His Bride, Her Revenge

Chapter 146: The Price of Victory

The wedding was supposed to be quiet. Just the two of them, a justice of the peace, and a view of the Hudson River that shimmered like a promise.

But nothing about Ava Leo’s life was quiet anymore.

Not when the headlines still screamed about Sophia Drake’s arrest.

Not when every major network scrambled for an exclusive interview with the woman who had taken down Manhattan’s most ruthless heiress.

And certainly not when her real name, Cambria Vale, was about to be dragged into the light.

Still, in the suite overlooking the city she once fled from, Ava stood before a mirror in a simple ivory dress, hair in soft waves, makeup light but flawless. Her heart pounded in her chest, not from fear but from truth. For the first time in years, she was about to do something not for revenge. Not for justice. But for love.

Elara leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, eyes warm with mischief.

"You look like a woman about to make history," she said.

Ava turned, a soft smile on her lips. "I thought I already did."

"Oh, you did. But this? This is the Chapter where the phoenix doesn’t just rise... she chooses to fly."

Ava exhaled. "Is that your poetic way of saying I’m nervous?"

"Absolutely."

They laughed, and for a moment, the weight of everything slipped from Ava’s shoulders. No more schemes. No more hidden identities. Just the promise of a new beginning.

"I meant what I said," Ava whispered, looking back at the mirror. "I’m not doing this to prove anything to anyone. Not to the world. Not even to him. I’m doing this because despite everything... I still believe in us."

Elara nodded. "Then go get your happy ending."

But as she turned to leave, her phone buzzed.

She froze. Looked at the screen.

Then frowned.

"What is it?" Ava asked, sensing the shift in her sister’s expression.

Elara didn’t answer immediately. She handed the phone over instead.

An encrypted message glowed on the screen. Sent through a burner channel. Untraceable.

But Ava recognized the signature code at the end.

JM.

Julian Mercer.

Her stomach dropped.

The message was short.

"Call off the wedding. You’re in danger. It’s not over. Sophia was just the beginning. –JM."

Ava’s fingers tightened around the phone.

Sophia was in jail. Her board seat revoked. Her empire was dismantled.

What could Julian possibly mean?

And why now?

Elara looked at her. "Do you believe him?"

"I don’t know."

"Do you want me to check it out?"

"No. If this is a game, I want to know who’s playing it. And why now?"

But even as she said it, a familiar unease crept down her spine.

Liam waited at the venue, standing at the edge of the rooftop garden that overlooked the Hudson.

He wore a crisp black suit, cane by his side, the wind tugging gently at his dark hair. The scars from the explosion had faded some, but the ache in his leg was a constant reminder.

Yet nothing compared to the ache in his chest as he waited for her.

His bride.

His second chance.

He checked his watch. Fifteen minutes passed.

Still no sign.

He turned to look at Elara, who’d just stepped onto the rooftop.

She didn’t smile.

"She’s coming," she said quickly, reading the tension in his face. "But something came up. A message. From Julian."

Liam’s face hardened.

"What did he want?"

"He said to call off the wedding. That there’s still danger. That Sophia wasn’t the end."

Liam ran a hand through his hair. "Of course. Of course, he’d try to crawl back now. He’s always been a snake."

"I don’t think it’s jealousy," Elara said. "I think he knows something."

"I don’t care. This wedding is happening."

But even as he spoke the words, his gut twisted. Because Julian Mercer wasn’t a man who cried wolf.

If he reached out, it meant something. And Liam knew it.

He looked at Elara.

"Is she scared?"

"She’s calm. But she’s not brushing it off."

Liam nodded once. "Then I won’t either."

He turned and looked out at the river again, his mind already racing.

Ava arrived ten minutes later, escorted by two of her own security agents. The ivory dress fluttered in the breeze, delicate against the sharp skyline. She looked radiant. Timeless. But there was something in her eyes calculated, watching.

As she reached Liam, his hand found hers.

"You sure you want to do this?" he whispered.

"Absolutely."

"But?"

"But I need you to know... there’s still more we don’t understand. I think someone else was working with Sophia. Or above her."

Liam’s jaw tightened. "Julian?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. But he warned me. And I need you to trust that I’ll handle it."

