Chapter 4 â The Mistress Who Wanted a Throne
Chapter 4 â The Mistress Who Wanted a Throne
Brenda Lawson had spent her entire life believing one thing.
People like her were not meant to stand outside the castle.
They were meant to enter.
They were meant to sit at the highest table.
They were meant to wear the most expensive dresses, attend the most exclusive events, and have people whisper their names with envy.
And for a while...
She believed she had finally succeeded.
Because Andrew Whitmore had chosen her.
Or at least, that was the story she told herself.
The morning after Mariana's identity was revealed, Brenda stood in front of the mirror inside her luxury apartment.
The apartment Andrew had rented for her.
The apartment filled with designer furniture, imported decorations, and gifts she collected as proof of her victory.
A diamond bracelet.
A limited-edition handbag.
A necklace Andrew told her was "too beautiful for anyone except you."
She looked at herself.
She looked like a woman who had won.
But the reflection staring back at her looked nervous.
Because for the first time...
She was wondering if she had chosen the wrong enemy.
Her phone rang.
She answered immediately.
"Andrew?"
Silence.
Then his voice.
"We need to talk."
Brenda immediately smiled.
She knew that tone.
A man coming to her for comfort.
A man needing someone who understood him.
She walked toward the window.
"Of course, baby."
A pause.
"Where are you?"
"Not home."
Her smile faded.
"What happened?"
Another silence.
Then:
"Mariana knew everything."
Brenda froze.
"What do you mean?"
"She owns the company."
The room became completely still.
For several seconds, Brenda didn't speak.
Then she laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because she refused to believe it.
"That's impossible."
"I saw the documents."
"Andrew, think about what you're saying."
"I did."
His voice was exhausted.
"She controlled everything."
Brenda gripped her phone.
"No."
She shook her head.
"No, that doesn't make sense."
Because if Mariana was powerful...
If Mariana was wealthy...
If Mariana had been hiding an empire...
Then what had Brenda actually accomplished?
The answer terrified her.
Nothing.
She had not taken Andrew away from a weak wife.
She had pushed aside a queen who was pretending to be ordinary.
The Woman She Underestimated
Brenda remembered the first time she met Mariana.
A charity event.
Mariana wore a simple dress.
No flashy jewelry.
No designer labels.
No attention-seeking behavior.
Brenda immediately judged her.
She thought:
She doesn't belong here.
She remembered laughing afterward.
"Andrew married someone so plain."
Margaret had agreed.
"Money can buy clothing. It cannot buy class."
They both laughed.
They had no idea Mariana was listening from the hallway.
They had no idea she remembered every word.
Now Brenda understood.
The woman they mocked was never trying to impress them.
She was studying them.
The First Crack in the Throne
At noon, Brenda arrived at the Whitmore mansion.
She expected Andrew to be there.
She expected him to hold her.
To tell her everything would be fine.
Instead...
She found him sitting alone in the office.
The same office where he had made countless business decisions.
The same office where he once bragged about his success.
Now papers covered every surface.
His tie was loose.
His confidence was gone.
Brenda slowly entered.
"Andrew."
He looked up.
For a moment, she saw something she had never seen before.
Fear.
Real fear.
She walked closer.
"What are we going to do?"
Andrew looked at her.
"We?"
The word sounded strange.
Brenda noticed.
"What does that mean?"
Andrew looked away.
"I don't know."
Her heart tightened.
Because Andrew had always made her feel chosen.
Special.
Important.
Now she realized something.
She had been important only when she made him feel powerful.
The Question
"Andrew."
She sat across from him.
"Tell me the truth."
He didn't answer.
"Did you ever plan to leave Mariana for me?"
Silence.
That silence hurt more than any answer.
Finally, he spoke.
"I thought about it."
Brenda stared.
"Thought about it?"
She laughed softly.
"After everything?"
Andrew rubbed his face.
"Brenda..."
"No."
She stood.
"You told me she was nothing."
"I was wrong."
The honesty shocked her.
Because Andrew never admitted being wrong.
Not even when he hurt people.
Not even when he destroyed lives.
Margaret's Warning
The office door opened.
Margaret entered.
Her expression was cold.
"Stop fighting."
Brenda turned.
