CHAPTER 6
THE MISTRESS WHO WANTED A CROWN
Kendra Vale had always understood one thing about the world.
People respected what they could see.
They respected expensive clothes.
They respected powerful names.
They respected the person standing at the center of the room while everyone else watched.
Kendra did not want love.
Love was unpredictable.
Love could disappear.
But power?
Power could be displayed.
Protected.
Controlled.
And for seven years, Victor Hayes had looked like power.
That was why she chose him.
Not because he was kind.
Not because he was loyal.
Not because he understood her.
Because he looked like a man who was climbing.
And Kendra wanted to stand at the top with him.
She never expected the ladder to break.
The morning after her television interview, Kendra woke up expecting sympathy.
She expected messages.
She expected invitations.
She expected people to believe her story.
Instead...
her phone was silent.
Almost completely silent.
The only calls came from reporters.
Not supporters.
Questions.
"Miss Vale, did you know about Mr. Hayes' financial misconduct?"
"Did you benefit from company funds?"
"Were you aware his wife was Arthur Hartwell's daughter?"
Every question felt like a knife.
Because suddenly the story had changed.
She was no longer the woman who escaped a bad marriage.
She was the woman who helped destroy a powerful executive.
Kendra threw her phone onto the bed.
"This wasn't supposed to happen."
She stared at herself in the mirror.
The same reflection that had opened doors for years.
The same face that made wealthy men believe they were special.
But today...
it was not enough.
She needed Victor.
Not because she loved him.
Because she needed protection.
Victor answered her call after several attempts.
His voice was cold.
"What do you want?"
Kendra immediately noticed the difference.
Before, he always answered with warmth.
Before, he needed her.
Now?
He sounded tired.
"You saw the interview."
A pause.
"Yes."
"And?"
"What were you thinking?"
Her expression changed.
"Excuse me?"
"You made things worse."
Kendra laughed.
"I was defending you."
"No."
Victor's voice hardened.
"You were protecting yourself."
The words angered her because they were true.
"You think you can judge me?"
Kendra stood.
"Do you know where I am because of you?"
"Because of me?"
Victor laughed bitterly.
"Everything I lost happened because of Olivia."
Kendra became quiet.
Because even now...
he said her name differently.
Olivia.
Not "your wife."
Not "that woman."
Olivia.
"You still care about her."
Victor did not answer.
That silence told Kendra everything.
She hated Olivia before.
Now she hated her more.
Because Olivia had something Kendra could never buy.
A person who had loved her before knowing her value.
Meanwhile, inside the Hartwell estate, I watched the news reports continue.
My father's legal team had prepared a response.
A simple statement.
No emotional attacks.
No public revenge.
Just facts.
That was the Hartwell way.
Evidence first.
Emotion later.
But I stopped them.
"Don't release it yet."
My father looked at me.
"Why?"
"Because Kendra is not the person I want to expose."
Arthur frowned.
"Victor?"
I shook my head.
"No."
I looked at the television.
"Kendra."
My father understood.
Because there was something different about Kendra.
Victor wanted admiration.
Kendra wanted a throne.
And people who want a throne often destroy themselves trying to sit on it.
Three days later, Kendra visited Eleanor Hayes.
That was the first mistake.
Because Eleanor was desperate.
And desperate people make poor allies.
Eleanor opened the door.
She looked older.
Much older.
The woman who once criticized everyone now looked afraid of everyone.
"Kendra."
Kendra smiled politely.
"Mrs. Hayes."
Eleanor stepped aside.
They sat in the living room.
The same room where Eleanor had once imagined Kendra replacing me.
The irony was almost perfect.
"You said you could help Victor."
Eleanor spoke first.
Kendra crossed her legs.
"I can."
"How?"
A small smile appeared.
"By controlling the story."
Eleanor studied her.
"You caused enough damage already."
Kendra's expression hardened.
"No."
She leaned forward.
"Your son caused the damage."
That sentence made Eleanor uncomfortable.
Because for the first time...
someone said the truth directly.
"You need me."
Kendra continued.
"And I need you."
Eleanor narrowed her eyes.
"What do you want?"
Kendra smiled.
"The thing Olivia took from us."
Eleanor stared.
"What?"
"Power."
The plan was simple.
Too simple.
Kendra would claim Victor had been manipulated.
Eleanor would attack Olivia's reputation.
They would suggest that Olivia had secretly controlled Meridian all along.
They would turn the story into:
A wealthy heiress who disguised herself and destroyed an ordinary man's life.
It was clever.
Because there was one truth hidden inside the lie.
I had hidden who I was.
And Kendra knew exactly how to use that.
The next morning, the headlines appeared.
HARTWELL HEIRESS HIDES IDENTITY FROM HUSBAND FOR YEARS
WAS VICTOR HAYES SET UP?
The internet exploded.
People who knew nothing about my marriage suddenly had opinions.
Some defended me.
Others accused me.
My father read the articles silently.
Then placed the tablet down.
"Are you alright?"
I smiled slightly.
"I expected this."
"But expecting pain does not make it painless."
I looked at him.
My father rarely admitted weakness.
"No."
I said quietly.
"It doesn't."
For the first time since returning home...
I felt something I did not expect.
Not anger.
Not revenge.
Fear.
Because I realized something.
Destroying Victor was easy.
Facing the world after revealing the truth was harder.
That evening, Russell entered the office.
He placed a file on my father's desk.
"There's something else."
My father opened it.
His expression changed.
"What is it?"
Russell looked at me.
"Someone inside Hartwell Group has been leaking information."
The room went silent.
My father's empire had always been built on loyalty.
Trust.
Discipline.
But now...
someone inside was helping Victor and Kendra.
"Who?"
My father asked.
Russell hesitated.
"We don't know yet."
I looked at the file.
The war had changed.
This was no longer about a broken marriage.
It was about something much bigger.
Someone wanted the Hartwell name damaged.
And Victor Hayes...
might never have been the real enemy.
Across the city, Kendra looked at the headlines and smiled.
She believed she had found her way back to the top.
She believed Olivia Hartwell could be defeated.
She believed a crown was waiting for her.
But Kendra had forgotten something.
A crown is not what makes someone powerful.
The person wearing it does.
May you like
And she had chosen the wrong woman to challenge.
End of Chapter 6
