I had only just delivered my baby, yet my mother-in-law and my husband’s mistress handed me annulment papers. They assumed I was broke—until the hospital directors showed up, bowed to me, and said, “Ma’am, the helicopter is ready.”
My name is Celine. Jason and I had just welcomed our first child. I was stretched out on the hospital bed, drained to the bone, cradling our newborn—baby CJ. I truly believed this would be the happiest day of my life. I pictured Jason walking in with flowers and balloons.
Instead, the door swung open and Jason entered empty-handed. Behind him stood my mother-in-law, Doña Miranda, who had always treated me like I was beneath her. And then came the real shock—Tiffany was with them. Jason’s ex-girlfriend, the “rich girl” Doña Miranda constantly held up as the standard, while I was dismissed as a “poor girl” from the province.
“Jason?” I murmured, barely finding my voice. “Why are they here with you? Where are the flowers?”
He didn’t reply. He simply dropped his gaze. Doña Miranda stepped forward and tossed a brown envelope onto my bed—so carelessly it nearly struck the baby.
“No flowers, Celine,” she said icily. “What we brought are annulment papers.”
“W-what?!” I pulled my baby closer. “Mom, I just gave birth! Jason—what is this?”
Jason finally spoke, but he still wouldn’t meet my eyes. “I’m sorry, Celine. I can’t do this anymore. You’re too… poor. You don’t belong in our world. Tiffany can help me expand the business. You? You’re just dead weight.”
Tiffany giggled and hooked herself around Jason’s arm. “Sorry, girl. Jason needs a trophy wife, not a housewife who reeks of milk. Relax—we’ll adopt the baby. We’ll raise him in the mansion.”
Do you want to know what happens next?
“You will never take my child!” I yelled, even as the stitches tore with heat and pain.
“Oh yes, we will,” Doña Miranda answered coolly. “You don’t have a job. You don’t have money. You don’t even have family here in Manila. Do you honestly think a judge would grant custody to a beggar? Sign, and when you’re discharged, disappear. We already settled your hospital bill. That’s the only luxury you can afford.”
I stared at them.
Jason—the man I loved, the man I’d even hidden my real identity for, just so I could live a quiet, ordinary life.
Doña Miranda—playing the wealthy matriarch while her company quietly sank under a mountain of debt.
And Tiffany—strutting around with counterfeit designer bags and borrowed confidence.
I brushed away my tears.
“Are you sure about this, Jason?” I asked evenly. “Once I sign, there’s no undoing it.”
“Just sign already!” Tiffany snapped. “You’re so dramatic!”
I took the pen and wrote my name.
“Fine,” I said softly. “You’re free now, Jason.”
I passed the documents to Doña Miranda.
“Good,” the old woman sneered. “Now hand over the baby. We’re leaving. The guards will escort you out.”
Tiffany reached for my child when—
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.
The door opened.
Hospital Director Dr. Altamirano stepped in, followed by five attorneys in sharp suits—and several bodyguards.
Jason went rigid.
“Dr. Altamirano?” Doña Miranda blurted, startled. “Why are you here? Are you here to congratulate me on my new grandchild?”
The Director didn’t even glance at her.
He walked straight to me.
Then, to everyone’s disbelief, the Director and the lawyers bowed deeply at the side of my bed.
“Good morning, Madame Chairwoman,” he said with precise respect. “We apologize for the disruption. We were informed someone was causing trouble. Shall we call security?”
Chairwoman?
Jason’s eyes flew wide.
Doña Miranda drained of color.
Tiffany’s bag slipped from her hand and thudded to the floor.
“M-Madame Chairwoman?!” Jason stammered. “Doctor, you’re mistaken—she’s just Celine! She’s just a provincial girl!”
I turned toward them.
My face was no longer wet with tears—it was calm, composed, untouchable.
“Provincial?” I smiled. “Yes, I’m from the province. I just forgot to add… that province? I own half of it.”
I smoothed my hair back and lifted my chin.
“Allow me to introduce myself properly,” I said. “I am Celine Vandelia—the sole heir of the Vandelia Group of Companies. The corporation that owns this hospital… the bank you owe money to… and the land your old mansion stands on.”
“V-Vandelia?!” Doña Miranda choked, turning ghost-white. The Vandelia Group was the richest conglomerate in the country.
“I hid my wealth because I wanted a man who’d love me for me,” I said, looking straight at Jason as his knees began to shake. “I thought that man was you. But you proved money was the only thing you ever wanted.”
I turned to my lawyer.
“Attorney,” I said calmly, “what’s the status of Jason’s family loan with our bank?”
“Ma’am,” the lawyer replied, “it has been overdue since last month. Since they failed to pay, we have legal grounds to foreclose on their properties immediately.”
“Do it,” I said. “Take back the mansion. Repossess the cars. Freeze every account.”
“Celine—please!” Jason dropped to his knees. “I’m your husband! We have a child!”
“Ex-husband,” I corrected, gesturing toward the papers I’d signed. “You were the one rushing me, remember? Congratulations—your wish came true.”
I shifted my gaze to Tiffany.
“And you, Tiffany—your boutique was in Vandelia Mall, wasn’t it? Consider your lease terminated. You’re barred from every property I own.”
“T-This can’t be real! I’m rich!” Tiffany cried.
“Rich in debt,” I replied.
Then I lifted my eyes toward the door.
“Guards,” I said, voice even. “Take out the trash. They’re upsetting my baby.”
“Celine! Daughter! Forgive Mommy!” Doña Miranda shrieked as the guards dragged her away. “We were just joking! We love you!”
“Mommy?” I arched an eyebrow. “Last time you spoke to me, I was a beggar. Now you’ll learn what it feels like to hit the bottom.”
The three of them were hauled out, wailing and pleading, their voices fading down the corridor.
Only my baby remained with me—along with the Director and the lawyers.
“Ma’am Celine,” Dr. Altamirano said, “the private penthouse suite is prepared. The helicopter is on standby if you’d like to transfer to your private island.”
I smiled and pressed a kiss to my baby’s forehead.
“Thank you, Doctor. But we’ll stay for now,” I said. “I need rest.”
Then I looked down at my child.
“Don’t worry, Baby CJ. You don’t need a father who chases money. I can raise you on my own. And if I have to… I can buy the whole world for you.”
EPILOGUE
A week later, I heard Jason and Doña Miranda had been thrown out of their mansion. They were living in a cramped apartment. Tiffany left Jason the second she realized he was broke.
Jason now works as a messenger—
in my company.
But he can’t come near me because of the restraining order.
Me?
I’m living peacefully with my child.
I learned that real wealth isn’t counted in money, but in love.
Still… I won’t pretend it didn’t feel good to use money to teach bullies a lesson.
The “beggar” they mocked—
is now the owner of the land.