"Excuse me?"
Margaret ignored her.
"We have a bigger problem."
Andrew looked up.
"What?"
Margaret placed a folder on the desk.
"I found something."
Inside were old documents.
Letters.
Records.
Photographs.
Andrew frowned.
"What is this?"
Margaret looked at him.
"Information about Mariana's family."
Brenda stepped closer.
"You mean there is something that can hurt her?"
Margaret smiled slightly.
For the first time in days...
She looked confident.
"Everyone has a weakness."
The Secret Margaret Hid
The documents were old.
Twenty years old.
Maybe more.
They involved Carlos Escalante.
Mariana's father.
A man respected throughout the business world.
But Margaret had discovered something.
A secret transaction.
A hidden partnership.
A piece of information that could damage the Escalante name.
"If this becomes public..."
Margaret said.
"Mariana loses credibility."
Andrew stared at the documents.
"You kept this?"
"Of course."
"Why?"
Margaret looked at him.
"Because powerful people survive by keeping secrets."
Brenda's New Idea
For the first time since the scandal began, Brenda felt hope.
If Mariana could be destroyed...
Then everything could return.
Andrew could return to her.
The mansion could return.
The lifestyle could return.
She imagined herself walking through those doors again.
Not as the mistress.
As the wife.
As the woman everyone respected.
But she made one mistake.
She underestimated Mariana again.
The Meeting Nobody Expected
That evening, Brenda received an invitation.
Not from Andrew.
From Mariana.
A private meeting.
No lawyers.
No witnesses.
Just the two of them.
Brenda almost refused.
But curiosity won.
She arrived at Escalante headquarters at 8 p.m.
The building was almost empty.
The receptionist led her to Mariana's office.
When the doors opened...
Brenda stopped.
Because the woman sitting behind the massive desk did not look like the woman she knew.
No simple dress.
No quiet smile.
No attempt to disappear.
Mariana wore a black suit.
Elegant.
Powerful.
Unreachable.
"Sit down, Brenda."
Brenda forced herself to smile.
"You wanted to see me?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Mariana looked at her calmly.
"I wanted to understand something."
"What?"
"Was it worth it?"
Brenda frowned.
"What?"
"Everything you did."
A pause.
"The lies."
"The messages."
"The way you humiliated me."
Mariana leaned back.
"Was Andrew worth destroying yourself?"
The Truth About Brenda
For the first time, Brenda had no answer.
Because deep inside...
She knew.
She never truly loved Andrew.
She loved what he represented.
Power.
Security.
Status.
A place where people finally respected her.
Mariana saw the hesitation.
"You didn't want my husband."
Brenda looked angry.
"Don't pretend you know me."
"I do."
Mariana's voice remained calm.
"You wanted my life."
Silence.
Because that was the truth.
The Offer
Mariana opened a folder.
Brenda looked inside.
Her expression changed.
"What is this?"
"Evidence."
"Against me?"
"Against everyone."
Brenda looked up.
"Why show me?"
Mariana stood.
"Because you have a choice."
"What choice?"
"You can continue protecting people who will sacrifice you."
A pause.
"Or you can tell the truth."
Brenda laughed.
"You expect me to betray Andrew?"
Mariana looked at her.
"Andrew already betrayed you."
The Message
Before Brenda left, Mariana said one final thing.
"Tell Margaret something for me."
Brenda stopped.
"What?"
"The throne she wants..."
Mariana smiled slightly.
"Was never hers."
That night, Brenda returned home.
But she didn't go to Andrew.
She didn't go to Margaret.
She went straight to her bedroom.
She opened a hidden drawer.
Inside were copies of documents.
Emails.
Bank records.
Proof of everything.
Because Brenda Lawson had spent months collecting evidence.
Not because she wanted justice.
Because she planned to use it when she needed protection.
And now...
She needed protection.
Across the city, Mariana received a message.
From an unknown number.
One sentence.
"I know what Margaret did twenty years ago."
Mariana stared at the screen.
Because she knew one thing.
The war was no longer about Andrew.
It was bigger.
Much bigger.
And the secret Margaret had hidden...
Could destroy both families.
May you like
End of Chapter 4
Chapter 5 â The Secret Andrew Buried (continued)
