1 The custom-made gown, a masterpiece crafted over six months and valued at a million dollars, now adorned the rising star, Kaden. The store was thick with perfume, but all I could smell was humiliation. The store manager, seeing Cora lounging on the sofa, was drenched in a cold sweat. Cora rose, her red-soled heels clicking on the floor, and personally straightened Kaden’s bowtie. “Kaden’s walking the red carpet at Cannes next week, and he needs a show-stopping outfit. What’s the big deal about him borrowing yours?” Her tone was dismissive, as if shooing away a fly. “Just pick out something off-the-rack, don’t make a scene.” Under the glare of flashing lights, Kaden preened in the perfectly tailored suit, a smile playing on his lips, and a defiant glint in his eyes darting towards me. I looked at my own reflection in the mirror, clad in a worn, pilling old shirt, clutching a takeout bag with her favorite congee—a stark contrast to the opulence around me. This wedding, a year in the making, was nothing but a cruel joke. I didn’t explode. Instead, I calmly placed the insulated container down and slipped the engagement ring from my finger, setting it gently on the coffee table. “Cora’s right, off-the-rack can be pretty good.” I lifted my gaze, all warmth gone from my eyes. “So, I’ll find a bride who’s willing to wear off-the-rack with me.” … The bridal boutique fell silent. Cora’s hand, poised to adjust Kaden’s tie, froze mid-air. She slowly turned, her shrewd eyes narrowing slightly as she scrutinized me. “Lucas, what did you just say?” Her voice carried an icy edge. Looking at the face I’d spent five years building into a star, a wave of nausea washed over me. “I said, there won’t be a wedding.” My voice was unnervingly calm. “Pfft.” Kaden, still by the mirror, suddenly covered his mouth to stifle a laugh. He walked toward me, still wearing the suit that should have been mine. “Come on, Lucas,” Kaden said, batting his eyeliner-enhanced lashes, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Cora just feels bad I don’t have something killer for the red carpet next week. This custom piece, on me, that’s how you make headlines, how you get commercial value. You’re so good at cooking and cleaning at home, why are you suddenly so clueless when it comes to Cora’s business?” He purred “Cora” like a lover, sickeningly sweet. I stared at him, my gaze a cold blade. “Take it off.” Kaden flinched, shrinking behind Cora, his eyes welling up instantly. “Cora, Lucas is being so mean! I’m scared.” Cora shoved Kaden behind her, her eyebrows fiercely knitted together. She strode toward me, her eyes blazing with disgust. “Lucas, have you had enough of this tantrum?” Her voice was condescending, her words sharp as daggers: “Kaden is the company’s cash cow. I give him resources for the sake of the Crawford Group, for our future. You, a jobless freeloader who only knows how to hover over a stove at home, who are you showing off this expensive gown to? Do you even deserve to wear it?” Five years of devotion, and all it earned me in her eyes was “freeloader” and “do you deserve it?” I took a deep breath, hands shoved into my pockets. “Cora, this is a custom suit I waited six months for. You just ‘borrowed’ it? Did you even ask me?” Cora scoffed as if I’d told a hilarious joke, then stepped closer, her perfume enveloping me. “Ask you? This suit cost a million dollars, charged to my credit card. What you wear, what you use—what isn’t paid for by me, Cora? And now you’re talking about having an opinion?” She extended a finger adorned with a diamond ring and jabbed it forcefully into my chest. “Lucas, you need to learn gratitude. Don’t think that just because I’ve been taking care of you, you can throw your weight around in front of me.” I looked at the arrogant woman before me, my heart turning to stone. She genuinely saw no wrong in snatching her fiancé’s wedding attire for another man. In her eyes, I was merely hired help. I was done wasting breath on her and turned to leave. “Stop!” Cora shrieked. She lunged forward, grabbing my wrist with a death grip, her nails digging into my flesh. “Lucas, don’t be ungrateful. Go pick out an off-the-rack suit, the wedding is still on next week. If you’re obedient today, after Kaden walks the red carpet, I’ll get you a three-hundred-thousand-dollar car.” She paused, her eyes turning cold and menacing. “But if you dare walk out of here today, I promise you, no company in all of New York will dare to hire you. No one will lend you a single cent.” I let out a cold laugh, forcefully pulling my hand free. “Cora, you sicken me.” I didn’t spare her another glance, striding out. Behind me, I heard Cora’s mocking laughter and the click of the glass door locking. 