Madison’s smile faltered. “Chairwoman? Who are you calling chairwoman—her?”
One of the bodyguards turned his head slightly, eyes calm but lethal.
“Mind your words,” he said. “You are speaking to Ms. Ava Villareal—the sole heiress of the Villareal Group.”
Loretta’s jaw dropped.
Ethan staggered a half-step. “A-Ava… Villareal?”
Ava slowly sat up as nurses rushed to support her. Even exhausted, even fresh from childbirth, she carried herself differently now—like someone remembering her name after years of being called nothing.
“Yes, Ethan,” Ava said evenly. “I left my life behind because I wanted someone to love me for who I am—not for my money.”
Her gaze didn’t shake.
“I thought that was you.”
Then her eyes sharpened.
“But today you proved you’re only trash searching for gold.”
PART 4 — The Debt, the Hospital, the Ban
Ava turned to Madison.
“You called yourself rich,” Ava said softly. “Does your father know you’re drowning in a five-hundred-million bank debt?”
Madison went pale. “H-How do you—”
“Because you borrowed from my bank,” Ava replied with a small, chilling smile. “And after what you did today, I’ll call the board. We’ll demand immediate payment.”
Madison’s lips parted, but no sound came out.
Ava shifted her gaze to Loretta, who looked like she might faint on the spot.
“And you,” Ava said, voice calm as ice. “You called me a peasant.”
She let that word hang for a beat—then delivered the blade.
“The hospital you’re standing in… I bought it yesterday.”
Loretta’s eyes widened.
“So technically,” Ava continued, “I own the ground under your feet.”
She lifted her chin slightly.
“Security.”
“Yes, Madam!” the men answered in unison.
“Remove these three,” Ava ordered. “And ban them from every Villareal property—malls, hotels, hospitals, resorts. No access. No favors. No help.”
Ethan dropped to his knees like his bones had turned to water.
“Ava—please. I’m your husband. I love you. I made a mistake. Forgive me—for our son.”
Ava looked down at him as if he were something she’d outgrown.
“I already signed the divorce, Ethan,” she said. “So I don’t have a husband anymore.”
Her hand tightened around her baby.
