He Broke My Heart With One Cruel Order

In the fifth year of our marriage, for his new lover, he had my dog beaten to death in front of New York's elite.

That dog was the last thing my terminally ill father left me.

Holding Lucky's cold body in the pouring rain, I signed the divorce papers with a bloody thumbprint. Everyone thought I would die that night.

But five years later, I returned as the Pierce Group's guest of honor.

He knelt in a pool of blood, begging me to sign his clemency petition. Right in front of him, I used a pair of pliers to rip off five of his fingernails.

"This one is for Lucky."

Julian Vance, I am giving you the death sentence myself.

Scarlett's POV

In the fifth year of our marriage, to please his new mistress, Chloe, Julian Vance had my only companion, my dog Lucky, beaten to death in front of everyone.

The grand ballroom was brilliantly lit. Julian had his arm wrapped tightly around Chloe's waist, laughing and chatting with the guests.

I sat in a dark corner.

Lucky, my poor dog, was tied tightly to the leg of a table nearby. His ears were pressed back in sheer anxiety.

"Oh my god!" Chloe shrieked suddenly. She "accidentally" tipped her entire glass of red wine onto Lucky's paws.

Startled, Lucky struggled violently. In an instant, he knocked over the giant champagne tower behind him.

The deafening crash of shattering glass brought the entire ballroom to a sudden silence.

Julian walked over, his face dark. He didn't even look at the mess on the floor. Instead, he ripped the rope off the table leg and swiftly tied it around Lucky's muzzle and limbs.

"No! Julian!"

Panic seized my chest. I threw myself forward, desperately grabbing the hem of his trousers. "Lucky was just scared! He didn't mean to!"

Julian looked down at me, his eyes as cold as ice. He kicked me away.

"A filthy mutt doesn't belong at a Vance family gala."

Chloe's eyes turned red right on cue. She shrunk into his chest, acting incredibly fragile. "Julian, I'm so scared. The way he looked at me... it felt like he wanted to bite me to death."

"Don't worry. I'm here."

Julian gently patted Chloe's back. He turned around, tossing the end of the rope to the butler. His voice carried no warmth whatsoever. "Take it to the backyard. Beat it to death."

"Julian!" I screamed, a piercing, desperate sound. But all I got in return was the cold, decisive view of his back as he walked away, cradling his mistress.

I crawled and scrambled toward the backyard.

The moment I pushed open the heavy wooden doors, the butler was already raising a heavy iron shovel high into the air.

Lucky was tied up tightly, making low, helpless whimpers.

Thud!

The heavy shovel came down hard.

Lucky didn't even have the chance to let out a final cry. His body twitched violently a few times, and then, he went completely still.

His eyes were still open. His tongue hung weakly out of the corner of his mouth. He didn't seem to understand what had just happened.

I froze on the spot, as if nailed to the doorframe.

I fell to my knees in the mud, pulling Lucky's stiffening body into my arms.

My tears fell silently into his mud-stained fur.

"Lucky, I'm so sorry... Let's go home."

My arms were shaking. My entire body was shaking. But I didn't make a sound. I dug my nails deep into my palms until my knuckles turned white.

By the time I stumbled back into the ballroom, looking like a ghost, the music and laughter had already resumed.

Chloe was holding a glass of champagne, smiling and bragging to the people around her. "Julian handled that dog just now. Gosh, it scared me to death."

"Is that so?"

My cold voice suddenly echoed from behind her.

Before Chloe could even turn around, I grabbed a steak knife from the buffet table. Using every ounce of my strength, I plunged it hard into Chloe's abdomen.

"This is for Lucky."

My voice was as whispery and terrifying as a ghost.

"Ah!" Chloe let out a blood-curdling scream.

She looked down at the blood rapidly spreading across her designer dress, then collapsed onto the floor.

"Chloe!"

Julian's eyes practically split with rage. He rushed over, violently kicking me away, and shielded Chloe in his arms, trembling.

He turned to glare at me, his eyes burning with pure hatred. "You're insane! How dare you hurt her!"

I fell to the floor, blood leaking from the corner of my mouth. But I suddenly laughed. I laughed until my eyes turned red. "You are the ones who are insane, Julian."

