The Malevolence of a Woman Wronged (PREQUEL)

Chapter 18- The New Duchess

--Angelina POV--

Seeing Donovan now after so long, I wonder what I had seen in him? While he was definitely a good-looking man, his beauty held nothing to Lucian's, and if you were to include his personality, then he looked like a toad.

But it wasn't his looks that I had fallen for all those years ago. It was the fake personality he had showcased to woo me, and while it may have worked then, I have hardened my heart to make sure that no man and his advances would work on me ever again.

"Shall we go? Or would you like to wait?" Lucian whispered, and I somehow managed to hear over all the chatter and classical music that was playing around us.

"Best do it while all eyes are still on us," I replied.

"Good idea," He nodded, and for a short moment, I turned my head to look up at him, and realised just how much he's helping me. I can't imagine being in this situation alone, there's no way I would have been able to go through it alone.

"Thank you. I appreciate you, and everything you're doing for me,"

My compliment caught him off guard, but he didn't have time to reply as we came to a halt, standing behind the Duke and Duchess of Ludovica who were too busy talking to other guests to have noticed our presence.

But slowly, one by one, the guests whom they were talking to noticed both me and Lucian, and lost their words in their throats.

"Isn't that the Duchess?"

"You mean the ex-Duchess?"

"What's she doing here?"

And once again, the whispers started, and Lucian grabbed the opportunity to announce our presence, an excited look on his face as he spoke.

"What a pleasant surprise. To bump into the Duke and Duchess of Ludovica here of all places," I watched as two figures paused when realisation hit them that people's eyes weren't on them anymore, but rather the two people that stood behind them.

"Yes, I've been hearing that quite... a... lot..." Donovan's words faded away to nothingness as he turned around, his eyes catching mine, and I caught him jolt in surprise, looking as though someone just shot him.

"Hello," I did well to curve my lips up into a smile instead of a smirk, my hand unknowingly tightening their grip around Lucian's arm, this situation is a lot more nerve wracking than I had imagined.

"...Lina..." He whispered, eyes trembling as I watched him squirm, uncomfortable with my presence. And I wonder, what is it about me that makes so uncomfortable? It feels like a long shot to believe it's guilt.

"Angelina, what are you doing here?" 

And I turned away from my ex-husband to look at his new wife that stood beside him, and I bit my lip to prevent my jaw from falling to the ground when I saw her. 

Is she being serious?

She stood there, staring at me through her surprise while having the audacity to dress herself in my clothes that I left behind at the estate. And it wasn't just the dress; the shoes, the jewellery, and even the hairstyle, it was all done in the way that I used to do mine while I was Duchess.

And furthermore, did she just call me Angelina? Angelina? Who the hell does she think she is? Just a few months ago, she was calling me 'Your grace', and now she's looking down at me with the title that used to be mine.

I felt my anger slowly beginning to simmer.

I show my compassion to her, and this is what I get in return? If I had been more strict, more demanding, more heartless, I wouldn't be in this situation right now. I'd most likely still be married to Donovan, and my company would still be mine.