2 “Click.” The glass door locked behind me. I turned back. Cora stood inside, tossing an electronic key in her hand. She stared at me through the glass, a cold smirk playing on her lips. “Lucas, I told you, you’re not going anywhere without my say-so.” I pounded on the glass door. “Open up! You’re truly ruthless.” “Ruthless? I’m merely teaching you to face reality.” Cora walked back to the sofa and sat down, elegantly crossing her legs. Kaden leaned in, resting his head on Cora’s shoulder, and flashed me a provocative smile. “Come on, Lucas. Don’t bother. It’s about to rain, and I bet you don’t even have money for a cab.” Cora pulled out her phone and, right in front of me, dialed her assistant. “Cancel all subsidiary cards under Lucas’s name. Revoke his apartment access. Inform all car services and ride-sharing platforms in New York City: anyone who dares pick up Lucas will be going against the Crawford Group.” She hung up and tapped the glass with her knuckle. “Lucas, a man’s pride means nothing compared to money. Without me, you won’t even find a place to sleep in this city. I’m giving you two hours to reflect. When you’ve thought it through, you can kneel outside and beg me.” Night fell quickly, followed by a torrential downpour. The rain soaked me to the bone. I pulled out my phone, and a dozen messages popped up on the screen. [Dear customer, your subsidiary card has been frozen by the primary cardholder…] [Apologies, Mr. Lucas, your ride-share order has been forcibly canceled by the system…] Cora wasn’t kidding. She was using her financial power to block my every move. She wanted to drive me to despair, to make me crawl back and beg her like a dog. I wiped the rain from my face and called David, an old friend who was now a director at the Crawford Group. “David, can you pick me up? I’m on Champs-Élysées Avenue…” On the other end, David’s voice was awkward. “Lucas… I’m so sorry. Cora just announced in the company group chat that anyone who helps you will be fired tomorrow. My mortgage and car payments are huge… Lucas, you’re just a kept man, why not just humble yourself to Cora? What’s the point?” “Beep, beep, beep…” The call ended. My heart sank, then a flicker of bitter amusement sparked within me. For Cora, I had hidden my identity for five years. I had built a shell company into a multi-billion-dollar empire; I had placed mediocre people like David into executive positions. And now, they had all betrayed me. Through the rain-blurred glass, I saw Cora, wine glass in hand, comfortably enjoying my misery in the downpour. Kaden knelt at her feet, massaging her legs. I took a deep breath, shoved my numb hands into my pockets, and turned to walk into the rain. Even if I had to walk, I would return to my own world on foot. “Bang!” Before I’d taken two steps, a black Mercedes G-Wagen screeched to a halt in front of me, its tires splashing muddy water all over my trousers. The window rolled down, and Cora’s male assistant stepped out from under an umbrella, tossing a garment bag directly at my feet. 3 Through the half-open zipper, I saw a cheap, black security uniform. The assistant looked at me, drenched to the bone, and spoke with a condescending tone. “Mr. Lucas, Ms. Cora is being merciful. Mr. Kaden needs someone to hold an umbrella and carry his shoes tonight for the red carpet. Ms. Cora said, if you put on this uniform and act as Mr. Kaden’s assistant tonight, your cards will be unfrozen tomorrow, and the wedding will proceed as planned.” Me, holding an umbrella and carrying shoes for the man who stole my wedding suit—a cheap uniform at that? This was a blatant insult. I stared at the garment bag on the ground, my body rigid in the cold wind, my eyes like ice. “Go back and tell Cora…” “To go to hell.” The assistant’s face twisted in anger. He pointed a finger at my nose. “Lucas, don’t push your luck. Do you think you’re still the future CEO’s husband? You’re nothing now. Without Ms. Cora, you wouldn’t even have food to eat.” He waved his hand, and two bodyguards emerged from the back of the G-Wagen, gripping my shoulders from either side. “Get lost.” My gaze turned colder. The assistant picked up the mud-splashed uniform and forcibly shoved it into my arms. “Ms. Cora ordered that if you won’t cooperate, we drag you there.” I was roughly shoved into the car. Half an hour later, the