SWNOVELXO Chapter 3: Chapter 3
Amelia walked into an opulent hotel, the kind that exuded elegance with its marble floors and crystal chandeliers. As soon as she approached the front desk, the receptionist noticed her presence and greeted her with a warm smile, one that Amelia returned, albeit faintly.
" Good evening, ma'am," the woman said, bowing her head politely as she offered a small bundle of three keys.
Amelia had anticipated the storm of emotions that would follow once Luke saw the divorce papers—and heard about the pregnancy. She knew his protests and questions would change nothing. With that in mind, she had booked the hotel room a day early to give herself the quiet space she needed to breathe and collect her thoughts.
The world outside faded away as soon as she closed the door behind her.
Once in her room, she slipped off her elegant dress, revealing the delicate lingerie she wore beneath. A brief moment of vulnerability washed over her before she shook it off, determination flooding back.
Amelia settled onto the plush bed, pulling out the briefcase and file that Carlos had provided. The documents were perfectly organized, containing everything she had requested.
Flipping through the pages, her expression morphed from neutral to seething anger as she encountered a series of photographs. She plucked out the first picture from the stack, her gaze burning with an intensity that could ignite a fire.
" Miguel Fernandez," she spat, disgust etching her voice as she glared at the familiar face.
He looked just as she remembered: brown hair, hazel eyes, and a trimmed beard. The only difference was that he looked older, though his cold gaze remained unchanged. Amelia had never seen him in person, only in photographs that haunted her dreams.
It had been three years since the brutal murder of her parents, an event that shattered her world irrevocably. January 27th, 2003, was forever etched in her memory—just two days after her birthday. She had been enjoying a night out with friends in Australia when her grandmother's devastating call spoiled the night: her parents, influential mafia leaders, had been assassinated in their Mexican mansion. The gruesome details still plagued her: three gunshots to her father's head, one to her mother's.
Amelia's heart bore the scar of that day, a wound that never fully healed. The anguish that had raged through her soul felt like being stabbed repeatedly, each memory a knife twisting deeper. What followed was even more crushing. As a secret child, hidden from the public eye, she was denied the right to see her parents' bodies or say a final goodbye.
Amelia was never told who had murdered her parents, but by navigating a web of informants and resorting to illicit means, she painstakingly uncovered the truth: Miguel Fernandez was the monster behind the heinous act. Now, he stared back at her through the photograph, his arrogance grating against her every nerve.
Her eyes locked onto Miguel's defiant gaze in the image, her anger simmering like a slow-burning flame. She fought the urge to tear the picture apart, knowing it wouldn't harm him. Instead, she had a more sinister plan brewing, one she had been cultivating since the day she discovered his role in her parents' brutal murder.
Her plan was ruthless and meticulous: to strip Miguel of everything and everyone he held dear, then take his life in the same cruel manner he had taken hers. She wanted him to suffer, to make it slow and agonizing, savoring every moment until his final, tortured breath. Though she could have easily hired someone to kill him, Amelia knew she needed him to die by her own hands. That would be the ultimate satisfaction.
However, fate had seemingly robbed her of that satisfaction. News of Miguel Fernandez's death had broken out three year ago; his body was found in a Mexican prison cell just days after his conviction for multiple murders and drug charges. Amelia's instincts screamed foul. She couldn't accept that the man who had caused her so much pain could simply be dead. So, she hired Carlos, a clandestine investigator known for his unyielding commitment to uncovering the truth.
The documents Carlos provided revealed a shocking deception: Miguel Fernandez had faked his death, escaping Mexico under the cover of darkness, and assuming a new identity in America—Anthony Fernandez, the CEO of a prominent corporation.
Amelia pored over the photographs, fifty images that painted a vivid picture of Miguel's new life. Each photo was like a fresh wound, showing him dining at elegant restaurants, savoring cocktails in exclusive bars, and stepping out of sleek, expensive cars with that unmistakable air of arrogance. But then one picture stopped her cold: Miguel, hand-in-hand with a beautiful woman who looked at him as if he were her whole world.
She flipped back to the documents for confirmation. Yes, it was there in black and white—the woman was his fiancée, and they were set to wed in three months. Amelia's lips curled into a cold smile as she took in the details. The woman looked radiant beside him, her smile oblivious to the dark truth beneath Miguel's charming facade.
" Only if she knew," She sneered
Amelia's lips twisted into a cold, calculating smile. His unsuspecting fiancee would be the initial target, the first domino to fall. The woman by his side, blissfully unaware of the monster she was about to marry, would be her opening gambit. And from there, Amelia would take everything from him, one cherished piece at a time.
She rearranged the documents back into the briefcase, her hands moving with deliberate precision. Then, she laid back into the bed, her eyes glinting with anticipation. As she sank into the pillows, her thoughts spiraled into a storm of expectations.
Tomorrow would mark the beginning of the end for Miguel Fernandez. Tomorrow, she would unleash her plan, orchestrating a flawless downfall. Her revenge would be sweet, and her victory, complete.
With a satisfied smile, Amelia closed her eyes, her mind already envisioning the destruction to come.