The Villainess Strikes Back

Honey, the soles of my shoes are lambskin and cannot get wet. Please come pick me up.

Just as I hit send on the text to my husband, Bruno, a barrage of glowing text suddenly exploded across my vision in the pouring rain.

[I seriously cannot stand this wicked wife. She treats the billionaire male lead like a dog.]

[Our sweet heroine just joined his company. Once the male lead gets a taste of her gentle understanding, he will kick this spoiled brat to the curb.]

[Hilarious. After the divorce, she has zero real skills. She will end up as a desperate cam streamer just to pay her rent.]

Staring at the screen full of floating, malicious words, I clenched my fingers so tightly my knuckles turned white.

Right at that moment, Bruno rushed over under a black umbrella, half of his bespoke suit completely soaked by the rain.

Noticing my pale knuckles, he paused, then carefully tugged at the cuff of my coat.

"I am so sorry, sweetheart. If I drove any faster, I would have been speeding."

1.

The glowing comments were still scrolling frantically above my head.

[Thinking about how this villainess actually got to marry the male lead makes me feel so bad for our sweet heroine.]

[Just wait until the male lead gets together with the real heroine. Then he will finally know what true love is.]

[The more she acts out now, the harder she will fall later. Just thinking about it is so satisfying.]

True love?

When I lived in a freezing basement with him, splitting a single stale bagel for two meals, where was that sweet heroine?

When I sold the house my mother left me and liquidated my dowry to help him survive his financial crisis, where was she?

Now that Bruno was a billionaire CEO, she wanted to swoop in and harvest the fruits of my labor?

On what grounds?

"Sweetheart? Why are your hands so cold?"

Bruno lowered his head and rubbed my hands to warm them up. His brow furrowed, his tone incredibly cautious and gentle.

But looking at his handsome face, only one thought echoed in my mind.

He was going to push me to the brink of ruin for another woman.

I pulled my hand back.

"I do not want to go home. Take me to the company."

Bruno froze in surprise. "Why do you want to go to the office today?"

"I want to wait for you to finish work. We can go home together."

His eyes curved into a brilliant smile.

"Okay."

When we arrived at the executive floor, his secretary immediately rushed over to remind him of a pending board meeting.

"Sweetheart, go wait in my office. I will be back as soon as I can."

He hurried off, leaving me to walk into the top floor suite alone.

Pushing open the heavy oak doors, the first thing that caught my eye was a bag of premium imported oranges sitting squarely on his pristine desk.

They were a vibrant, flawless orange, each one carefully wrapped in delicate tissue paper.

One glance told me they were ridiculously expensive.

Just as I reached out to touch them, the floating comments exploded again.

[Villainess, get your hands off! The sweet heroine bought those for the male lead. They are twenty five dollars each!]

[She usually only dares to eat discount dollar meals, but she spent that much to buy him premium fruit. She really loves him so much.]

[The heroine's love is true love. The wicked wife only knows how to take and take.]

Twenty five dollars for a single orange.

She certainly was generous.

I turned around, walked straight into the main administrative bullpen, and held up the bag of fruit.

"Who bought these oranges?"

A girl with a low ponytail timidly stood up from her cubicle.

She had a very pure, innocent look. Her eyes were wide and nervous, resembling a frightened deer.

"I bought them."

Her voice was barely a whisper. "If the Madam does not like them, I can take them back to my grandmother. She usually cannot bear to spend money on things like this."

The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly. The gazes directed at me suddenly held a heavy layer of judgment.

It was as if they were all silently saying: The poor girl was just trying to be nice, why are you throwing your weight around as the boss's wife?

I did not get angry.

I simply held up the oranges and smiled brightly.

"You misunderstood me."

"These oranges are absolutely delicious. After all, they are twenty five dollars a piece."

The expressions on the employees' faces shifted again. When they looked back at the girl, their eyes were filled with ambiguous speculation and quiet judgment.

The girl's face flushed a violent crimson. She opened her mouth to explain herself.

I did not give her the chance.

"Everyone has been working incredibly hard lately. I just ordered a massive shipment of these exact oranges. After work, every single person can go to the reception desk and claim a full box."

The office erupted into immediate cheers.

"Thank you, Mrs. Crawford!"

"The Madam is so generous!"

The girl's innocent smile completely stiffened on her face. Her hands gripped the hem of her shirt so tightly her knuckles turned white.

