On our wedding anniversary, Lina finally cleared her schedule for the tropical getaway I’d planned. But just as we were about to board, her phone buzzed. A crisis. Her father was sick. "John, I'm so sorry," she said, her face a mask of concern. "My dad's not feeling well. I have to go back and check on him. I can't go with you this time." Disappointment pricked at me, but family comes first. I nodded, telling her to go. The moment she was gone, I tore up my ticket. I decided to go home, too. I was morbidly curious to see what was ailing my father-in-law, considering he’d been dead for three months. 1 I tailed her car all the way back to our front door. I didn't get out right away. Instead, I pulled out my phone, a knot of dread tightening in my stomach. A notification popped up. It was an Instagram story from William, our housekeeper’s son. He was posting from inside my house. The caption read: [Your blatant favoritism is the best 21st birthday gift a guy could ask for!] The picture was of him, sharp in a white suit, with his arm wrapped around a woman. That woman was my dutiful, "worried" wife. I flexed my fingers, my knuckles cracking in the quiet car. Then I opened the door and walked in. The foyer opened into a sprawling living room, now packed with a dozen strangers, balloons clinging to the walls. A chorus of voices rose above the music. "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" On the third or fourth chant, my wife, Lina, hooked her hands around William's neck and pulled him into a deep, passionate French kiss. The crowd erupted in cheers. When they finally broke apart, Lina lingered, tracing his lips with her thumb. Her eyes, still hazy with desire, lifted and met mine. I was standing at the front of the crowd. Her eyes widened in horror. She instinctively tried to shove him away. But I was faster. I strode forward and slapped her. Twice. Hard. The sharp cracks echoed through the room, silencing the party instantly. William spun around. When he saw me, his face went white as a sheet. He grabbed Lina’s arm, pulling her behind him in a protective gesture. I stared at her, a humorless smile playing on my lips. "I didn't realize you'd gotten yourself a new father." Lina's eyes darted around, panicked, as she scrambled for an explanation. But before she could speak, a guy with bleached-blond hair shoved me hard. "Who the hell are you? You can't just barge into someone's house and hit people! Are you insane? Apologize to William and his girlfriend right now, or you'll regret it!" His outburst opened the floodgates. "Yeah, who just attacks someone like that? Is that even legal? An apology isn't enough, we should call the cops." "I agree. The police should run a background check on this creep. He's hitting people now, who knows what he'll do next?" "How did a psycho like this even get into a private party? Do you have any idea who you just hit?" I let a small, chilling smile touch my lips as I looked past them, my gaze fixed on Lina. "You agree with them, don't you? You think I was wrong to hit you." Lina licked her lips, about to speak, but William tugged on her sleeve and gave her a slight shake of his head. I saw the small, swift exchange. I was almost curious to see what kind of game they thought they could play. A moment later, Lina’s expression hardened into a furious glare. "John, what the hell is your problem now? It's William's birthday. Whatever you have to say can wait. Don't make a scene and ruin his night. Get out!" So, she was worried about her boy-toy losing face in front of his friends. My smile widened into a cold grin. "Get out? Where to, Lina? Or is there something you're afraid of people finding out?" Before she could answer, William stepped forward, taking her hand in a bold declaration of ownership. "John, I know you've always had a crush on Lina," he said, his voice dripping with faux sympathy. "It must hurt to see her with me. But you can't force love. Lina loves me. We've been together for two years. She promised we'd get married as soon as I graduate. I'm begging you, please, just leave her alone." Lina's face flickered through a dozen emotions at his words. She shot a nervous glance at me from the corner of her eye. But William's words had hit me like a physical blow. Today was my and Lina's second wedding anniversary. And they had been together for two years. It meant he was with her before we even got married. It meant she brought him and his father into our home under the guise of hiring a housekeeper, and I’d been played for a fool the entire time. Two years. They’d been laughing at me for two whole years. The blond kid piped up again. "Oh, I get it now! You're the male nanny who's obsessed with the boss's girlfriend! You've got some nerve, trying to steal someone's girl in public." A male nanny? The absurdity of it all made a laugh escape my