He Chose His Ex So I Chose My Empire Chapter 03
My rivalry with Serena began in college.
We had never gotten along.
From the very beginning, she wanted everyone to see her as the heir apparent to my grandfather, Arthur Vance.
She spent a great deal of time at my grandfather’s side, becoming the protégée he loved to show off.
At public events, she acted as if she were a member of the Vance family.
And I, Arthur Vance’s only granddaughter, deliberately hid my last name, wanting to build something on my own. I worked as an ordinary project manager in my own family’s foundation.
As long as I was in the picture, her story fell apart.
A family dinner several years ago was the first time I truly resented what my grandfather called his “tests.”
Serena was there that night, too.
In front of all our relatives, my grandfather praised her, saying she had talent, that she was the future of the foundation.
Everyone’s attention was on her.
They looked at her as if she were already the confirmed successor.
After dinner, I couldn’t stop myself from confronting my grandfather.
“You know she isn’t, so why do you let everyone think that? It isn’t fair to me.”
My grandfather’s face darkened.
He raised his hand, as if to scold me like a child.
“Elara.”
A low voice sounded from behind me.
“Mr. Vance is just trying to motivate the younger generation.”
Liam took my wrist and pulled me behind him.
Back then, he was still my boyfriend.
That was the first time he had ever clearly taken my side in front of my family.
After graduation, Liam and I reconnected.
He pursued me for an entire year.
Just when I was about to give up on the idea of us, he proposed.
Only after we were married did I learn that Serena was his ex-girlfriend.
That fact has been a splinter in my marriage ever since.
The most humiliating moment came at a charity auction.
Serena and I both had our eye on the same landscape painting. The price kept climbing, and neither of us was willing to back down.
Just as I was about to raise my paddle again, Liam, sitting beside me, raised his.
He wasn’t bidding for me.
He was bidding for Serena, who was across the room.
The room burst into applause.
Everyone was congratulating Serena on winning the painting.
I sat there, frozen.
Later, his only explanation was a casual, “Sorry, I didn’t realize you were bidding, too.”
He didn’t realize.
He never seemed to realize.
After the auction, Serena made a point of coming over to me.
She held a glass of champagne and smiled sweetly.
“Elara, don’t take it to heart. Liam and I have a history. It’s something other people can’t really understand.”
In that moment, my heart sank.
It was the same now.
With the “Vance successor” narrative she’d built and the halo of being Liam’s ex-girlfriend, Serena had people singing her praises all over the foundation.
Everyone assumed she would win.
I knew my proposal was almost certain to lose.
But I still worked overtime with my team for days, polishing every detail until it shone.
It wasn’t that I had to win.
I just didn’t want to lose this badly.