The floating comments returned with a vengeance.

[Ugh, trying to buy people's loyalty. She is not even spending her own money!]

[What else can the villainess do besides spend money? Once the male lead realizes how amazing the heroine is, let us see how long she can stay arrogant.]

[Exactly. The male lead belongs to our sweet girl. What is she so proud of?]

I looked directly at the trembling girl.

"What is your name?"

"Sophie. Sophie Hayes."

I nodded slowly, then turned around and walked back into the private office.

A short while later, Bruno returned from his meeting.

He pushed the door open with a warm smile. "Sweetheart, what were you doing out there earlier?"

"Fire Sophie."

His smile froze instantly.

"What?"

"I said, terminate Sophie's employment."

2.

Bruno frowned deeply.

"Just because of a bag of oranges? She was just trying to be nice."

"She has ulterior motives regarding you."

Bruno stared at me for a few seconds before letting out a soft laugh. He walked over and tried to grab my hand.

"You are overthinking things. She is just a young girl fresh out of college. Her work performance is outstanding. She personally secured several major contracts for the marketing department."

"I do not care about your company's affairs." I pulled my hand out of his grasp. "But I absolutely despise this person."

Bruno let out a heavy sigh, his tone softening to a coaxing whisper.

"Sweetheart, please stop making a scene."

"The company has rules. I cannot just fire top tier talent based entirely on your intuition. What would people say if word got out?"

[The male lead is protecting our sweet girl! So romantic!]

[Look at the villainess eating her own bitter medicine. So satisfying.]

[This is only the beginning. Later on, when she tries to frame the heroine, the male lead directly locks her up in a psychiatric ward.]

A psychiatric ward.

It felt as though a giant hand had violently crushed my heart. The pain was so sharp I could barely breathe.

I looked up at him.

His eyes still held gentleness. He still had patience. He was still trying to coax me.

But he had no idea that the floating text had already shown me my gruesome ending.

I closed my eyes tightly, forcing the turbulent emotions back down into the depths of my chest.

"Fine. You do not have to fire her."

Bruno let out a visible breath of relief. "Thank you for understanding, sweetheart."

"Transfer all of your assets and properties into my name. Have it legally notarized."

The massive office fell dead silent.

Bruno's expression turned completely rigid.

"Avery, we are in a corporate setting."

His voice dropped into a low, warning register. "Stop being completely unreasonable."

I stared at him, offering absolutely no response.

His phone suddenly began to ring.

He answered it, exchanged a few brief words, and hung up. He looked back at me.

"I have a business dinner tonight. I will have the driver take you home first."

He did not wait for my response. He turned on his heel and walked out.

His footsteps were incredibly fast.

It looked exactly like he was running away.

[Haha, the villainess is getting depressed!]

[Serves her right. Demanding all his assets? Let us see if he ever pays attention to her again.]

[Later on, when the male lead gets together with the heroine, he voluntarily hands over all his financial power. The difference in how he treats them is obvious.]

I honestly do not know how I made it back to the empty mansion.

By the time I snapped out of my daze, I was sitting in front of the computer in the study.

The floating comments claimed that after the divorce, I would have zero skills and be forced into becoming a desperate cam streamer.

What a complete joke.

I double clicked a hidden folder on my desktop.

It was completely filled with my professional photography portfolios.

Alongside the images were scanned copies of several prestigious photography magazine awards.

I scrolled through the images one by one.

My gaze finally stopped on the very last file.

It was a massive photo mosaic. It used thousands of pictures of Bruno and me to form a portrait of his face.

Every single small photo was a cherished memory.

Except for the very center, right over where his heart should be. That spot was completely empty.

It was supposed to hold a photograph of the Northern Lights.

Back in college, we had made a solemn promise to go see the aurora together.

He told me the Northern Lights were the ultimate symbol of eternal love.

Ten years had passed.

We never made the trip.

Opening a premium job hunting portal, I began filling out a fresh resume.

I typed out every single one of my past awards and exhibitions.

I attached the link to my digital portfolio at the very bottom.

Then, I clicked submit.

The very next day, I began picking up all the life skills I had thrown away during my marriage.

I started by making my own breakfast.

I ignited the stove and poured oil into the hot pan.

When I cracked the eggs in, the hot oil violently splattered.

