No Longer Mrs. Cooley: The Architect's Return

I went to the City Clerk's office for a routine copy of my marriage license to finalize a trust fund audit. I expected a simple piece of paper, but the clerk's pitying look told me my entire life was a lie. "The license was never finalized, Ms. Oliver. In the eyes of the state, you are single." The three-hundred-guest wedding at the Plaza and the Vogue features meant nothing. My husband, Gray Cooley, had intentionally filed the documents with a "procedural defect" so he could discard me without a legal divorce. Moments later, an iCloud invite titled "Our Little Secret" popped up on my screen. It was a photo of my best friend, Brylee, holding a positive pregnancy test at our Hamptons estate. Gray's text to her was the final blow: "Happy anniversary, babe. This baby is the best gift. Once the trust unlocks today, we're done with the charade." I soon discovered they were even stealing my career, reassigning my architectural masterpiece to Brylee while preparing my eviction notice. Gray's mother called me a "barren mule" in a leaked recording, mocking the infertility I suffered after saving Gray's life in a construction accident. I wasn't a wife; I was a three-year placeholder used to secure his inheritance. How could the man I bled for treat me like a disposable prop? How could my best friend carry his child while pretending to comfort me through my darkest moments? The betrayal burned until it turned into a cold, hard stone of fury. I didn't cry. Instead, I walked into the penthouse of the Barretts, the Cooleys' most powerful rivals. I signed a marriage contract with Kane Barrett, the man the tabloids called the "Beast of Wall Street." "I want a wedding," I told his father, my voice steady and lethal. "Bigger than the one I had with Gray." If they wanted me gone, they would have to watch me become the woman who owns their world.

Modern Revenge Divorce

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Celia Kane woke up in a trance, finding herself weak and dizzy. The most bizarre thing was that she was wearing a wedding dress.

Several bodyguards held her and were about to force her into a bridal car.

"Wait! What are you doing? Let go of me!" Celia was in a panic. She couldn't believe what was happening.

She only had gone back to get her mother's belongings and stayed for a meal at her father's request. That was all she could recall. What was going on now?

The strong bodyguards held Celia tighter and brutally pressed her into the bridal car.

"This is Mr. Kane's order. Get in the car now," shouted one of the bodyguards in a loud and terrifying voice.

Celia was taken aback. She almost couldn't believe that this was her father's idea.

She was shocked and confused at the same time, trying to recall what had happened.

Two hours ago, her father, Adrien Kane, told her that he had accidentally found her mother's belongings in the attic. He asked her if she wanted to come back and take them with her.

Celia had moved out at the age of seventeen. Since then, she had never stepped into her father's house. And if it weren't for her mother's belongings, she would have never come back again.

When she arrived home, Adrien asked her to stay for a meal. Actually, she was a little suspicious because it was very uncharacteristic of him to say that. So she only took a sip of the juice. But she didn't expect that it was enough to make her pass out. When she woke up, what happened was beyond her imagination.

Celia was weak due to the drug. But she had practiced karate for years to keep herself in great shape. She had to do something now to save herself.

"No, I won't get in that car." She pressed her shoulders against the car door to resist. Then she firmly said, "What the hell is going on? If this is really Adrien's order, I want to hear it directly from him."

Right after she said that, a slightly apologetic voice rang out behind her. It was Adrien.

"Celia, if I have options, I won't do this. Just do as I say. Get in the car and get married."

Celia jerked her head up and saw Adrien standing there. Beside him were her stepmother Mabel and her half-sister Cerissa.

Adrien was always remote and impersonal to her. But now, he looked so embarrassed that he didn't dare to look into her eyes.

"Cut the crap! We raised her for years, and she owes it to us. Now that our company is in trouble, it's time for her to repay us."

Mabel stepped forward and looked down at Celia arrogantly. "Don't say I'm a bad stepmother. In fact, you should be thanking me. It is a good thing that you marry into the Shaw family. You will live a luxurious life that most people dream of. Everyone will be envious of you. Your mother is watching you from heaven. She must be glad to see this now."

Celia glared at Mabel viciously when she mentioned her late mother.

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