name, not realizing the depth of the betrayal I'd endured. Distraught, they drove off, still arguing. That night, a drunk driver ran a red light. They were gone. Just like that, I was an orphan, left with the crushing debt of their recently failed business. My world imploded.

In my grief and rage, I lashed out. I found every photo of Demetri I still had-photos from our happiest days, moments meant for us alone-and sold them to the tabloids. A desperate, childish act of revenge. I remembered Demetri's furious call, his voice laced with disgust. "You're a monster, Josie. I never want to see you again."

"Good," I'd screamed back, tears streaming down my face. "Because I never want to see you again either!"

It should have ended there. But then came the guilt. My parents, distracted and distraught after our fight, getting into that accident... it ate at me. It still ate at me.

The memories pressed down, suffocating me. I clawed at my chest, trying to get air, trying to break free from the past that still strangled me. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think.

I clenched my fists, digging my nails into my palms. The sharp pain was a welcome anchor, pulling me back to the present. I had to pay Demetri. I had to keep Bennie safe.

I pulled out my phone, my fingers trembling as I scrolled through my contacts. There was one number, a last resort. Caron Wolfe, manager of The Serpent's Kiss, an exclusive Hollywood nightclub. A place where the wealthy came to play, and where the rules were... different.

"Caron," I said, my voice hoarse. "I need that job. The one you offered me."

There was a pause on the other end, then a weary sigh. "Josie. You know the rules here. It's not pretty work. And the clientele... they have very specific tastes."

"I don't care," I said, my voice hard. "I need the money. Whatever it takes."

"Alright," Caron said, her tone devoid of emotion. "Be here tomorrow. And bring your thick skin. You're going to need it."

Continue Reading

Other books by Qing Gongzi

More
My Husband Sold Me to the Don

My Husband Sold Me to the Don

Mafia

5.0

My husband, Hudson Higgins, used my dowry to buy his way into the Chicago underworld while his family treated me like a servant in my own home. I endured their insults for the sake of my five-year-old daughter, Josie. But then, the unthinkable happened. I found Josie's small, lifeless body by the garden fountain, while my sister-in-law Karly and mother-in-law Eleanor stood by, complaining about their party plans. "She was just too naughty," Karly sneered, adjusting her pearls over my dead child. When I turned to Hudson for help, he looked at me with dead eyes and told me it was just her fate. In that moment of absolute grief, I remembered the words of the ruthless Don Damien Falcone: "Your husband is a man who knows how to close a deal." The truth sliced through me like a blade. Hudson hadn't just ignored the Don's interest in me; he had actively sold me to the Devil of Chicago to buy his seat at the table. He let his family punish me for the very sin he committed. I had lost everything-my dignity, my mother, and now my baby-all sacrificed for a man who traded his wife's body for power. The sorrow in my chest evaporated, replaced by a scorching, blinding thirst for a blood vendetta. After lunging at Hudson and feeling the world explode into white, I opened my eyes to find myself back in the winter of 1928. It was the exact night the nightmare began, and Don Damien Falcone was walking toward me in his penthouse. This time, I won't be the broken bird in his gilded cage. If Hudson wants to use me to climb the ranks, I will use the Don's dark obsession to burn the Higgins family to the ground.

Reborn: After 99 Divorces

Reborn: After 99 Divorces

Modern

5.0

I stood at the edge of the freezing pond on the Boone estate, my body trembling with a fear that rattled my bones. Across from me, Amanda Olsen looked immaculate in her cashmere coat, a sharp contrast to the jagged reality I was trying to hold together. "Why?" I whispered. Amanda just smiled, admitting she killed Grandpa Boone because he actually liked me. She pulled out a thick envelope-divorce papers Cordero had signed that morning. She told me he called me a parasite and was celebrating with her the night I suffered a miscarriage. Before I could even scream, Amanda lunged and shoved me into the icy water. My heavy wool coat acted like a sponge, dragging me into the artificial abyss. I thrashed and gasped for air, but Amanda just stood on the bank, watching me drown with her hands tucked casually in her pockets. As my lungs burned and the darkness closed in, I realized I had spent my entire marriage taking their abuse. I was the "foster trash" and the "gold digger" who let them win every single time. I was dying alone, hated by the husband I had tried so hard to love, while my murderer stood victorious on the shore. I never fought back. I just let them destroy me. Then, a violent spasm tore through my body. I sat up gasping, sucking in dry, air-conditioned oxygen instead of murky pond water. I wasn't dead. I was back in the opulent master suite, surrounded by red rose petals and wedding decorations. The digital clock glowed: October 14, 2019. I had gone back five years to the very night my nightmare began. The bathroom door clicked open, and Cordero stepped out, looking at me with the same cold disgust I remembered. But as I gripped the silk sheets, a new resolve hardened in my chest. This time, I wasn't going to be the victim. This time, the Boone family was going to find out exactly what happens when you push someone too far.

