Chapter 3
3.I Want Revenge!
Shantelle's POV
The moment the González gates disappeared behind me, my legs nearly gave out.
I had walked out of my father's mansion with nothing but my tight corset gown, my phone and my cute designer purse.
The engagement ring was no longer on my finger. I raised my hand to examine my fingers, the empty space where the ring had occupied felt strangely heavy.
Three months.
That was how long Alejandro had been betraying me.
And tonight, I had lost my father, my inheritance, my home, and the man I thought I would spend the rest of my life with.
I stepped onto the roadside looking like a drenched rat and raised my hand. A taxi slowed beside me.
I climbed into the back seat and gave the driver an address.
As the car pulled away, I pressed my forehead against the window. The city lights blurred through my tears.
Then my phone buzzed.
Once.
Twice.
Then again.
I pulled it from my purse. My stomach dropped.
GONZÁLEZ PRIVATE BANKING: Your card has been suspended.
Another notification appeared.
GONZÁLEZ ESTATE ACCOUNT: Access revoked.
Then another.
CREDIT CARD: Account terminated.
I stared at the screen.
My father's warning echoed in my head.
“You will leave with nothing.”
He hadn't been bluffing nonsense… I tried my personal debit card.
Declined!.
I tried another.
Declined!.
A bitter laugh escaped my lips.
“So this is how quickly you erase your own daughter!.” The driver glanced at me through the rearview mirror.
“Miss, are you alright?”
I wiped the tears from my cheeks.
“I'm fine.”
He didn't look convinced.
After a moment, he said quietly, “You're Shantelle González, aren't you?”
I froze.
“You know me?”
“Everyone in Valencia knows the González family.”
His eyes returned to the road.
“I remember seeing your picture in the newspapers when you were younger. Your father used to talk about you constantly.”
I looked away. There had been a time when that was true. Before my mother died, Father had been proud of me.
He used to take me shopping on my birthdays. He attended my school events. He even tried painting with me once, despite having absolutely no artistic ability.
I smiled sadly at the memory. That man was gone!. Or perhaps he had never existed the way I remembered him.
I looked down at my phone again. My fingers tightened around it. He had taken my money. My title. My home.
But he couldn't take my talent. He couldn't take my mind. And he certainly couldn't take my ability to fight back.
“Stop here,” I told the driver. He glanced at the address.
“But we're not there yet!.”
“I know.”
I pulled a few crumpled bills from my purse. “This is all I have left.”
The driver frowned.
“Keep it.” I blinked. “What?, I don't understand”
“Consider it a favor.” I stared at him.
For the first time that night, someone had shown me kindness without asking for anything in return.
“Thank you kindly Sir.” He nodded while I climbed out of the vehicle.
—-
The modest townhouse in front of me looked nothing like the González estate.
No marble floors. No huge gates. No army of servants and maids. Just a small brick house with warm yellow light spilling through the windows.
But tonight, it looked like heaven. I rang the bell. The door flew open.
“Chica!...”
Esmeralda's smile vanished the second she saw me.
Her eyes widened. “Shantelle?” She grabbed my arm. “What happened to your face?, and God you're soaked to the bone…”
I touched my bruised cheek. I had almost forgotten about it.
“It's a long story.” She pulled me inside.
“Well, you're going to tell me every word.”
She shut the door behind me.
Then she looked at the torn hem of my dress. “And why do you look like you've just escaped world war III?” She asked while wrapping a thick warm towel around my body.
I sank onto her sofa, clutching the towel like my life depends on it. “Because I think I have.”
Esmeralda stared at me for two seconds, then she disappeared into the kitchen.
“I'm getting you something to warm yourself up.”
Despite everything, I almost smiled.
A minute later, she returned with two cups of hot chocolate and dropped onto the sofa beside me.
“Talk.” I opened my mouth. Before I could say anything, the television caught my attention. A breaking-news banner flashed across the screen.
BREAKING NEWS: RIVERA GONZÁLEZ NAMES MARTINA GONZÁLEZ AS HEIR TO FAMILY EMPIRE.
My blood immediately ran cold. The reporter continued.