"I don’t want you handling it alone."

"You won’t have to. Not this time."

They turned toward the officiant. The rooftop had only a few guests Elara, a trusted friend from Liam’s legal team, and two guards discreetly positioned near the elevators.

The ceremony began.

But just as the officiant reached the vow exchange, the elevator dinged.

All heads turned.

A man stepped out.

Tall. Immaculate suit. Sunglasses. Clean-shaven. But the aura was unmistakable.

Power. Money. And danger.

Ava’s blood ran cold. noveldrama

Liam’s fingers tensed around hers.

The man removed his glasses.

Julian Mercer.

He walked toward them, uninvited and unbothered.

"I’m sorry to interrupt," he said, voice smooth as ever. "But I couldn’t let you say ’I do’ without knowing the truth."

The officiant hesitated. Ava raised a hand.

"It’s okay. Let him speak."

Julian stopped a few feet away. He looked tired. Older. And unlike his usual smug self, he wasn’t smiling.

"Sophia wasn’t working alone," he said. "She was funded. Backed by someone with reach far beyond Manhattan. Someone who wanted more than just revenge."

"Who?" Ava asked.

Julian’s eyes flicked to Liam.

Liam stepped forward. "Say it."

Julian hesitated. Then:

"Your father."

Liam’s face turned to stone.

"That’s impossible. My father is dead."

"Officially, yes," Julian said. "But the truth? He faked it. Eight years ago. Retreated. Rebuilt. And now he’s back. With an agenda."

Ava’s voice was ice. "And what does he want?"

Julian looked at her, then Liam.

"He wants to erase everything. Reclaim the company. Destroy both of you. And he’s not alone. He has allies in the shadows. People who want chaos."

Liam’s heart pounded. "How do you know this?"

"Because I used to be one of them."

Silence fell like a hammer.

Ava stared at him. "You what?"

Julian nodded. "Before you left for Europe. Before you disappeared. I was recruited. Trained. Positioned. They thought I’d help bring you down. I didn’t. I couldn’t. Because I fell in love with you. And that ruined me."

The pain in his eyes was real.

"I tried to warn you earlier. I tried to pull away. But Sophia moved fast. And your father? He’s planning something. Something big."

Liam’s voice was a low growl. "You expect us to believe this?"

"I expect you to be ready," Julian said. "Because whether you believe me or not, he’s coming. He’s already here."

He reached into his coat, and everyone tensed, but he only pulled out a flash drive.

"Proof. Surveillance footage. Phone calls. Wire transfers. You’ll find the truth in there."

Ava took it, eyes unreadable.

Julian gave her one last look.

"I’ll go now. I just needed to say it. Be careful, Ava. This isn’t over. It never was."

And then he turned and walked away.

The rooftop was silent.

Elara came forward first. "Do you believe him?"

"I don’t know," Ava whispered. "But I have to find out."

Liam exhaled sharply. "We postpone the ceremony."

"No," Ava said. "We finish it."

Liam looked at her.

"I won’t let him ruin this moment too. We’ve waited too long. Fought too hard."

She turned to the officiant.

"Let’s continue."

And so they did.

They said their vows. They exchanged rings. And when the officiant declared them husband and wife, the world seemed to hold its breath.

They kissed fiercely, raw, and real.

But even as the cheers echoed and the sun bathed them in light, Ava couldn’t shake the feeling burrowing in her chest.

Julian’s warning wasn’t just a final play.

It was the opening move of something darker.

Something deeper.

And as she looked out at the horizon, the city no longer gleamed.

It trembled.

That night, Ava sat alone in the study, the flash drive in her hand.

She plugged it in.

A video is loaded.

A man sat in the shadows. Silver hair. Sharp voice.

"...they think I’m dead. Let them. I didn’t raise an empire to watch my sons ruin it. Maddox was too soft. Liam is too naive. But the girl? Ava... Cambria... she’s the one I underestimated. That ends now."

The camera tilted slightly.

And Ava saw his face.

Liam’s father.

Alive.

Alive and planning everything.

And then the screen went black.

A countdown appeared.

24:00:00

The words beneath it chilled her to her bones:

"The reckoning begins."