1 Isabelle’s young assistant, Liam, was swiping my credit card like it was his own personal piggy bank, all while running his mouth in a high-end French restaurant, calling me a worthless kept man. Furious, I froze the card. He was left with a bill he couldn't pay, not only facing public humiliation but also getting detained by the manager overnight. When Isabelle found out, she just tapped my nose playfully. "Oh, you," she said with a little laugh. "Such a big man, getting into a jealous spat with a boy. Now he's a laughingstock." She didn't blame me. She acted like it was nothing. Until my birthday. She took me to that same French restaurant, ordering dozens of tables' worth of expensive dishes and vintage wines, claiming her friends were on their way to celebrate with us. "Honey, I'll be right back," she said, kissing my cheek. "Just need to step out for a moment, then I'll be back to celebrate with you." I waited until the restaurant was about to close. She never came back. Neither did any of her "friends." When I went to pay, the manager gave me a tight-lipped smile. "Mr. Ashton, this card has been frozen." ... "Frozen?" Isabelle had given me the card. Before we left, she’d swapped it with mine, insisting that since it was my birthday, the bill was on her. I’d been so touched, thinking how lucky I was to have such a thoughtful, wonderful wife. But now, she was gone. I’d called her a dozen times, each one going straight to voicemail. If this card didn’t work, I was in serious trouble. The manager's polite smile was already curdling into impatience. "Mr. Ashton, do you have another card you can use? I must remind you, we don't allow tabs here. You'll recall what happened last month, won't you?" Of course, I remembered. Last month, it was Isabelle’s assistant, Liam, who had been humiliated here. The same assistant who called me a worthless leech who’d married into money. And then, it hit me. A cold dread crept up my spine. Was this Isabelle's revenge? Was she doing this for him? Just as the thought formed, the click-clack of high heels echoed from the entrance. I turned, and there she was. Isabelle, with Liam clinging to her arm, his face a mask of smug satisfaction. Behind them trailed a crowd of their friends, all of them looking at me like I was the main event at a circus. "Cole," Isabelle said, her voice dripping with mock sympathy. "You love punishing people who can't pay their bills, don't you? Now you get to experience it for yourself. Let's see how you handle it." The restaurant erupted in whispers. "That's Cole Ashton. I heard he married into the Monroe fortune. And now his wife is here with her new boy toy to watch him squirm." "Hahaha, see? That’s what happens when you’re just a pretty face." "Exactly. Youth doesn't last forever. The moment the rich wife finds someone younger and hotter, the party's over for the old trophy husband." My hands slowly clenched into fists, a hot wave of humiliation washing over me. It was just as I suspected. This was all for Liam. This was her trap. Isabelle led Liam to the table and sat down, pulling him onto her lap. "Don't you worry, my dear Liam," she cooed, stroking his hair. "However he shamed you that day, I'll pay him back tenfold." Liam's face lit up. He leaned in and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Thank you, Isabelle." Then, he shot me a triumphant, venomous look. "You're just a pathetic freeloader, Cole. What right did you have to cut me off?" He punctuated his sentence by grabbing a bottle of expensive red wine and smashing it at my feet. CRASH! The dark liquid splattered across my pants, adding to my dishevelment. "Hahahaha! You're finished, you loser!" Liam crowed. "Isabelle is paying for me now. I can break as many bottles as I want. But you? You're screwed." Isabelle smirked at me. "Don't you dare look at me like that. If you have the money, you're free to pay the bill and walk out." A chorus of laughter followed. "Money? What money could he possibly have?" "The cost of the food and all that opened wine is astronomical." "He's a kept man. Without her, he's nothing." 