car stopped backstage at the film festival red carpet. I was pushed out. In a nearby lounge, Kaden, wearing the million-dollar custom suit that should have been mine, was posing for photographers. Cora stood beside him, impeccably dressed in a tailored suit, her eyes full of adoration. Seeing me, covered in mud, being escorted, Cora gave the reporters a polite nod and strode towards me. She looked at the muddy uniform in my hands, her brow slightly furrowed, and spoke with a feigned concern, “How did you get into such a mess?” She took off her own suit jacket, as if to drape it over me. “Lucas, you’re just too stubborn. If only you’d be obedient and just humble yourself a little, why would I ever let you suffer?” I turned my head, avoiding her touch. Cora’s face instantly darkened, her eyes turning vicious. “Lucas, my patience has limits.” She grabbed my collar, forcing me to look at her. “Now, go immediately and change into that outfit. When Kaden goes on stage, you’ll be there to hold his umbrella. If you dare mess this up…” She let out a cold laugh, then pulled a smooth, ancient jade pendant from her pocket. It was carved with a dragon, and its surface gleamed with a faint, reddish hue. It was my late grandfather’s memento, a family heirloom. I had entrusted it to her to show my faith, and now it was her tool for blackmail. “Cora. Give me back my jade.” Fire flashed in my eyes as I reached for it. She held the ancient jade high, a cruel glint in her eyes. “Go hold the umbrella, and I’ll give it back. Otherwise, I’ll smash it right now.” 4 This ancient jade pendant was the last tangible link I had to my past, to my family. Cora’s fingertips, clutching the jade, hovered in mid-air above the hard marble floor. One slip, and it would be gone. “I’ll count to three,” Cora said, looking at me as if I were an ant she could crush. “Three.” “Two.” My muscles tensed, nails digging deep into my palms, blood dripping between my fingers. “Cora, if you dare let go, I promise you, you will regret it.” My voice was hoarse, deadly serious. Cora paused, then burst into laughter as if I’d told a ridiculous joke. “Threaten me? With nothing but your measly freeloader self? Fine, let’s see how you’ll make me regret it.” A flicker of madness danced in her eyes. “One.” As the word left her lips, her fingers released their grip. The blood-red jade, carrying centuries of my family’s legacy and my grandfather’s final memory, arced through the air. Shatter! The ancient jade hit the marble floor, breaking into several pieces. “Oops, butterfingers,” Cora said, clapping her hands, her smile twisted. “Lucas, this is what happens when you don’t listen. Guards, get him out of here! Don’t let him dirty Kaden’s red carpet.” Two bodyguards rushed forward, kicking me behind the knees. I instinctively fell to one knee, my knee slamming hard onto the shattered jade, blood staining the ground. Surrounding staff and reporters raised their cameras, snapping photos. Cora turned, her arm around Kaden’s waist, and walked towards the red carpet, leaving me with only her haughty back. I lowered my head, letting the blood from my knee flow, a slow, grim smile spreading across my lips. “Good… Very good.” I slowly stood, ignoring the stares of disgust from those around me. From a pocket in my soaked undershirt, I pulled out an encrypted phone. This was a top-tier Wall Street secure line. Five years. It had been five years since I last dialed that specific number. The phone rang only once before being answered. It was Evelyn Nicol’s private line, the financial empress of New York. She was my only partner from the early days when I founded “Abyss Capital,” my multi-billion-dollar venture empire. “Hello, it’s me.” My voice was devoid of all emotion, only coldness remained. On the other end, the woman’s breathing hitched, her voice trembling. “Lucas… you finally called me.” “The game is over.” I closed my eyes, and when I reopened them, a fierce glint shone within. “I want the Crawford Group bankrupt by dawn. And… ” I looked at the shattered jade on the ground. “Pick me up backstage at the red carpet. Bring a knife.” “Three minutes. Anyone who hurts you, their entire family will pay.” Evelyn’s furious roar erupted from the phone. I hung up, standing silently in place. Outside, Cora was still basking in the flashbulbs and applause on the red carpet, while Kaden grandly displayed his suit to the cameras. One minute, two minutes, three minutes. The countdown ended. “Rumble.”
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