CHAPTER 189: CHAPTER 189

If she planted that seed in Damien’s mind, Maria knew exactly what would happen.

The bitterness Damien already harbored would ignite into pure rage.

A rage strong enough to make him want to crush Valentina completely.

To destroy her with his own hands, without Maria ever lifting a finger.

At that moment Maria’s breathing grew steadier, the panic fading from her chest, ’Yes,’ she thought darkly, this is it.

If she could pull this off...

She wouldn’t just get back at Valentina.

She would unleash something on her that even Raymond might not see coming.

Maria’s heart raced faster with every second as she pieced the plan together in her mind.

"Yes," she thought firmly again, this is going to work. It has to work.

She didn’t need to do much.

All she had to do was channel Damien’s anger properly—aim it straight at Valentina like a loaded weapon.

And knowing the kind of pride Damien had, Maria was certain he would bite without hesitation.

He would come after Valentina with everything he had.

This time, not just to humiliate her—but to make a brutal example out of her.

Especially now that his family was even more powerful than before.

Wealthier, more influential.

At that moment Maria clenched her fists tightly, her lips curving into a cold, determined smile.

Good, she thought darkly. Very good.

Without wasting another second, she spun on her heel and marched across the room toward her desk.

Immediately she yanked open the drawer, pulled out her laptop, and quickly powered it on, her fingers tapping impatiently against the desk as it loaded.

Once the screen lit up, she wasted no time.

She opened the browser and immediately began searching for Damien—his whereabouts, his activities, anything she could find.

Within seconds, her search brought her to his social media page.

And there it was, clear as day.

A picture, freshly posted, not even an hour ago.

Damien, standing at the airport entrance, flashing a smug grin with the caption:

"Back to the old time."

Maria’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction as she leaned back in her chair.

Perfect.

Maria’s fingers hovered over the keyboard for a moment, her heart pounding with a mixture of nervousness and excitement.

This is it, she thought. This is the beginning of the end for Valentina.

Without wasting any more time, she clicked [Send Friend Request] on Damien’s profile, her eyes glued to the screen, to her greatest surprise, it barely took a second.

[Request Accepted.]

Maria’s heart skipped a beat.

The instant acceptance was like a door swinging wide open for her plan to slip through.

Without hesitating, she clicked into the message box and started typing carefully, choosing her words with the precision of a snake coiling for a strike.

[Hello Damien,] she began, her fingers moving quickly but steadily.

[I know you don’t know me personally, but I felt it would be unfair to keep this inside any longer.]

She paused, reading it over before continuing, making sure her words dripped with sympathy.

[I understand very well what happened to you back then. I know you were wrongly accused. I know how you suffered how your family suffered.]

At that moment Maria allowed herself a thin, bitter smile as she kept typing, feeding the fire she intended to ignite.

[But there’s something you don’t know... something I’ve carried with me all this time, and I can no longer stay silent.

It has been eating me up, and I believe you deserve the truth.]

Again She took a short breath, her fingers tightening slightly on the keyboard before continuing.

[The person who caused you all that pain... the one who turned your life upside down... it was Valentina.]

Maria leaned back, letting the weight of those words hang in the message for a second before she pressed on, weaving the story carefully.

[She wasn’t innocent. She wasn’t forced. People paid her a lot to lie against you, Damien. They needed to ruin your father’s influence, and they used her as their weapon.]

Maria’s smile deepened as she imagined Damien’s reaction, She continued typing:

[And you know what’s worse?

I am her stepmother. I saw everything, Valentina liked you. Truly. She wanted you to chase her, to fight for her. But when she didn’t get the attention she thought she deserved, when you treated her like she was just another girl, she agreed to betray you without even blinking.]

At that moment Maria’s fingers flew faster now, a surge of triumph running through her.

[You didn’t deserve what happened to you.

You didn’t deserve to be sent away.

And I think you have every right to finally get the justice you were denied.]

She stared at the message for a long second, her chest rising and falling heavily.

Without being told she could tell this will break him. This will turn him, Without even rereading it, Maria hit send.

Maria sat back in her chair, her eyes fixed on the screen, watching... waiting, she had just clicked send, her heart thudding hard in her chest, but her face wore a calm, composed expression.

In that message, she had sealed Valentina’s fate.

She had painted her as the villain, the greedy liar who sold out Damien and his family for a quick payout.

She had even twisted the story, adding that Valentina had willingly come live on air, not out of fear or desperation, but out of cold, calculated malice—to destroy Damien’s image completely.

Maria knew exactly what she was doing.

She knew the kind of person Damien was.

He wasn’t someone who forgive, he wasn’t someone who let go, he was like a shark—bloodthirsty, unrelenting.

Once he caught the scent of betrayal, he would hunt without mercy, and now... now Maria had just dropped Valentina’s blood straight into his waters.

At that moment she leaned forward slightly, refreshing her messages again.

Still no reply, but Maria wasn’t worried, she knew it would only be a matter of time.

Damien’s anger, once stoked, would only grow hotter the longer he sat with the new truth she had delivered.

And when it boiled over, Valentina wouldn’t even see it coming.

Maria’s lips curled into a slow, satisfied smile as she sat back, her mind already racing ahead.

Good, Very good, all she had to do now... was wait.

And so she waited—waited and prayed that her plan would bear the fruit she knew it would.

**

Meanwhile, far from the quiet scheming of Maria’s home, a darker scene was unfolding elsewhere in the city.

Three figures moved through the crowded streets, their eyes sharp, their expressions grim.

They were members of the Circle.