2 To complete my humiliation, Isabelle stood up, her cold gaze sweeping across the room. "Let me be clear. Anyone who dares to help Cole Ashton tonight becomes an enemy of mine—and an enemy of the Monroe family." Everyone in this city knew you didn't cross the Monroes. A few business partners I was friendly with, men I had negotiated deals for on behalf of Isabelle's family, had started to rise from their seats. But at her words, they sank back down, their faces pale. "Did you see that? She's serious." "I know! I thought they were a happy couple. I figured she was just blowing off steam, but this is real." "With a threat like that, who would dare help him?" My control snapped. I strode over and grabbed Isabelle's arm. "Are you really doing this? Humiliating me in front of everyone for this… this boy toy?" She ripped her arm away and slapped me hard across the face. SMACK! "Yes!" My head whipped to the side, my cheek stinging. I couldn't believe it. For three years, we were the city's golden couple. She was the one who pursued me when I first arrived here, a nobody. At our wedding, she had sworn to be loyal forever, to love me with every fiber of her being. And now? Three years. That's all it took for those vows, those memories, to be shattered by this cold, cruel spectacle. The whispers were right. A trophy husband has no dignity. The moment she finds a new, younger distraction, his gilded life is over. But Isabelle had no idea. The reason I had willingly married into her family wasn't for their money. It was because I loved her. I stared at her, my eyes burning with rage. She calmly took out a silk handkerchief and began to wipe the hand she had just used to strike me. "You know how fond I am of Liam," she said disdainfully. "And yet you just had to push it." "Cole, if you can't pay this bill, I'll have the manager strip you naked and throw you out on the street." A wave of cheers and jeers went through the crowd. All eyes were on me, filled with mockery. "Wow, she's really going for it. Throwing her own husband to the wolves for her new pet." "Well, he won't be her husband for long, by the looks of it." "Hahaha, let's just sit back and enjoy the show." A coterie of wealthy older women was watching me with predatory eyes. "Mmm, I'd love to see if he's got abs," one of them purred. "Hahaha!" My face was hot with shame. Isabelle had taken my wallet before we left, ensuring I was completely defenseless. All I had was the expensive suit on my back. Even my phone was dead. I realized now that this had all been meticulously planned. 3 "It's getting late, Ashton," Liam sneered. "The restaurant wants to close. You're not going to tell us you can't pay, are you?" "What a shame," he continued, lighting a cigarette and blowing a cloud of smoke in my face. "If you can't pay, they'll have to detain you. Just like you did to me, right?" The sheer arrogance on his face was too much. I lunged at him, my fist connecting with his jaw, sending him stumbling back into a table. The scene dissolved into chaos. "Cole, stop it!" Isabelle shrieked, her voice filled with concern for Liam. She signaled her bodyguards, who tackled me, throwing me to the floor. "What's wrong?" she said, standing over me. "You can dish it out, but you can't take it?" My eyes were bloodshot as I stared up at her. The only reason the Monroe family had climbed to the top of the city's elite in just three years was because of me. I had used my family's influence to clear their path, to fend off the sharks and criminals who would have torn them apart. Tonight was supposed to be the night I told her everything. That I wasn't just some kid from nowhere. That I was the heir to the Ashton dynasty, the most powerful of Northwood's Four Founding Families. I was going to take her home to meet my parents. But people change so fast. I had misjudged her completely. I had overestimated her character. "Isabelle," I said, my voice dangerously low. "Are you really going to make me walk out of here in shame?" She laughed. "What do you think all this was for? Decoration?" Liam, emboldened by the bodyguards, stepped forward and punched me in the face. "Here are your choices, Ashton. Either you can't pay and get hauled away, or you can get on all fours, take this steak in your mouth, and crawl out of here like a dog." "Oh, and the first option is naked," he added with a grin. "The second, you get to keep your clothes, but not your dignity. Hahaha! Choose! I'm getting impatient." With dozens of pairs of eyes on me, I pushed myself to my feet. I looked at Isabelle, my heart a block of ice. "Fine. This is your choice. When the Monroe empire comes crashing down, it will be on you." Liam was the first to laugh, a loud, braying sound. The entire restaurant joined in. "Hahaha! Is this guy for real?" "He's been reading too many romance novels. Thinks he's some secret