Chapter 52

Roger scoffed with a smug grin. "Back then, I had the woman Waylon treasures now wrapped around my finger. You may look all high and mighty today, but don't forget-once upon a time, you did whatever | told you.No hesitation. No defiance."

Alexia didn't reply immediately. A faint, bitter smile tugged at her lips, one that held no warmth. Whether it was aimed at herself or him, even she wasn't sure.

Then,without a single word of warning, she took a step forward and slapped him hard.

The crisp sound of the slap echoed across the hall. Roger's head turned with the blow, and for a moment,he looked stunned, as if trying to process what had just happened.

"That was for the girl I used to be," Alexia said in a steady, icy voice."The foolish one who thought the boy was her hero just because he once stood up for her."

She hadn't forgotten. When Roger first came back to the Gibson family, there was a timne he'd stepped in to protect her, taking on a group of guy's and walking away bruised and bloodied. That moment,along with Eleanor's warmth and wise, grandmotherly advice, had left a deep mark on her heart.

Even as Roger grew colder and more distant afterward, she held on to that early memory, convinced that deep down, he was someone worth holding on to. Again and again, she tried to reach him, doing everything she could to keep him from feeling alone or pushed aside.

Roger was still reeling when the second slap hit-this one even harder, more cutting.

"And that one is for the woman who endured your so-called marriage. You were never a real husband, never tried to hold our home together. You gave me zero respect. If Marilee was your everything, then why didn't you fight for her? Instead, you married me, betrayed me, and acted like the poor, heartbroken man. Who were you trying to fool-me or yourself?"

Every word she spoke chipped away at the fake dignity Roger tried so hard to maintain, leaving his hypocrisy out in the open.

As expected, his face twisted with anger. His jaw tightened, and his hands curled into fists, itching to slap back. But Alexia didn't give him the chance. Before he could even react, her third slap came down-sharp,

fast, and merciless.

"That last one is for the woman I am now-for finally seeing you for what you really are and acting like you deserve. You talk about me leaving with nothing? Roger, you're the real loser here-just a coward trying to play the victim."

Those three slaps weren't just physical, they shredded his pride, each one a clean cut straight to his ego.

By now, a small crowd had gathered. Courthouse drama wasn't unusual, but watching a woman deliver three brutal slaps to her ex with this much fire? That was a spectacle nobody wanted to miss.

Roger's pride lay in ruins, crushed beneath her heel for the world to witness.

His breath came in short, angry bursts before he finally choked out, "How dare you?" His fists trembled with rage.

Alexia lightly flexed her wrist, easing the sting in her hand, but her expression stayed cold and firm. "There's nothing I won't do. We're getting divorced and more than that, you're going to give back everything you took that was never rightfully yours. You and your family have enjoyed stolen wealth and borrowed glory for far too long. It's time someone pulled the curtain back."

Roger's face contorted with fury. "You think you can just make that call? Who the hell do you think you are,throwing threats at me? Are you planning to drag Waylon into this? Have him target the Gibson family for your little revenge game?"

"Please!" Alexia gave him a slow once-over, her lips curling into a cool, predatory smirk."You think you deserve his attention?"

Roger winced, clearly shaken. Her words had struck deeper than any slap could have.

As Alexia turned to leave, her face grew even colder."Wait for the court papers," she said without looking back.

Outside the courthouse, Alexia pulled out her phone. Calmly, she logged into an anonymous forum and typed out a post.

Without missing a beat, she made a call.

Inside a glossy high-rise nestled in the city's financial core, the sharp ring of a phone cut through the office's ambient calm.

A woman with rich, flowing waves of hair glanced at her phone. Her face lit up instantly as she answered.

"Well,well,Alexia. What do I owe the honor today?" she asked in a playful tone.

Alexia's lips curled into a faint smile. "Any chance your royal schedule has room for one more case?"

The woman's eyes sparkled, and her tone was soaked in fake humility."Oh, please. People are practically camping out just for the chance to have me take their case. My schedule? Good luck squeezing in."

Across the room, a young intern glanced up, curiosity flickering across her face as she overheard the exchange.

It wasn't every day the office's untouchable legal queen dropped her usual steel demeanor and acted this playful. That voice was way too soft for her usual courtroom bite.

Was that a charming guy on the other end of the call?

Unbothered,Alexia replied coolly,that so? Guess I'll have to look elsewhere then."

"Whoa, whoa, don't hang up!" the woman blurted, dropping the tease. "You know I'm messing with you.You calling me? I'm honored. So? Let me guess-divorce?"