Julian took a deep breath and announced to the entire crowd. "I am divorcing Scarlett! From this day on, she has absolutely nothing to do with me or the Vance family!"

With that, he scooped up the unconscious Chloe and ran out, tossing one last icy command to the security guards. "Throw this madwoman out."

The security guards surged forward. They grabbed me roughly and threw me out of the gates, right into the pouring rain of the dark night.

Not far from the steps, Lucky's cold body had been carelessly tossed aside. The butler hadn't even bothered to bury him.

I crawled over and held Lucky tightly in my arms, letting the freezing rain soak me to the bone.

I looked up. Through the heavy curtain of rain, I stared coldly at the bright, luxurious lights of the Vance estate.

It turned out that our five-year marriage was nothing but a laughable joke, a one-sided delusion.

"Lucky, let's go home."

Hatred and resentment flooded my chest. When I opened my eyes again, they were dead and cold.

Scarlett's POV

Everyone thought Julian Vance would take my life.

But he didn't.

He threw the divorce papers right in my face, his eyes filled with absolute disgust.

"You're nothing but a dog I kept around, Scarlett. Since you're so eager to go mad, get the hell out and starve to death."

Kneeling in the cold rain, holding Lucky's corpse, I pressed my bloody thumbprint onto the papers.

I almost died that rainy night.

It was Dominic Pierce who personally picked me up and dragged me out of that abyss.

When Dominic was younger, my mother had saved his life.

He took me out of the country, treated my injuries, and personally trained me in the brutal world of business.

For five years, I worked day and night without a break. I transformed from a submissive, easily bullied girl into Dominic's most trusted right-hand woman.

I had to survive. I had to make the Vance family and Chloe pay in blood.

Five years later, I returned to the country in absolute glory.

I arrived at this exclusive, high-end private club where I hadn't stepped foot in for five long years.

This time, I held the most exclusive VIP invitation card given to me by Dominic. I was here to settle the score with the Vance family once and for all.

Inside the ballroom, glasses clinked, and the atmosphere was incredibly lively.

I didn't look at anyone. My eyes locked instantly onto a pink figure standing by the bar.

Chloe was wearing a champagne-colored designer gown, laughing and chatting with several high-society women.

As she tucked her hair back, she flaunted a rose-gold diamond watch on her wrist. Julian had just bought it at an auction last month; the news had been all over Snapchat and Twitter.

It seemed that over the past five years, they had been living a very good life.

"Oh, look who it is. Isn't this the trash Julian threw out of the house?"

Chloe's screechy voice suddenly cut through the air, ruining the pleasant chatter around us.

Holding her glass, she sashayed over in her high heels. The brief flicker of surprise in her eyes was instantly replaced by intense mockery. "Five years. I thought you died a long time ago. How do you even have the nerve to show your face here?"

The surrounding guests turned to look, whispering like a rising tide.

Chloe raised her chin arrogantly. With a slight tilt of her wrist, she poured her red wine right down the front of my black dress.

"Dressed like this, you're probably just here to beg for free drinks.

A stray thrown out by the Vance family probably can't even afford a decent dress anymore."

I looked down at my stained dress, then looked up, completely blank. "Five years, and you're still using the same cheap trick."

I turned around, not even bothering to waste another second on her.

"Stop right there! Who do you think you are, pretending to be above us?!"

Chloe was instantly triggered by my cold indifference. She lunged forward, her sharp acrylic nails digging deep into the flesh of my forearm.

My eyes went cold. I pivoted slightly, letting her own momentum carry her.

Chloe grabbed nothing but air. Her thin stiletto heel buckled, and she stumbled wildly for several steps before barely stabilizing herself. Her entire face flushed red with embarrassment.

Right at that moment, the shadow at the entrance was cut by a tall, imposing figure.

Julian Vance walked in, looking sharp in his tailored suit, casually adjusting his cufflinks.

He looked up. Those dark, hollow eyes of his, deep and chilling, collided directly with my icy gaze.

Scarlett's POV

Five years. This was the first time I was seeing Julian Vance again.