From Servant to Savior

From Servant to Savior

Romance

5.0

The alarm shrieked through the silent mansion, a sound I knew better than my own heartbeat. For fifteen years, I had been Dorian Steele' s living, breathing medicine, my blood the only cure for his fatal seizures. But then, his fiancée, Ainsley, arrived. She was flawless, a vision of cold, stunning beauty, and she looked like she belonged here. He shoved me away from him, pulling the silk sheets up to cover my worn pajamas as if I were something dirty. "Kira, clean this mess up. And get out." He dismissed me like a servant, after clinging to me for life just moments before. The next morning, she sat in my chair, wearing his shirt, a love bite visible on her neck. She taunted me, and when I spilled coffee, he didn't even notice, too busy laughing with her. Later, Ainsley accused me of breaking Eleanor' s prized porcelain vase. Dorian, without question, believed her. He forced me to my knees on the broken shards, the pain searing my flesh. "Apologize," he growled, pressing down on my shoulder. I whispered my apology, each word a surrender. Then, they drained my blood for her, for a fabricated illness. "Ainsley needs this," he said, his voice flat. "She's more important." More important than the girl who had given him her life. I was a resource to be exploited, a well that would never run dry. He had promised he would always protect me, but now he was the one holding the sword. I was nothing more than a pet, a creature he kept for his own survival. But I was done. I accepted an offer from the Estes family, a desperate, archaic idea of a "propitious marriage" to their comatose son, Emmett. It was my only escape.

Shattered Vows, Unveiled Truths

Shattered Vows, Unveiled Truths

Romance

5.0

My husband, David, beamed with pride at our son Ethan' s university acceptance. I sat across the table, a ghost in a designer dress, invisible. I was the silent engine of their success, but tonight, I was out of fuel. That night, a notification from our shared cloud storage revealed David' s secret: a photo album of him and a young flight attendant, Olivia Hayes, on romantic trips. My heart shattered as I recognized a delicate silver necklace on her-the one I' d admired and hinted at to David, which he' d bought for her. When David and Ethan walked in, their laughter died as they found me on the floor, the truth exposed on my phone. David' s anger flared, accusing me of being hysterical, while Ethan, his loyalty firmly with his father, told me not to ruin their night. David then casually tossed a credit card at me, thinking money could fix everything. I refused, my voice clear and steady as they walked away, leaving me alone in the house I had built, a home where I no longer belonged. The man I married, who once vowed "Wherever you go, I will go," had just run to another woman as I lay bleeding on the airport lounge floor after an explosion. He didn't even glance back. That crystal-clear moment solidified everything: he wouldn't save me, he wouldn't even try. I looked at him, the stranger he had become. "I want a divorce, David," I declared, my voice loud and clear, silencing the chaos around us. I knew then that the only thing I regretted was not ending this sooner.

You'll also like

The Placeholder Bride's Secret Billionaire Revenge

The Placeholder Bride's Secret Billionaire Revenge

Luo Ye
5.0

For two years, I was the invisible force behind tech billionaire Kieran Douglas, convinced that our "private" romance was his way of protecting us from the tabloid spotlight. I managed his mergers, warmed his bed, and waited for a future that didn't exist. The illusion shattered at 6:00 AM when a Page Six alert debuted Kieran’s "real" romance with socialite Aspen Schneider. Before I could even process the betrayal, Kieran sent me a cold, professional text: "Order flowers for Aspen. Pink peonies. Her favorite." When I tried to walk away, my own mother called me a disgrace and threatened to lock my inheritance forever unless I married a sixty-year-old businessman to save her failing estate. At a high-society gala that same night, Aspen intentionally crushed my burned hand in front of the cameras, while Kieran stood by and dismissed me as a "mediocre assistant" who had overstayed her welcome. I stood in the cold New York rain, drenched in champagne and humiliation, realizing that every sacrifice I made for Kieran was a joke. I was a ghost in a penthouse that was never mine, discarded the moment his "soulmate" returned. To the world, I was just a placeholder whose time had run out. But Kieran forgot one thing: my father’s multi-million dollar trust fund unlocks the moment I legally marry. I didn't need love; I needed a signature and a shield. I walked into a discreet law firm and signed a marriage contract with a man I believed was the city’s most notorious, scandal-ridden playboy. I thought I was marrying a degenerate "beard" to buy my freedom and secure my revenge. I didn't realize the man who signed that paper wasn't a playboy at all, but Gaston Collins—the most powerful and dangerous man on Wall Street—and he had no intention of letting our fake marriage stay fake.