A burning drop landed directly on the back of my hand, causing me to hiss sharply in pain.

Bruno came sprinting down the grand staircase. He grabbed my hand and shoved it under the running cold water of the sink.

"Who told you to do this kind of work?"

[The drama queen is at it again. Pretending to be an independent woman.]

[Does she seriously think doing this will make the male lead feel sorry for her?]

[Hilarious. The male lead is just going to think she has lost her mind.]

Bruno forced me to sit down on the kitchen island stool while he gently applied burn ointment to my skin.

"Are you still angry about yesterday?"

I remained completely silent.

"I swear there is absolutely nothing going on between her and me."

"If it truly bothers you that much, I will have human resources transfer her to a branch office out of state."

The floating comments instantly went into a frenzy.

[No! If she gets transferred, how will their romance develop?!]

[Do not panic. They are the official couple. Even if she gets transferred, destiny will bring them back together.]

[The male lead will belong to our sweet girl sooner or later. The wicked wife is just wasting her energy.]

"There is no need. How you arrange your personnel is entirely your business."

Bruno looked at me, hesitating as if he wanted to say something more.

He told me to sit still and not move. He went back to clean up the mess I had made at the stove and finished cooking the breakfast himself.

While we were eating, my phone vibrated quietly on the marble table.

It was an interview invitation.

Starlight Media.

It was the elite entertainment company I had dreamed of joining right after graduation. They exclusively managed top tier celebrities.

That included my absolute favorite idol, Asher Lockwood.

I clicked accept on the invitation, the corners of my lips involuntarily curling upward.

Bruno looked up, his gaze sharpening with suspicion. "Who are you chatting with?"

"An interview confirmation. I do not want to be a full time housewife anymore."

I took a large, satisfying bite of my food, my mood significantly improved.

Bruno opened his mouth to object, but ultimately swallowed his words.

Perhaps he just did not want to ruin the rare peaceful morning.

After breakfast, Bruno left for the corporate tower. I stripped off my elegant designer dress and changed into a familiar, comfortable pantsuit.

The interview went surprisingly well.

However, landing a position at a powerhouse like Starlight Media required passing at least two more rounds of interviews before a final decision was made.

Over the next few weeks, Bruno seemed to become increasingly busy.

He came home later and later every single night.

Occasionally, his clothes carried the faint, lingering scent of a perfume that simply would not wash out.

I knew perfectly well that Sophie had not been transferred.

But since I had already mentally prepared myself to walk away, I only focused on the path directly under my own feet.

3.

It was my first official day on the job.

My direct supervisor was a woman in her forties named Valerie. She was sharp, efficient, and incredibly capable.

"Avery, I reviewed your portfolio. Your composition shows a lot of unique vision."

"Thank you, Valerie."

"Newcomers always start by shadowing the outdoor location shoots. Can you handle the physical strain?"

"Absolutely."

The rookie phase was brutally exhausting.

Outdoor shoots meant enduring the scorching sun and biting wind while lugging heavy camera equipment all over the city.

After just one week, my face had tanned significantly, and the heavy camera straps had left two permanent red welts across my shoulders.

But I genuinely loved it.

The moment the lens pulled into sharp focus, the entire chaotic world went completely silent.

There was only light and shadow.

There was only the exact moment I wanted to capture.

One afternoon, I had just powered down my camera and found a spot of shade under a tree to rest. Bruno sent a text message.

"Sweetheart, I have another business dinner tonight. Do not wait up for me to eat."

"Do not push yourself too hard at work. You always have me."

Just as I began typing a generic reply, the floating comments flared to life again.

[The male lead is finally learning how to lie for the heroine!]

[He says it is a business dinner, but he is actually helping the sweet girl move into her new apartment. They are decorating their little home together!]

[The male lead looks so handsome when he cooks! Such domestic bliss! They are a perfect match!]

Cooking.

He had never once cooked a proper meal for me.

Back when we first got together, he was so poor his pockets echoed. My heart ached for him, so I fought to do all the cooking to save him time and energy.

Later, when he became ridiculously wealthy, he hired private chefs and housekeepers. There was even less reason for him to ever touch a spatula.

Yet he was willing to personally cook a meal for that woman.

My eyes suddenly felt a little dry and stinging.

I set my phone down on the grass and did not reply.

It was nearly midnight when Bruno finally returned home.

I was lying on my side in the massive bed, my eyes tightly closed.