“Earlier tonight, billionaire businessman Rivera González officially removed his eldest daughter, Shantelle González, from her position as heir to the González empire. Sources close to the family say Martina González will assume the position effective immediately.”
Esmeralda stared at the screen, then she slowly turned toward me. “Tell me that's not what I think it is.”
I looked at her. “It most definitely is, Esme.”
“What happened?” I told her everything.
The argument. My father's insults. The inheritance. Alejandro. Martina. The kiss. The engagement ring. How I renounced the family name….
By the time I finished, Esmeralda was pacing across the living room. “That bastard Alejandro!” She spun around.
“And your father just let everything happen?”
“He didn't just let it happen.” My voice was quiet.
“He chose it.” Esmeralda stopped. For a moment, neither of us spoke. Then she sat beside me.
“You can't let them destroy you just like that.” I stared at my hands. “Of course, I don't intend to.”
She studied me for a full minute. “What are you going to do?”
I looked toward the television. The news reporter was still talking about Martina. My father's favorite daughter. His chosen heir. The woman who had stolen everything I had spent my life trying to protect.
My jaw tightened. “I need to take something back.”
“Something?.” Esmeralda questioned teasingly.
“No, Everything!.”
Esmeralda's eyes widened.
“Shantelle…”
“I don't want to beg my father for money. I don't want to apologize to Alejandro. And I don't want to fight Martina by playing her game.”
I stood up. “I want to destroy the image they've created of me.”
Esmeralda followed me with her eyes.
“And how are you planning on achieving that?”
“I need power!.” I grabbed a notebook from the coffee table. “Someone my father can't intimidate.” Esmeralda folded her arms.
“Alright then, let's begin!.” She sighed.
She started mentioning names.
“Mateo Fernández Gómez?”
“Eew, he's way too arrogant.”
“Pablo Ruiz?”
“Absolutely the fuck not!, that's a fucking Mafia boss.”
“Carlos Ortega?”
“He’s too friendly with my father.”
She threw her hands into the air, feeling hopeless. “Then who?”
I stopped writing. There had to be someone. Someone wealthy enough to challenge my father. Someone powerful enough that Rivera González couldn't simply make one phone call and destroy him.
Someone who hated my father enough to enjoy watching his empire bleed. I stared at the page.Then one name surfaced in my mind.
Luke Sanchez!...
My pen stopped moving…
Esmeralda noticed immediately. “Why did you stop?”
I didn't answer immediately. She leaned closer. “Who is it?” I slowly looked up.
“Luke Sanchez!.”
Her expression changed. The amusement disappeared from her face. “Are you fucking kidding me, you can't be serious.”
“Why not?”
“Because Luke Sanchez doesn't play nice.”
I said nothing. Everyone in Spain knew his name. The young billionaire CEO had built Luke Consortium from the ground up and turned it into one of the most powerful corporations in Europe.
But that wasn't what interested me. My father hated him. Not disliked.
Hated!. They had been rivals for years.
Every time Luke Consortium won a major contract, the González empire lost one. Every time Luke expanded into a new market, my father tried to push him out.
And Luke never backed down.
I looked at Esmeralda. “That's exactly why I need him.”
She stared at me. “Shantelle, what exactly are you planning?”
I closed the notebook. “I'm going to make my father regret throwing me away.”
“How?”
A slow smile touched my lips.
“I haven't figured that part out yet.”
Esmeralda groaned.
“That is not very reassuring, bestie.”
I laughed softly. For the first time since leaving the mansion, my chest felt a little lighter.
Then my smile disappeared. I thought about Martina's words.
“Men like Alejandro don't stay with women like you.”
I thought about my father's disgust.
“You don't have the image required to represent this empire.”
I thought about the engagement ring lying somewhere in the González courtyard.
They wanted me to believe I was worthless.
Fine!.
I would let them believe it.
For the meantime.
Because I had finally understood something. Revenge didn
't require me to become someone else.
It required me to become someone they could no longer control.
I picked up my phone. “Esme.” I snapped my best friend's attention back to reality.
“Hmm?”
“Find me everything you can about Luke Sanchez!….”