Chapter 4 - The Return of the Queen

The next day, in front of the registry office, Elena stood tall with her head held high. Her hands clutched tightly around her small bag, while beside her, Damian stood proudly.

An officer came in with two divorce certificates, handing them over one by one.

"This is the divorce certificate, sir, madam. You are now officially divorced," the officer said formally.

Elena accepted the deed with a faint smile. Damian, meanwhile, just let out a long sigh, putting the divorce certificate into his coat without looking at it again.

"You think you can survive without me?" Damian said in a mocking tone.

Elena turned her head, raising one eyebrow. "Of course."

Damian chuckled, folding his arms across his chest. "Don't be silly, Elena. Without my money, you wouldn't have survived. You shouldn't have refused the compensation I gave you."

Elena smiled sarcastically. "Oh, so now you're worried?"

Damian shook his head slowly, as if taking pity. "I'm just thinking realistically. You have no one, no proper job. Do you really think the world is going to be on your side?"

Elena chuckled, then looked at the man with a confident gaze. "I don't need the world to be on my side. I just need the confidence that I can stand on my own without your money, Mr. Damian!"

Damian squinted. "Interesting. I want to see how long you can survive without my compensation."

Elena folded her arms across her chest. She did not respond to her ex-husband's words.

The man chuckled again, this time more condescendingly. "And you think any man will want to be with you after this?"

Elena stifled a laugh. "And why should I care about that?"

Damian stepped closer, his voice lower but sharp. "You're not attractive anymore, Elena. You can't take care of yourself. You've gained weight, you're not as beautiful as you used to be, and most importantly, you can't give birth to a son."

Elena kept smiling, her gaze growing colder. "You are so funny, Mr. Damian! You talk as if I still want to attract your attention."

Damian's face hardened.

Elena continued, her voice calm but deadly, "Listen, Mr. Damian. I don't care what you think of me. I don't need validation from a man who betrayed his marriage just because he was obsessed with a young boy. Do you think I'm going to cry and beg you? You're sadly mistaken, sir. I'm actually very grateful."

"Grateful?" Damian repeated in a mocking tone. "You're grateful for losing everything?"

Elena laughed softly, yet confidently. "I'm grateful that I'm finally free of a man who never appreciated his wife. Did you think I'd be down? Oh no, Mr. Damian, I'm actually very happy to be free of you. All this time, you've been pressuring me with so many things. I have to stay beautiful; I have to be good at taking care of myself. And you didn't hire a babysitter to help me take care of the kids? You touched me to get pregnant again quickly, hoping to give birth to a boy. After you found out the baby I was carrying was a girl, you cheated on me."

The man looked at her sharply. He didn't care what Elena said.

"Never mind, Elena. There's no need to talk about it anymore! I just can't wait to see you fail," he muttered coldly.

Elena shrugged. "And I also really can't wait to see you regret underestimating me!"

Without waiting any longer, Elena turned around and walked away from there with steady steps.

Once out of the registry office, Elena walked to the taxi quietly. In her heart, she had made a big decision. It was time to go back to being her old self—no longer the wife of Damian Lancaster, who was only in the shadow of that bastard.

Quickly, she reached for her cell phone and pressed the contact she hadn't called in a long time. It didn't take long before the call connected.

"Elena?" The voice on the other end sounded surprised.

Elena gave a small smile. "Hi, Tamara."

There was a moment of silence before a hysterical voice rang out. "YES, GOD! ELENA! IS THIS REALLY YOU?!"

Elena laughed softly. "Of course it's me."

"Where have you been?! Five years with no news! I thought you disappeared forever!"

Elena sighed. "I didn't disappear, Tamara. I was just busy with my life as a wife and a mother."

Tamara snorted. "What kind of marriage makes a Queen Elisabeth just disappear from the fashion world? Do you know how many people are looking for you?! You're a legend! Everyone is still wondering where the mysterious designer went!"

Elena smiled. "I need your help, Tamara. I need the best team, I need resources, and most importantly, I want to get the world interested in me again."

Tamara took a deep breath, sounding very enthusiastic. "Elena, trust me with everything. I'll organize everything. You just tell me when you're ready, and I'll contact our people."

Elena looked straight ahead, her eyes full of determination. "I'm ready, Tamara. I'm ready to take back what's rightfully mine."

Tamara laughed excitedly. "Then get ready, Queen Elisabeth! The world will know you're back!"

Elena smiled confidently. This was the beginning of everything. No more women being oppressed. No more useless wives.

Now, the world would see her standing at the top—with her own name.

"Damian! You will regret having underestimated me! And I will keep the fetus in my womb," Elena said to herself.

Elena smiled slightly. "I'll be back, Tamara."

Tamara was silent for a few seconds before finally shouting, "ARE YOU SERIOUS?! ELENA, ARE YOU REALLY COMING BACK?!"

Elena nodded, though Tamara couldn't see it. "Yes, I want to get back in business. I want to reclaim my position."

"Gosh... you're not kidding, are you, Elena?" Tamara's voice was full of excitement. "Wait a minute, do you want to go back under your real name or keep your pseudonym?"

Elena thought for a moment before answering confidently, "For now, I will remain Queen Elisabeth. I want the world to remember who I am before they know who I really am."

Tamara chuckled. "I like the way you think. Okay, so what's the plan?"

Elena leaned back against the car seat. "I want to start a new collection. I've been on hiatus for five years; I need something that can create a buzz. I want everyone to know that Queen Elisabeth is back."

Tamara laughed happily. "Oh, that's cool, Elena! You're really going to rock the fashion world again! I can't wait!"

Elena smiled. "I need your help, Tamara. I need the best team, I need resources, and most importantly, I want to get the world interested in me again."

Tamara took a deep breath, sounding very enthusiastic. "Elena, trust me with everything. I'll organize everything. You just tell me when you're ready, and I'll contact our people."

Elena looked straight ahead, her eyes full of determination. "I'm ready, Tamara. I'm ready to take back what's rightfully mine."

Tamara laughed excitedly. "Then get ready, Queen Elisabeth! The world will know you're back!"

Elena smiled confidently. This was the beginning of everything. No more women being oppressed. No more useless wives.

Elena recalled the time when she knew Damian, until she fell in love. At that time, Damian's company was in trouble. Having lost several tenders, Damian's company was on the verge of bankruptcy. No company even wanted to provide assistance. Elena secretly helped him for five years before he quit his job as a designer.

With Elena's hidden help, the Lancaster family was back on top of the world and on par with the royals. Since then, Elena stopped being a designer.

Now, the world would see her standing at the top—with her own name.

"Damian! You will regret having underestimated me! And I will keep the fetus in my womb," Elena said to herself.