The Virgin Bride

The Decision

I arrived at home, if I could still call it that. My eyes and nose were red from crying so much in the car, though due to the presence of the driver, I had to do it silently, just wiping away each tear of pain and fury.

Fool, I told myself inwardly. Why had I acted that way? Why was I so stupid?

Technically, my relationship with Arthur didn't exist. I was just a pretty ornament in his house and nothing more. But now he had noticed my existence, and unfortunately, in the worst way.

I entered the house and locked myself in my room to keep cursing myself, to berate myself and relive every second of humiliation. Not only to inflict pain on myself because maybe I deserved it, but also so that in the future no one would humiliate me again. And I wouldn't be so naive to believe that someone who hadn't looked at me in months would do something to compensate for the abandonment.

I now understood that Arthur lived his own life and whether he had a wife or not, he wouldn't leave his life, especially for someone who only meant a role, but... There was something I really didn't understand.

Why did he marry me?

I knew my father had arranged this marriage as a mutually beneficial agreement. My father gained financial support in case he needed it, but what about him? What did he gain from our marriage?

There was the renown of being my father's son-in-law, and with the simple fact that the Elite knew it, it would open many doors for him, but there had to be another reason, something that might have driven him to have to marry me.

He hadn't dared to do anything to me since our wedding. I was still a virgin, so it wasn't as if he was trying to satisfy some sick, depraved whim with someone my age, so I could rule that out.

I stayed up all night, thinking and analyzing every thought that came to my mind. I preferred that to continuing to lament because at some point my tears had stopped flowing and had dried up. I had no pain left, only resentment.

When the first rays of the sun touched my window, I got up feeling a great weight on me, and not just from emotional exhaustion or my insomnia, but I felt the need to seek revenge.

Was I really a vindictive person?

The answer was a resounding no, but Arthur had earned it. However, doing something against him wasn't precisely easy and, I couldn't behave like a fool again, believing that spending his money on nonsense would serve any purpose. No. I needed to do something that truly hurt him, but left his hands tied. But... what?

I didn't know Arthur well enough to know his weaknesses. When he arrived unexpectedly, he didn't sleep in the same bed, so in my room there was nothing of his. It was more like I was a tenant and not a wife. That was somewhat depressing.

I felt somewhat powerless as I headed to what I called my office, which was really just the dining room. It was quite early to have breakfast, so I started by catching up on some pre-recorded classes that my teachers prepared if I couldn't watch the classes live.

And perhaps because it was so early, I felt that the dining room, which used to seem comfortable and cozy, was quite cold. So I closed the pearl-colored silk robe I was wearing, looked out the window, and started to think.

"What would my father do in a situation like this? How do you take down someone as successful and powerful as Arthur?"

A thought crossed my mind. It was a rather cruel idea, though difficult to achieve, that made me believe that perhaps I was indeed a worthy daughter of my father.

The problem lay in a simple question: How could someone like me, who had just been humiliated in the most offensive way for a woman, bring down the empire of a man like him?

I didn't know much about business, but I did have many contacts. I might not have friends, but I knew the parents of my former classmates, powerful men who could do a lot for me if I knew how to play my cards. However, I couldn't do much while I was stuck here. Although it wasn't like I could leave just because I was angry.

I had witnessed that acting on impulse wasn't a good idea. So at least for that day, I had to focus on my classes. I didn't want my grades to drop because of that jerk just because I was so distracted by my revenge. I also had to think about myself.

When Mrs. Helen appeared at the door with my breakfast in her hands. I thought I would have an ordinary morning. She looked at me cautiously, and it was no wonder. Both my eyes and nose were red and swollen. But luckily she didn't say anything, not even a comment. However, shortly after leaving my breakfast by my side, she returned to leave something else, a small basket that looked a lot like the ones placed every morning in the bathroom after cleaning.

In it, there was a facial toner, along with a mask that was supposed to reduce facial puffiness. I felt ashamed for neglecting my appearance, so once I followed the instructions, I took my mobile phone and started looking up tutorials on the best way to keep up with a skincare routine. After that, I moved on to videos about sunscreens and eventually found myself in the makeup section.

By midday, I made my first appointment with the dermatologist and also hired a professional makeup artist to give me private lessons on how to apply makeup and look spectacular, so that no one would ever see me looking deplorable again.

When my classes ended, I dedicated myself to buying clothes as if my life depended on it. And this time, I didn't feel guilty about spending thousands of dollars on expensive clothes because I felt that Arthur needed to start paying for what he had done to me.

I bought clothes, but not my usual style, which are modest clothes that generally don't attract anyone's attention, and the truth is I hadn't needed them until now. I wasn't looking to dress for Arthur, that would be like giving him a damn prize, but rather I wanted to blend into his world, make him falter by seeing me as one of the women he pursued. Then, once I managed to make him lose a lot of money, I would return to my life, and when I turned 18, I would assert my rights to force him to give me a divorce, as that was what I desired most.

By the time lunch came around, I already had a whole arsenal in my digital shopping cart. I was very excited, but at the same time, scared.

Everything I was beginning to concoct in my mind had to remain a secret from everyone, especially my father. I was supposed to take advantage of my marriage, maybe not now, but later on, so I had to be careful and build my own reputation so that my father's name wouldn't follow me wherever I went. I needed to forge my own path wherever I went, so to avoid being associated with my paternal family and my husband's. I had to create my own brand.