Broken Ring, Billionaire Secrets: Watch Me Shine

Broken Ring, Billionaire Secrets: Watch Me Shine

Cornelia
4.5

I sat on the edge of the examination table, the crinkle of the sanitary paper sounding like thunder in the sterile room. The doctor didn't even look at me as he confirmed the news: the pregnancy was over. My husband, Keyon, didn't answer my call. He just sent an automated text: "In a meeting." When I returned to our cold mansion, I found his iPad glowing with a message from his "muse," Katina. He was throwing her a secret gala tonight-on our third wedding anniversary. He told her he couldn't wait to escape the "boring" and "draining" atmosphere I created at home. Keyon didn't stumble in until 3 AM, smelling of Katina's perfume with a smear of red on his collar. When I handed him the divorce papers, he laughed in my face. He called me a "glorified housekeeper" with no skills and no future, promising I'd be back in three days begging for a subway ticket. He even bet his friends ten thousand dollars that I wouldn't survive a week without his name. He had his assistant cancel my credit cards and block my gate access before I even reached the end of the driveway. He wanted me to starve. He wanted me to crawl. He sat in his office, mocking the "desperate" woman who pawned her three-million-dollar wedding ring for scrap metal just to pay for a meal. I stood on the rainy curb, watching the man I had protected for three years treat my life like trash. He didn't know about the ultrasound I just threw in the bin. He didn't know that while he was calling me "dull," I was the one secretly writing the code that kept his billion-dollar empire from collapsing. As I slid into a cheap Uber, I opened a hidden, encrypted app on my phone. The screen refreshed to a dashboard for an account Keyon didn't know existed. The balance was ten figures long-the accumulated wealth of "Solaris," the world's most elusive tech genius. Keyon thinks he just evicted a parasite, but he's about to find out he just declared war on the only person who can hit "delete" on his entire life.

Rising From Wreckage: Starfall's Epic Comeback

Rising From Wreckage: Starfall's Epic Comeback

Huo Wuer
4.5

Rain hammered against the asphalt as my sedan spun violently into the guardrail on the I-95. Blood trickled down my temple, stinging my eyes, while the rhythmic slap of the windshield wipers mocked my panic. Trembling, I dialed my husband, Clive. His executive assistant answered instead, his voice professional and utterly cold. "Mr. Wilson says to stop the theatrics. He said, and I quote, 'Hang up. Tell her I don’t have time for her emotional blackmail tonight.'" The line went dead while I was still trapped in the wreckage. At the hospital, I watched the news footage of Clive wrapping his jacket around his "fragile" ex-girlfriend, Angelena, shielding her from the storm I was currently bleeding in. When I returned to our penthouse, I found a prenatal ultrasound in his suit pocket, dated the day he claimed to be on a business trip. Instead of an apology, Clive met me with a sneer. He told me I was nothing but an "expensive decoration" his father bought to make him look stable. He froze my bank accounts and cut off my cards, waiting for the hunger to drive me back to his feet. I stared at the man I had loved for four years, realizing he didn't just want a wife; he wanted a prop he could switch off. He thought he could starve me into submission while he played father to another woman's child. But Clive forgot one thing. Before I was his trophy wife, I was Starfall—the legendary voice actress who vanished at the height of her fame. "I'm not jealous, Clive. I'm done." I grabbed my old microphone and walked out. I’m not just leaving him; I’m taking the lead role in the biggest saga in Hollywood—the one Angelena is desperate for. This time, the "decoration" is going to burn his world down.

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book
From Humiliation To New York Queen From Humiliation To New York Queen Qing Gongzi Modern
“My rival' s lies got me expelled from USC. The fight with my parents that followed was our last; they died in a car crash that night, leaving me with crushing debt and my rebellious brother, Bennie. To save Bennie from jail time over a fight he didn't start, I took a humiliating job at a high-end nightclub, a place where my dignity was the price of admission. There, I was forced to kneel before my ex-fiancé, Demetri. He watched with cold indifference, now engaged to the very woman who destroyed my life. He was even the lawyer for the family Bennie had supposedly bullied, his voice a weapon as he publicly shamed me. He was my everything, yet he believed I was a monster. He stood by as my world crumbled, choosing to defend the woman who orchestrated my downfall. After the truth was finally exposed, he sacrificed everything for me, losing his career and fortune in a desperate attempt at redemption. But it was too late. I had already taken my brother and moved to New York, ready to build a new life and find new love, far from the man who shattered my old one.”
1

Chapter 1

22/12/2025

2

Chapter 2

22/12/2025

3

Chapter 3

22/12/2025

4

Chapter 4

22/12/2025

5

Chapter 5

22/12/2025

6

Chapter 6

22/12/2025

7

Chapter 7

22/12/2025

8

Chapter 8

22/12/2025

9

Chapter 9

22/12/2025

10

Chapter 10

22/12/2025

11

Chapter 11

22/12/2025

12

Chapter 12

22/12/2025

13

Chapter 13

22/12/2025

14

Chapter 14

22/12/2025

15

Chapter 15

22/12/2025

16

Chapter 16

22/12/2025

17

Chapter 17

22/12/2025

18

Chapter 18

22/12/2025

19

Chapter 19

22/12/2025

20

Chapter 20

22/12/2025

21

Chapter 21

22/12/2025

22

Chapter 22

22/12/2025

23

Chapter 23

22/12/2025