His Bride, Her Revenge

Chapter 120: When the Masks Off

The gala shimmered like something out of a dream or a trap.

Crystal chandeliers dripped like stars from the high ceilings of the Manhattan Grand Royale. Gold-trimmed arches stretched skyward, polished marble gleamed beneath stiletto heels, and every guest sparkled with curated elegance. The event was Cambria’s brainchild, a fundraiser for digital literacy programs for underprivileged girls. But tonight, it was more than charity.

It was a statement.

It was a line in the sand.

It was the night Cambria Vale would reintroduce herself not just as a media mogul, but as a force to be feared, respected, and remembered.

"You good?" Elara’s voice cut through the last-minute flurry as she adjusted Cambria’s neckline backstage.

Cambria met her sister’s eyes in the mirror. "Nervous."

"You’ve fought wars in heels sharper than these," Elara said dryly. "And besides, the mask you’re wearing tonight? It’s made of gold."

Cambria gave a breathless smile. "Let’s hope it doesn’t crack."

Behind her, the tailored dress was deep emerald, velvet with an open back and delicate silver embroidery clung like armor disguised as art. Her hair was swept into a braided crown. Her earrings shimmered with diamonds Maddox had given her that morning, wordlessly, before vanishing to "handle a surprise."

Whatever that meant.

Elara handed her a crystal glass of champagne. "Maddox is already inside. Are you ready to walk in?"

Cambria lifted her chin. "I was born ready."

The music swelled as the double doors opened.

Cameras flashed.

Heads turned.

Every breath in the room seemed to pause when Cambria entered, her steps slow, sure, devastating. At her side, Elara walked like a shadow wrapped in silk.

At the far end of the room, Maddox stood waiting in a dark velvet tux, his tie slightly undone a deliberate imperfection. He watched her like she was the only person in the world who mattered.

The moment their eyes met, the crowd faded.

But the night wasn’t built for comfort.

Not in Manhattan.

Not for them.

They reunited near the center of the ballroom, beside the towering ice sculpture and the press wall. Maddox offered her a glass of wine as photographers scrambled for the perfect angle.

"You look like something I dreamed once," he murmured.

Cambria’s smile was serene. "If this is a dream, it’s about to get very real."

"Just how I like it."

They clinked glasses, the sound delicate and deceptive like crystal before a war.

Because as the ballroom glowed with applause and curated laughter, danger was already weaving between shadows.

And her name was Evelyn Stone.

Three hours earlier...

In a private penthouse uptown, Evelyn stared at the screens arranged across her desk. The news headlines, the photos, the speeches all singing Cambria’s name.

It was enough to make her sick.

Her bandaged hand throbbed with memory, her pride shredded beyond repair. Yet she didn’t cry. Evelyn Stone never cried. She was executed.

"I told you we should have made her disappear," came a voice from behind.

She didn’t turn. "And lose the opportunity to see her fall publicly? No, Julian. We don’t erase Cambria Vale. We expose her."

Julian stepped into view, his face unreadable. "You said that last time. It didn’t work."

"That’s because I relied on someone else’s system." Evelyn smiled, cold and calculated. "Now? I’ve built my own."

She clicked a button. On the central screen, security footage rolled. Cambria. Maddox. Secret meetings. Transactions. Whispered confrontations.

Julian frowned. "Where did you get this?"

"I still have friends on the board. Not everyone loves a redemption arc." Evelyn turned to him, eyes glinting. "Especially when the queen rebuilt her empire on secrets."

Julian’s jaw ticked. "What’s your plan?"

"Tonight, at the gala, I’m going to show the world who Cambria Vale really is."

"And if you’re wrong?"

She smirked. "I’m never wrong."

Back at the gala...

Cambria drifted between donors and politicians, exchanging soft smiles and sharper promises. Maddox stayed close but let her lead. He knew this stage belonged to her.

Still, his eyes never left the room’s edges.

Something was off.

He could feel it.

He moved toward Elara, who was watching the dance floor with her phone in hand.

"El," he said under his breath. "Any word from security?"

She didn’t look up. "No. But I’m scanning faces. And guess who RSVP’d under a fake name?"

Maddox’s heart sank. "Evelyn."

"Third table from the left. Red dress. Veiled hat. She’s not hiding. She wants to be seen."

Maddox clenched his jaw. "What’s she after?"

Elara handed him a USB drive. "Julian sent this. Said it was insurance. You better see it before she makes a move."

Backstage again, Maddox plugged the drive into a locked-down laptop. The footage was grainy but clear enough.

A voice echoed.

"I authorize the silent activation of Protocol Echo. If Vale resists, initiate the cleanse procedure."

Cambria’s voice. Recorded.

Maddox froze. "What the hell is this?"

Julian’s voice followed. "You know what this will cost her. Are you sure?"

Cambria again, colder this time. "They made me a weapon. Let them see what it costs to hold the trigger."

The footage ended.

Elara stepped back, horrified. "That’s not... That can’t be recent."

"It’s not. It’s from before Evelyn’s takedown," Maddox said, trying to breathe. "Cambria gave that order in case the board turned on her. A last resort."

Elara hissed, "She buried it. But if Evelyn leaks this "

"She’ll turn the world against Cam."

They looked at each other, the weight of it sinking in.

And then

A scream.

From the ballroom.

Back inside, chaos bloomed.

The screens meant to showcase donation totals suddenly flickered to black then to footage. Cambria’s voice. The command. The threat. The protocol.

The crowd gasped.

Cameras turned.

And Evelyn stepped forward from the shadows, clutching a microphone.

"Cambria Vale," she said with perfect poise, "built her empire on threats. On hidden weapons. She pretends to be reformed but this is who she really is. Cold. Calculating. Dangerous."

Gasps echoed. Whispers turned to roars.

Cambria stood frozen. Everything she’d built the trust, the reputation, the redemption was unraveling in real-time.

Maddox pushed through the crowd to her. "Say something."

"I..." she started. "That was "

But her voice cracked.

Evelyn smiled triumphantly. "Nothing to say, Cambria?"

And then

Elara stormed the stage.

"Play the rest of the clip!" she shouted. "You coward!"

Evelyn faltered.

Cambria blinked. "There’s more?"

Maddox whispered, "Julian. He must’ve sent the full clip."

A technician moved quickly, pushing a second file to the screen.

The clip resumed.

Cambria’s voice again.

"But I won’t become them. Not Seraphine. Not Evelyn. If they activate Echo, we protect the innocents. No matter what."

Julian’s voice: "And if it means your own fall?" noveldrama

Cambria: "Then I fall. But I feel knowing I didn’t become a monster to beat one."

The room fell silent.

Utter silence.

Then

Applause.

From the back of the room. Then more. And more.

Evelyn turned, livid. "You fools, she admitted to building it!"

But no one was listening.

Cambria stepped forward.

"I prepared Echo because I had to. Not because I wanted power but because power is often the only language the corrupt understand."

She faced Evelyn. "You wanted to destroy me with half-truths. But my legacy isn’t one moment. It’s every choice I made after."

The audience erupted.

Maddox slid beside her, whispering, "That was the moment. You just rewrote your ending."

Cambria’s lips curved slightly. "No. I rewrote our beginning."

That night, the press dubbed it:

"The Gala That Saved a Queen."

And Cambria Vale, once an orphan, once a ghost, stood beneath the spotlight not as a weapon, or a victim, or a villain...

But as a woman who refused to wear the masks others gave her.