The moment our eyes met, my fingers clenched tightly inside my sleeves.

The old scar on my forearm, the one he had burned into my skin with a cigarette, began to throb with phantom pain.

That happened in the second year of our marriage.

Julian only married me to get back at my mother. He treated me like a punching bag he could abuse at will.

And all because I refused to act like a maid and serve water to Chloe during a family dinner.

Julian had grabbed my arm like an iron vice. In front of all the Vance relatives, who watched coldly, he slowly crushed a burning, glowing cigarette butt right into my delicate skin.

At the time, he snarled in my ear, "You don't have the right to say no."

The deep-seated terror from back then transformed into a towering wave of hatred in this very second.

I didn't run. Instead, I stood tall, my spine straight, and locked my dead, icy gaze onto Julian's face.

However, Julian only spared me a cold, passing glance. His expression was filled with disgust, as if he were looking at a pile of garbage.

He pulled his eyes away, not even bothering to waste another half-second on me, and walked straight into the inner VIP lounge surrounded by his entourage.

I pulled the corner of my mouth into a silent, bitter smile, forcing down the rage bubbling in my chest.

I turned back to Chloe.

Seeing that Julian didn't even bother to look at me, she became even more convinced that I was still the same helpless stray she could step on.

Chloe tilted her head, spinning her empty glass in her hand. She leaned close to my ear and whispered with a nasty smirk, "A toast to that dead mutt of yours."

The wealthy women around us covered their mouths, whispering snarkily.

I stood there, letting the red wine drip down my cheek.

I didn't wipe it off. I just stared coldly at Chloe's smug face.

The very next second, without a single shred of hesitation, I grabbed the heavy ice bucket from the buffet table and smashed it right over Chloe's head.

Crash!

Ice cubes and blood exploded across Chloe's face instantly.

She was knocked to the floor, clutching her forehead and screaming in agony.

The entire ballroom fell dead silent.

"Scarlett! You're dead!"

Julian rushed over, his face pale with rage. He scooped Chloe into his arms and glared at me, his teeth gnashing. "You psycho! You think I won't kill you right here?"

I looked at him, completely expressionless. "I just gave her some ice water back. Does your heart hurt already?"

The veins on Julian's forehead bulged. He waved his hand aggressively, giving his bodyguards a lethal command. "Grab her! Break her legs and throw her out!"

Two burly bodyguards immediately closed in on me.

Calmly, I pulled a gold-embossed invitation card from my clutch and flashed it right in front of Julian's face.

"I am here representing Dominic Pierce of the Pierce Group."

The moment he saw Dominic's name on that card, Julian froze.

I knew exactly what the Vance family was facing right now. A massive cash flow crisis. They were desperately praying for the Pierce Group to inject a $3 billion lifeline.

Without it, the Vance family would go completely bankrupt.

I smiled at Julian, watching his jaw clench so hard it looked like it would shatter.

His eyes were bloodshot as he glared at me. Finally, he spat out through his teeth, "Stop."

The bodyguards silently backed away.

I tucked the invitation back into my bag and walked toward the restroom under the shocked stares of the guests.

The moment I locked myself in the stall, I leaned against the wall, and my tears finally burst out like a broken dam.

I wasn't afraid of Julian. I was just hurting so damn much.

Chloe's words cut deep. "A toast to that dead mutt of yours." It was like a rusty knife ripping open the wound I had hidden for five years.

"Lucky... I'm back," I whispered.

I wiped my tears away brutally. My gaze turned dead and cold again. "I will make them pay in blood."

Scarlett's POV

I walked out of the restroom, my fingers still dripping with cold water.

The moment I reached the corner of the hallway, I realized something was very wrong.

The lively ballroom had gone terrifyingly quiet. All the guests had stopped breathing, staring with bizarre expressions at the center of the hall.

Julian stood there. His suit was still stained with Chloe's blood.

And the bodyguard behind him was holding a transparent glass urn.

It was filled with grayish-white ash.

My pupils contracted instantly. The blood in my veins froze entirely.

Julian met my terrified gaze, a cruel, monstrous smile stretching across his face.