He walked into the bedroom and leaned down, intending to press a kiss to my forehead.

There it was again. That foreign perfume.

I rolled over, smoothly dodging his lips.

"Sweetheart?"

"I am exhausted. Go to sleep."

Bruno stood in suffocating silence for a very long time.

"Alright. Goodnight."

When I woke up the next morning, there was a thick legal document resting on my nightstand.

It was a notarized asset transfer agreement.

Bruno had already signed his name at the bottom.

The floating comments went absolutely insane.

[What the hell? Did the male lead seriously give his entire net worth to the villainess?!]

[Do not panic! Legally, it can be reclaimed! A marital asset transfer done before a divorce can be easily revoked in court.]

[He definitely just feels guilty for spending so much time with the heroine lately. He is just doing this to keep the wicked wife from throwing a tantrum.]

I had almost been genuinely moved.

I placed the document back down on the nightstand.

Then, I opened my chat with my best friend, Harper, who was a ruthless divorce attorney.

"Help me draft a formal divorce agreement. Divide the assets strictly according to standard marital law."

Later that week, Valerie called me into her glass enclosed office.

"Avery, we landed a massive contract. The client specifically requested you as the lead photographer."

"Who is it?"

"Asher Lockwood."

I completely froze, certain I had misheard her.

"Are you serious?"

Valerie tossed the glossy contract across the desk toward me, a proud smile on her face.

"Dead serious. He specifically reviewed your portfolio and demanded we book your schedule."

The fingers I used to open the folder were trembling slightly.

Asher Lockwood.

He was the idol I had worshipped since middle school.

Back in college, I had starved myself for weeks just to save enough money to buy a ticket to his concert. I ended up fainting in the middle of a lecture hall and became the laughingstock of the entire campus.

When Bruno found out, it was the very first time he had ever screamed at me.

"Have you lost your mind? What is so great about him? You almost killed yourself over a celebrity!"

Years later, when Bruno became a billionaire titan, his corporation collaborated with Asher's agency several times.

Yet he never once bothered to ask for a simple autograph for me.

Stepping out of Valerie's office, my first instinct was to text Bruno and share the incredible news.

But remembering his explosive reaction from years ago, my fingers hovered uncertainly over the keyboard.

In the end, I typed out a very different message.

"I have to go on a business trip. I will be gone for about a week."

It took him over ten minutes to finally reply.

"Alright. Do not push yourself too hard. You have me."

Staring at the words "You have me," I felt an overwhelming wave of dark irony.

I had him?

He was going to completely belong to someone else very soon.

4.

The photoshoot took place on a rugged, secluded beach.

I arrived at four in the morning.

I set up the heavy tripods, adjusted the exposure parameters, and ran the light tests in the freezing dark.

The coastal wind was brutal. The sand whipped against my face, stinging my cheeks, but I was too focused to care.

My heart had been racing since last night and refused to slow down.

At exactly seven o'clock.

A sleek black luxury van pulled up to the edge of the sand.

Asher stepped out of the vehicle.

He was wearing a simple white t-shirt and dark slacks. His hair was completely unstyled, falling effortlessly across his forehead.

He looked almost exactly like the brilliant young boy on stage ten years ago.

No, he had changed.

He was leaner now. His jawline was sharper, more defined, and his eyes held something deeper.

It was the undeniable gravity of a man who had been tempered by time.

"Hello, Ms. Avery." He extended a hand toward me.

I took it, my palm slightly slick with nervous sweat.

"Hello."

"I studied your portfolio. Your composition is incredibly bold, and your mastery of lighting is phenomenal. I specifically asked Valerie to clear your schedule."

He offered a devastatingly handsome smile. "I hope I did not put too much pressure on you."

"Not at all." I took a deep breath, forcing my professional mask into place. "I will give you my absolute best."

After the brief introductions, we dove straight into the work.

Asher was a dream to photograph. His spatial awareness and connection with the camera were so flawless that he barely needed any direction.

I crouched on the wet sand, searching for the perfect angles. The midday sun scorched my back, but my mood was soaring higher than it had in years.

During a brief water break, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

Harper had sent over the finalized divorce agreement.

"Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?"

I stared at the PDF file. I thought about the lingering, foreign perfume on Bruno's collar. I thought about the floating comments praising their "domestic bliss."

"Yes."