billionaire." "He's lost his mind. The humiliation has broken him." Isabelle glared at me, believing I was bluffing. She picked up a plate of food and threw it at me. "Stop spouting nonsense. The Monroe family, bankrupt? You wish. Worry about yourself right now!" "Manager!" A nod from Isabelle was all it took. The manager and his security guards approached me. "Mr. Ashton," he said coolly, "will that be cash, or will someone else be covering your bill?" Despite the situation, he maintained a shred of professional courtesy. My eyes scanned the room, landing on a business associate I had worked with frequently, a man I had made very rich on behalf of the Monroes. I started walking towards him. He saw me coming and immediately shot up from his chair, backing away. "Cole, don't. I can't help you..." "Relax," I said calmly. "I'm not asking you to pay. I just need to borrow your phone." "Can I?" I asked, my voice even. "I just need to make one call. A friend of mine will bring the money." Liam howled with laughter. "He's still trying to act tough! In this city, who would dare bring you money now?" "Go on, let him call!" he announced to the crowd. "We'll give him half an hour. If the money's not here by then, I'll let these lovely single ladies have their fun with him. A man used by the richest woman in the city must be good, right?" He winked at the group of predatory women, who were practically drooling. 4 My associate, under Liam's command, handed me his phone. I quickly made the call, telling my friend to get here with cash, and fast. The minutes ticked by. With ten minutes left on the clock, Liam was getting restless. "I can't believe I fell for that," he scoffed. "As if some 'friend' is going to show up and save him." "He's just stalling for time." "Manager, let's just break his legs and get this over with. No one is coming." As the security guards advanced on me, I held up a hand. "Hold on. There are still ten minutes left." "When those ten minutes are up, the money will be here." Liam sneered. "Ten minutes up, hell, I'll give you twenty. If no one shows up with the money, I'll be the one to get on all fours with a steak in my mouth and crawl out." My eyes lit up. "You said that. Everyone here is a witness." "Damn right, I said it!" The crowd buzzed with excitement again. "This is better than a movie!" As the final minutes dwindled, one of the rich women couldn't wait any longer. She reached out and ran a hand down my chest. "Don't touch me!" I snapped, swatting her hand away. "Ooh, feisty," she purred. "Such a nice chest. A great body. I can tell even without touching." "Isabelle, dear, why don't you just give him to me?" Isabelle took a sip of her wine, admiring her freshly manicured nails. "Why not? If he can't pay, you can all have your fun with him." "Hahaha, well then, I'm first in line!" Convinced I was doomed, they swarmed me, ignoring my protests. My voice was lethal, but they didn't care. Liam gave the order to Isabelle's bodyguards. "Hold him down. Let the ladies have their prize." "Yes, sir!" The bodyguards surged forward, pinning me. I looked at Isabelle, my heart turning to stone. We were still husband and wife, legally. And she was letting other women assault me. This was a humiliation for her as much as for me. But she just shrugged. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not going to help you. All that matters is that Liam is happy." That was all the encouragement the women needed. "Come with me, handsome!" "I have money, sweetie! I can pay your bill!" "No, no, come with me! I'm prettier than her!" They clawed at my suit, tearing the expensive fabric, while the bodyguards held me fast. The men in the restaurant roared with laughter. I memorized every face. "You want to watch a joke?" I snarled. "Soon, you'll all be the joke." "And you," I said, my eyes locking on Liam. He spat on the floor. "Strip him! Time's up! No more..." He never finished his sentence. The doors to the restaurant burst open, and a squad of men in black suits stormed in. They moved with military precision, swiftly and brutally taking down Isabelle's bodyguards. Following them was Donovan Grey, the president of the city's largest bank, a man whose name was whispered with awe in every boardroom. He carried a briefcase, his face a mask of grim determination. "Mr. Ashton," he said, his voice ringing through the silent room. "I've brought the funds. I trust I'm not too late."
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