He reached out, slowly uncapping the urn. Then, he flipped it completely upside down, dumping the entire contents onto the deep red carpet.

"The ashes of a dead dog... and you actually kept it like a treasure for five years."

The grayish-white dust billowed in the air. The draft blew it right onto my shoes.

"Then again, it makes sense. After all, it was the only thing your dying father left you. When he gave it to you, you held this dog and cried for three whole days. I thought it was hilarious back then. It's just a dog left by a dead man. Was it really worth all that?"

Julian's words were like a sledgehammer, smashing the last piece of my sanity to dust.

My father's...

Last memory.

Five years ago, Julian killed my Lucky.

Five years later, in front of everyone, he crushed the last connection I had to my father.

A towering wave of hatred swallowed me whole.

I didn't cry. I didn't scream.

I just walked forward, step by step, treading over my dog's ashes, until I reached the buffet table.

I gripped a sharp steak knife. My palm was freezing.

"Julian."

I called his name softly, my voice sounding like a vengeful spirit demanding a soul.

Before Julian could even react, I lunged forward. Using every single ounce of strength in my body, I drove the sharp knife deep into his abdomen!

Squelch!

Blood sprayed out instantly, staining Julian's grey suit and mixing with the white ashes on the carpet.

Julian let out a painful groan, his eyes widening in sheer disbelief as he stared at the hilt of the knife sticking out of his stomach.

His knees buckled, and he collapsed heavily to the floor.

"This is for my father and Lucky."

I looked down at him, my eyes as cold as if I were looking at a corpse.

The entire venue exploded into chaos.

Screams echoed everywhere. Wealthy women grabbed their dresses and fled in a panic.

The bodyguards, pale with shock, rushed forward to pin me down.

"Stop right there."

A voice suddenly rang out. The bodyguards who were closing in stopped dead in their tracks.

I looked up. At the top of the grand staircase, Dominic Pierce was slowly, calmly walking down.

His handsome, sharp face carried no expression, but the sheer aura of authority he radiated made it so that not a single bodyguard dared to touch me.

Scarlett's POV

Even as the security guards hovered around me, my eyes remained fixed on the shattered glass urn on the floor.

On a freezing winter night five years ago, I had knelt on this exact same cold marble floor, banging my head until it bled, begging Julian to spare Lucky.

But all I got in return was Lucky's cold corpse and a storm that almost claimed my life.

Now, the same lights shone down on the same floor.

I slowly raised my head. There was no warmth left in my eyes, only bone-chilling hatred.

"Scarlett!"

Though Julian had managed to dodge the knife in his panic, causing it to miss his vital organs and only slice his side, the gushing blood quickly stained his white shirt.

The immense pain, coupled with the humiliation of being stabbed in front of everyone, made Julian lose his mind completely.

He shoved the guards aside, lunged forward, and wrapped his right hand tightly around my throat!

"How dare you stab me!"

Julian's eyes were bloodshot. His grip tightened, squeezing the air out of my lungs. My face flushed a dangerous red.

Seeing me pinned down, Chloe walked over with a fresh glass of red wine. With a flick of her wrist, she splashed the cold liquid right into my face.

The wine mixed with the cold sweat on my forehead. Chloe laughed sneerily. "Maybe this will wake you and your dead dog up!"

I was being choked, soaked in sticky wine, the chill making me shiver.

But I stared straight into Julian's monstrous face. Suddenly, gathering every bit of strength left in me, I spat a mouthful of bloody saliva right into his face!

"Disgusting," I choked out, laughing weakly.

Julian froze. Pure disgust and disbelief made him instinctively let go of my neck.

Just as he raised his left hand in a fury, aiming to slap me to death, a long, powerful hand grabbed his wrist.

The grip was so strong that it pulled on Julian's stab wound. He gasped in pain.

"Mr. Vance, putting your hands on my guest... who do you think I am?"

Dominic's deep, cold voice echoed through the silent ballroom.

He had walked up to me without anyone noticing, his tall, imposing frame standing like an impenetrable wall, shielding me completely.

The sheer power of a true billionaire magnate made the security guards freeze, not daring to move an inch.

