Revenge Of A Divorced Woman

Chapter One: A Cinderella Syndrome

PROLOGUE:

Ariadna coldly stares at the two unconscious bodies in front of her. She doesn't feel an ounce of remorse or fear at all. The only emotion that she is feeling right now is peace, contentment, and satisfaction...

"So this is what revenge feels like... And it feels so good." she whispered, while letting out a triumphant smile.

She quietly turns her back on the victims, and while she is leaving the place, she is also looking forward to renewing her life, and forgetting her dark past...

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Few years ago...

"And the new Miss Walnut Creek is---!"

Mariana closes her eyes as she waited with bated breath for the host to announce the winner of this year's Miss Walnut Creek.

It is a big beauty contest in their town, and if she ever wins tonight, she will have a chance to compete at a much bigger stage, which is the national competition...

There are only two of them standing at the middle of the stage, silently praying and hoping that their name will be called as the winner.

It has been Marianna's long-time dream to become a beauty queen. She believes that being a beauty queen is her only ticket to get herself out of poverty, to be respected and admired by society.

"Let's welcome our new Miss Walnut Creek Queen, and it's none other than Miss Mariana Clemente!" the female host finally made the announcement

Tears of joy suddenly welled up from Mariana's eyes when she heard her name. She is now one step closer on reaching her dream, which is to be the Queen of her country, and represent her country in the International stage!

The outgoing queen puts a sash on her, and finally, the crown is now being put on her head. She is finally the Queen of Walnut Creek, and soon she will be the Queen of her country!

"You finally did it, Mariana. But this is just the start of a much bigger fight. This is just only the beginning..." she whispered to herself.

Mariana suddenly snaps out from her reverie when she hears the host's voice again.

"Now please take your first walk as the new Miss Walnut Creek Queen!" announced the host.

Mariana feels like she is walking in the clouds, as she is overwhelmed with so much happiness. She gave a queenly wave towards the audience, the judges and her supporters, in a grateful manner.

Her next target is to win the national competition, and finally compete in Miss Supernational, which will be held in Geneva, Switzerland...

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Six months later...

Mariana Clemente is now at the Montserrat Building to submit her application form for the Miss Supernational, the national competition

She is an independent candidate and that is why she does not have a Manager with her, unlike the other candidates. He is currently waiting in the lobby with other aspiring candidates.

Mariana secretly observed the women in the lobby, and she thought that all of the girls are beautiful in their own way. They looked like fashion models who came out straight from the pages of a prestigious fashion magazine.

But she also reminded herself that she shouldn't compare herself to others. She knows that she is beautiful, smart and confident to take any challenges that may come her way.

Mariana tries to divert her attention to herself. She needs to be calm, but alert at the same time. She shouldn't be thinking about other people, as it is important to think about her first before anything and anyone else...

"Hello there! You are Mariana Clemente, right? You are the reigning Miss Walnut Creek..."

Mariana's train of thoughts stopped in a halt when she heard a voice from behind her.

She saw a woman who is oozing with sweet personality. Her bright smile can light up a whole dark room. She is totally different from the other girls who are in their "competitive mode." But with this girl, she is just like a warm sunshine with a "Girl Next Door" vibe.

"Yes, I am. But how did you know my name?" Mariana curiously asks her.

"Well, introductions are in order. I'm Charlotte Navarro, and I'm the reigning Miss Hollow Creek. I can already hear your name in the beauty pageant industry, and almost everyone is interested to know you..." Charlotte gave out a lengthy explanation.

Mariana smiled after hearing Charlotte babbling.

"Well, thank you for the compliments." she said in return.

"I actually watched you at your local competition, and I can say that your overall performance are impressive, especially the Question and Answer portion. It wasn't surprising that you won the crown that night." Charlotte continues to talk.

"And I think you did an impressive performance, too. And now we're both here at the national competition..." Mariana smilingly relayed.

Mariana and Charlotte happily chatted while trying to forget their nervousness and while waiting for the other girls as well. Their conversation was interrupted when a woman suddenly approached them, but she couldn't look at them straight in the eye...

"E-Excuse me, do you mind if I borrow an extra pen?"

It was pretty obvious that this woman has a very shy demeanor, and she looks like an introvert.

"Here, you can use this. It's all yours so you don't have to return it." Charlotte offered her pen to the shy girl.

Mariana secretly observed the girl. This woman seems to be alright, and it would be so much better if she can open up more...

Thank you very much." the newly-arrived girl thanked Charlotte with a genuine smile on her face.

Mariana was thinking that the three of them might have their own reasons why they wanted to join this beauty pageant. But whatever reason they may have, it's clear as a day that they will do anything and everything to win the most-coveted crown...

Her eyes roamed around the room, taking in the sight of many girls who were also there for the auditions. The air was filled with nervous energy and anticipation as the girls chatted amongst themselves, each hoping to be selected as one of the Top 40 finalists to join the competition.

Among the crowd, Mariana noticed Charlotte, a graceful and confident dancer who seemed to exude charm and charisma. Besides Charlotte stood the shy girl, whose name Mariana didn't know, but whose delicate movements and quiet presence caught her attention...