Rather than waiting around to be utterly discarded, I might as well strike while he still felt a shred of guilt and secure a decent alimony fund.

On the third day of the shoot.

I was carefully adjusting my aperture settings when the floating comments suddenly erupted into a blinding frenzy.

[Oh my god! The male lead and our sweet girl went to Troms?! The Northern Lights! It is so unbelievably beautiful!]

[It is minus twenty degrees in Norway. The male lead was afraid the sweet girl would freeze, so he took off his own designer coat and wrapped it around her! So romantic!]

[Holy crap, this is the exact scene from the original novel where they officially fall in love!]

[Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!]

The heavy professional camera slipped from my trembling hands and crashed onto the sand.

"Ms. Avery? Are you alright?" Asher quickly walked over.

"I am fine. Just fine."

I crouched down to retrieve the camera. My fingers were shaking so violently that it took me two tries to finally pick it up.

The Northern Lights.

He had promised to take me to see the Northern Lights.

Back in that freezing college basement, he had held my hands tightly and sworn, "Avery, when I finally make it big, we are going to see the aurora."

He said the Northern Lights were the ultimate symbol of eternal love.

He made me wait ten agonizing years.

And now, he had taken another woman to see them.

"Ms. Avery, you look incredibly pale." Asher bent down, looking at me with genuine concern. "Are you suffering from heatstroke?"

"I think I might be."

Asher immediately ordered his assistant to fetch some electrolyte medicine and handed the bottle to me himself.

"Go back to the hotel and rest. We can resume the shoot tomorrow."

I hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

My mind was a complete wreck. Any photos I took right now would be utterly lifeless.

"I am so sorry for delaying the production schedule."

"Do not worry about it. Your health comes first."

Returning to my hotel room, I sat numbly on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

The air conditioner hummed loudly, blending with the erratic thumping of my heart.

Suddenly, I found the entire situation completely hilarious.

I had already decided to walk away. Why was I still crying over a broken, ten year old promise?

I opened Bruno's chat and sent over the PDF of the divorce agreement.

"If everything looks correct, we can sign this as soon as I return."

I honestly expected him to call me the very second he saw it.

I thought he would at least ask me why.

But there was nothing.

An entire hour crawled by.

Bruno did not send a single reply.

Around nine o'clock that evening, the doorbell chimed.

I opened the door to find Asher standing in the hallway, holding a warm cup of artisan tea.

"Feeling any better?" He handed the cup to me.

"Much better, thank you. I promise I will make up for the lost time tomorrow."

He paused for a moment. "Actually, I have a favor to ask you."

"Next month is my parents' golden anniversary. I would love for you to shoot their commemorative portraits. Can you clear some time in your schedule? I will pay triple your usual rate."

I blinked in genuine surprise. "Me?"

"Yes. Your lens captures genuine warmth."

"Thank you for the incredible compliment. I would be honored."

"Would you be open to grabbing dinner together? My parents happen to be in town, and we could sit down and discuss the aesthetic direction."

"Absolutely. Let me change into something appropriate."

After Asher headed down to the lobby, I checked my phone one last time.

Still no response from Bruno.

I changed into an elegant evening dress and headed down to the private dining room Asher had reserved.

He and his parents were already seated at the table.

"Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Lockwood."

"Sit, sit, please do not be so formal." Asher's mother immediately took my hand, her eyes sweeping over me with clear delight. "You are such a beautiful young woman."

"Thank you, Mrs. Lockwood."

Asher sat directly across from me. He offered a warm, reassuring smile and mouthed the words: Do not be nervous.

I smiled back.

Mrs. Lockwood held my hand, happily chatting about a dozen different things.

She talked about her youth with Asher's father, how they first met, and the trials they overcame to build their life together.

"Fifty years." She patted the back of my hand gently. "Avery, I am leaving these precious photos entirely in your capable hands."

"Please do not worry, Mrs. Lockwood. I will capture them perfectly."

Right in the middle of my sentence, the heavy mahogany doors of the private room were violently shoved open.

Every single person at the table turned to look.

Bruno was standing in the doorway.

He looked exhausted and frantic. His tie was loose and crooked.

His eyes locked onto Asher, then shifted to his parents, and finally landed squarely on me.

His eyes were bloodshot. "You want to divorce me... for him?"

His voice was shaking with raw fury.

"You are already meeting his parents?"