lips, raw and humorless. "William, are you still dreaming? In what world am I qualified to be your nanny?" The words were barely out of my mouth when a splash of cold liquid hit my face. Alcohol dripped from my chin. The blond kid held an empty glass, smirking. "Looks like you're the one who needs a reality check. We all know who William is. His dad's a big-shot businessman, and his girlfriend runs her own company. This whole villa is his. And you..." He looked me up and down with disgust. "Look at the crap you're wearing. Not even a brand name on it. You're only fit to scrub floors and serve people like us." Crap? My suit had no visible brand because it was a bespoke piece, custom-designed by a master tailor in Paris. A girl next to him chimed in, "Yeah, apologize to William right now, or you'll be out of a job." Another girl stepped forward, her tone slick and mocking. "Hey, old man, take a look in the mirror. You really think you can compete with a god like William? But if you're that desperate for a woman, maybe I can help you out. I've never been with a guy in his thirties. How about two hundred for the night?" The group erupted in laughter. I wiped the wine from my face, my eyes burning into Lina. "Lina. I am your husband. And you're just going to stand there and let them help your lover humiliate me like this? I'm telling you, you will regret this." Her face was a mask of indifference. "William is my boyfriend. You brought this on yourself." Her words were deliberately ambiguous, but they were all the encouragement William needed. With his friends backing him, he puffed out his chest. "John, I call you 'bro' out of respect for your age, but don't forget your place. I can ignore your usual tantrums, and I can even forgive you for ruining my party. But Lina is a woman. She's the CEO of a major corporation. For you to slap her in front of all these people... have you ever once thought about her feelings?" He then turned to Lina, his voice softening. "Lina, darling, I may be young, but I know how to protect my woman. I'll always give you the respect you deserve in public. Unlike some people..." His words were a masterstroke, preying on her vanity and her deep-seated insecurities. I let out a cold laugh. "You're right. I forgot. I only hit her, I didn't hit you." In the next second, I lunged, grabbing the collar of his pristine white suit and landing two solid punches on his handsome face. William screamed, clutching his now-bleeding nose. "John, you hit me! You're dead! I'll make you pay for this!" "Keep barking, you little mutt," I snarled, raising my fist again. But before I could land another blow, Lina's arms wrapped around my waist from behind, and she shoved me with all her might. Caught off guard, I stumbled backward, crashing into the champagne tower. Glass shattered everywhere. I fell into the wreckage, my hand landing on a pile of broken stems. Lina didn't even glance at me. She shielded William with her body and pointed a trembling finger at me. "John! Apologize to William! Now!" I looked down at my palm, blood welling up around the shards of glass embedded in my flesh. Biting back a wave of agony, I began pulling the pieces out, one by one. Two years of marriage. It felt just like this. A handful of glittering, painful fragments, piercing me to the bone. From behind Lina’s protective embrace, William shot me a triumphant smirk. The searing pain in my hand sharpened my voice, honing it to an icy edge. "Lina. You throw a party for your lover in my house. You cheat on me in front of my own eyes. And now you want me to apologize to him? Did a dog eat your brain? Or do you just think I'm some kind of pushover? Don't you forget, the same hands that draped you in gold can strip you bare and turn you into a beggar in a second!" My words made her flinch. But William spoke up first. "John, Lina built her company from the ground up with her own hard work and brilliant mind. She achieved her success on her own terms. Don't act like you had anything to do with it." I froze. A brilliant mind? Her own terms? Financial freedom? This was a woman who couldn't even make sense of a simple business proposal. How had she suddenly become a genius? When she wanted to start her own business, it was I who gave her the first million dollars from my family's funds. It was I who secretly funneled multi-million dollar contracts from my father's corporation to get her started. To protect her fragile ego, I even poached the heads of several key departments from my father's company and had them work for her. I told her they were simply inspired by her vision. And she believed it. She actually thought these seasoned professionals flocked to her tiny startup because they were in awe of her "potential." Without me pulling the strings behind the scenes, her "small company" would never have grown into the