From behind Dominic, I watched Julian grit his teeth, glaring at him. "Mr. Pierce! This is a private matter between me and my ex-wife! Are you really going to interfere in Vance family business for this psycho?"

"A private matter?"

Dominic let out a cold laugh. He tossed Julian's hand aside, sending Julian stumbling back a few steps.

"The moment she walked in here with my invitation, she became my most honored guest."

Dominic looked down at Julian, his eyes devoid of any warmth. "If the Vance family still wants that investment next year, you better watch your mouth, Mr. Vance."

Julian's face turned whiter than paper.

He looked at Dominic, then at my pale face. His jaw clenched so hard it looked like it would crack.

I could tell he was calculating.

The investment next year was the Vance family's lifeline. He couldn't afford to lose it over a petty grudge.

But being stabbed in public was a pill he couldn't swallow either.

Julian clutched his bleeding wound and lowered his voice, snarling, "She stabbed me. Everyone here saw it! Before the cops get here, she needs to be locked in the holding room. That's standard protocol, isn't it?"

Dominic tilted his head slightly, looking back at me.

I gently tugged at his coat, giving him a reassuring look.

Now wasn't the time to completely tear things apart with the Vance family.

Dominic pulled his gaze back and said calmly, "Fine. But my men will guard the door. Any objections, Mr. Vance?"

Julian squeezed a single word through his teeth. "Fine."

He waved his hand, and the security guards stepped up.

Expressionless, I followed the guards toward the private holding room at the end of the hallway.

Scarlett's POV

I was shoved into the holding room.

Outside the door, Dominic's personal bodyguards stood on both sides.

Before long, the Vance family butler arrived with several maids, pushing the door open forcefully.

The butler sneered at Dominic's guards. "Mr. Pierce is getting impatient in the main hall. He ordered us to bring Scarlett over. Are you really going to block us?"

The guards exchanged a look. Not wanting to break protocol, they kept a sharp eye on me as they escorted me back to the center of the ballroom.

By now, the spotlight was shining directly on the center stage.

Julian had changed into a clean suit. He was gently wrapping a dazzling diamond necklace around Chloe's neck.

He placed a tender kiss on Chloe's forehead, as if the man who had just been stabbed in the stomach wasn't him.

Seeing me being brought up, Chloe wrapped her arm around Julian's and smirked at me maliciously over his shoulder.

Then, she slowly pulled out her phone and tapped the screen.

The massive LED screen at the front of the ballroom lit up.

"Scarlett, I have a special gift for you," Chloe said, her smile dripping with poison.

On the screen, a video from five years ago began to play.

In the pitch-black backyard, Lucky was tied up on the muddy ground, whining in absolute despair.

In the video, the butler raised the heavy iron shovel. Once, twice... smashing it down on Lucky's body...

"Lucky... Lucky!"

I felt the blood drain from my head. My eyes widened in horror as I stared at the screen.

The sound of that heavy shovel hitting flesh was like a thousand needles piercing my eardrums, burning the very last shred of my sanity to ashes.

It turned out that five years ago, Chloe hadn't just ordered Lucky's death. She had actually recorded the entire thing as a sick trophy.

And now, Chloe was standing on the stage, enjoying the absolute thrill of torturing me mentally, laughing and sipping her champagne.

"I'll kill you!"

I snapped.

Without a second thought, I lunged at the buffet table, grabbing a wine bottle and smashing it against the edge!

Before Chloe could even pull back her smile, I surged onto the stage and slashed the jagged, razor-sharp glass right across her face!

Smash.

"Ah!"

The sound of shattering glass was drowned out by a horrific scream. Blood and red wine exploded across Chloe's face.

The broken glass sliced open her forehead and cheek, leaving deep, bone-deep gashes.

Chloe clutched her face, collapsing to the stage, screaming in agony as blood poured through her fingers, staining the white carpet crimson.

The entire venue fell into utter chaos.

Julian, in a fit of rage, scooped up the screaming Chloe and rushed toward the VIP medical suite in the back of the club.

I stood in a pool of blood, gripping the bloody neck of the broken bottle.

Watching Julian run away, I used the chaos in the room to slip past the distracted guards and followed him.