massive corporation it was today, on the verge of an IPO. The other guests, hearing our argument, began whispering amongst themselves. "Did you hear that? He said this is his house, and William is the other man. Do you think he's telling the truth?" "It's possible. I mean, look at him, he's about the same age as William's girlfriend. I always thought it was weird she was with someone so much younger. Maybe she's the one who's a fraud." "But she's protecting William so fiercely. If he was the mistress, would she really be this bold?" "I don't know, but grab your popcorn. This is getting good." The blond kid couldn't stand it anymore. "Stop speculating! This is William's house! I've been here tons of times. I've seen him and his girlfriend sleeping in the master bedroom with my own eyes. I've even met his dad. That's the real tycoon." My stomach churned with nausea at the thought of them together in my bed. William, seeing his advantage, fiddled with the matching promise ring on his finger. "This is my house. Everyone here can prove it. You're the one who needs to leave. Lina, darling, I don't want to see him. Can you make him go?" Lina nodded. "This is your home. Whatever makes you happy, William." The blond kid grabbed a handful of my hair and started dragging me toward the door. "You need to learn some self-respect, old man. Who do you think you are, trying to steal another man's girlfriend so openly? You're pathetic." Then, he yelled to the others, "Hey, anyone want to see what this creep looks like with his clothes off? He looks like he might have some abs. It'll be a good way to get some payback for William!" My blood ran cold. I instinctively clutched the front of my shirt. Some of the girls, their eyes gleaming with malicious excitement, reached for my clothes. "Get off me!" I yelled, struggling desperately. I looked to Lina, a last, desperate plea in my eyes, hoping she would stop them. She frowned and started to raise a hand, but William caught her wrist. "It's okay, Lina," he whispered. "They're just blowing off some steam for me. They know their limits. Besides," he added, his voice dropping, "this way, you'll have even more control over him later, won't you?" A flicker of understanding crossed Lina's face. She pinched his chin playfully, and together, they watched as the mob descended on me, tearing at my clothes. "Let me go! This is assault! You're breaking the law!" The blond kid slapped me across the face. "We're doing a public service! You like stealing women, right? There are plenty of hot young girls here. You should be grateful!" His words were the signal. I felt countless hands on my body... Just as despair began to set in, a booming voice echoed from the doorway. "How's my baby boy's birthday going? Daddy's got your present!" William's father, Mr. Bond, stood there in a sharp black suit, holding an elegant gift box. He looked every bit the powerful tycoon his son's friends believed him to be. Then he saw the scene in the living room and let out a strangled cry. "What in God's name are you people doing?" The blond kid immediately ran to him to tattle. "Mr. Bond, you were only gone for a minute and this guy broke in, started trouble, and even hit William!" Mr. Bond's eyes followed the kid's pointing finger and landed on my face. The color drained from his own. His lips trembled. He couldn't even meet my gaze. William, however, put on a show of magnanimity. "Dad, it's okay. I'm sure John didn't mean it. He was just upset seeing me and Lina together. My friends were just teaching him a little lesson for me. Please, forgive him this once. Don't fire him." Mr. Bond understood immediately, though his tongue still felt thick. "Well... you all carry on, then. I'll just be upstairs." Rage boiled in my veins. My voice came out as a raw, cold rasp. "Mr. Bond. Your son is an idiot, and you're just going to let this happen? You really think these kids can protect you forever?" As I spoke, I discreetly maneuvered my phone into my hand. The housekeeper puffed out his chest, trying to regain his composure, though his voice was still shaky. "You little bastard, watch your mouth. You think I'm afraid of you? Everyone knows my son and Ms. Lina are the real couple. He's the only one worthy of her. A piece of trash like you needs to be taught a lesson. Don't hold back, boys. If anything happens, I'll take care of it." I gritted my teeth, trying to stall for time. "You'll take care of it? With what? You're just a housekeeper who thinks he's a king." My gaze shifted to Lina. "Lina, every single person who has touched me today will pay. Every. Single. One. And that includes you." William charged at me again, but I used my last ounce of strength to surge up and slam my body into his. He crashed to the floor. Lina's face contorted with fury.
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