Chapter 1
Chapter 1 I, Marcus Knight, was not someone who held grudges. When I got into my wife Pamela Thompson’s passenger seat and had just pulled out my pack of cigarettes, she snatched it from me and threw it out the window with a disgusted look. “How many times have I told you not to smoke in my car?” she shouted. For a moment, I gave a bitter smile and put away my lighter. When I saw ash in her car, I knew she wasn’t some clean freak—she just made exceptions. Clearly, I wasn’t someone she’d bend her rules for. In our three years of marriage, Pamela had gone from an inexperienced office worker to a workplace elite. Everyone who knew her regarded her with respect. As for me, I was just the freeloader she was supporting. No one knew that I’d started the business with her. She had drunk herself into a miscarriage while trying to close a deal with a client. I had told her to rest at home, but she had refused. I couldn’t bear to push her, so I resigned and focused on supporting her from behind. It seemed she had forgotten I used to be a standout in the business world. I stepped down because I cared for her. But in her eyes now, I was living off her. When we got to the company, I handed her the divorce papers. Pamela froze. “What do you mean by this? Marcus, are you seeing someone else?” I smiled bitterly. “Don’t you already know whether I am or not?” She took a deep breath. “Is this about us not having kids after three years of marriage? I’ve already said that I don’t want kids! Can you guys stop pressuring me?” She meant my parents. Last time, during a major festival, we had gone home for dinner, and my mom had hinted about children. Pamela got upset, as she hated being pressured about having kids. At first, she said it was because of her health. But after I stepped down from my position and spent every day cooking for her to nurse her back, she’d long since recovered. “It’s not about that,” I said to clarify. I pulled out my cigarette pack and was just about to light up when Pamela slapped it out of my hand. “I told you not to smoke when I’m around!” she warned. I froze, staring at the red mark she’d left on the back of my hand. Suddenly, rage consumed me. “So, other people can smoke around you and in your car, but I can’t. Is that it? You’re only a clean freak when it comes to me! And you ask why I want to divorce?” I fumed. It was the first time I’d ever yelled at her. Pamela stood there, stunned. She then snapped out of it, but she didn’t know what to say. “Sign the papers. Let’s end things on good terms,” I said. Realizing I was serious, Pamela got angry. “He’s a new hire, and he has resources. Do you think I’d tolerate him otherwise? Marcus, I wouldn’t be this exhausted if you weren’t being such a hands-off husband,” she complained. She probably didn’t realize that when she complained about me, the look in her eyes was pure disdain. It wasn’t resentment, just pure contempt. I couldn’t help but scoff. “If I’m such a burden to you, then just divorce me. Sign it.” Even though I was set on divorce, Pamela refused to sign. She kicked me out instead, screaming all the while. When I walked out, the whole office was dead silent. Right away, I saw that young man. He gave me a fake smile. “It’s you. Ms. Thompson’s just been under a lot of stress lately. Don’t take it personally,” the young man advised. I glanced at his employee badge—Executive Assistant. So, he was the one smoking in her car. No wonder. With a boy toy like that by her side, it was no surprise that she’d look down on me. Ignoring him, I turned to leave, but he followed me out. “Marcus, I’d leave sooner if I were you. Being a freeloader isn’t as easy as it looks. Besides, you’re useless now. What could you possibly do for her?” the young man said.
Chapter 2 The young man was convinced that I was just a freeloader, so he didn’t even bother to speak to me politely. I looked at him as he reached out to take back his employee badge. Rubbing the badge between my fingers a couple of times, I raised an eyebrow. “You think I live off her?” I asked. “Are you not? Ms. Thompson works so hard. You’re not worthy of her. Get lost. Don’t come around the company again, or you’ll just piss her off,” he warned. With that, he snatched the badge from my hand and clipped it back onto his collar, turning to leave. I watched his back and sneered. Everyone had been saying that I was living off Pamela. However, they didn’t know that back when Pamela’s company was just starting and struggling with cash flow, my family was the one who put up three million dollars to save it from going under. When things started getting on track, Pamela worked herself to the bone. To keep her from drinking so much and to smooth the road for her, I had reached out to some of my dad’s friends in private. We had channeled a flood of orders into her company. That was how she rose to success and became a powerful woman in the industry. Now that the company was stable, she looked down on me. Pamela must’ve forgotten how humble she had been when she begged me for help. It had only been three years. She probably assumed my family had fallen on hard times because she saw us move from a villa to a luxury condominium, then to a smaller three-bedroom house. I couldn’t help but laugh. My parents just thought that the villa was too big and too empty for the two of them, so they moved to the current house. However, they still owned the villa and condominium. When I got home, I went straight in. Seeing me, my mom asked, “Why are you alone? Where’s Pam?” “Mom, Dad, I’m getting a divorce,” I revealed. My mom was startled. “What? That’s so sudden. Have you really thought this through?” My dad’s face darkened. “You’ve been married for three years, and now you want a divorce? Is it because we pushed her too hard about having a kid?” I took a drag of my cigarette and let out a long sigh. “She thinks I live off her and am not good enough for her anymore.” At that, both of my parents burst out laughing. “She probably thinks we’ve gone broke. You’re not working, and now that she’s achieved her goals by using you, she wants to toss you aside. Is she seeing someone else?” they asked. I nodded. “More or less.” Emotional cheating was still cheating. Even if I wasn’t entirely sure, the way Pamela treated the young man made it obvious. They were way too close to be just coworkers. My mom slammed her hand on the table. “She’s cheating, yet she has the nerve to look down on you? In that case, I support the divorce!” I was a bit taken aback, but my mom looked at me and reassured me, “Don’t worry. We’re not the type to cling to someone. We don’t need anything from her company, and we’ve still got some capital on hand.” My dad pulled me into the study and handed me a stack of documents. When I opened them, I was shocked. “Dad, you guys still have this much?” My dad grinned smugly. “Of course. You think we’d go into business without the skills to back it up? We help in emergencies, not poverty. The three million dollars we gave her was like pocket change for us. If I dumped 300 million dollars on her, she’d come running and suck us dry. “Originally, your mom and I just wanted her to appreciate the help and live a good life with you. I never thought she’d be such an ingrate—she turned her back on us as if we were nothing. Well, we don’t owe her anything. Go all out. We don’t need someone like her.” With my parents backing me up, I finally felt at ease. Since we had the money, I decided to go all in.
Chapter 3 I used to think our family had maybe ten to twenty million dollars at most, but I just found out that we had ten times more than that, or even more. At that moment, I nodded and turned to greet my dad’s former partners. My dad hosted a dinner for them, stating he was returning to the business world and that he would hand everything over to me. Upon hearing that, they immediately brightened as they patted me on the back. “Marcus, your dad finally came around. Back then, he quit when he was at his peak, saying he wanted to enjoy his retirement with his grandkids. I didn’t think he’d return to the business world just for you!” I felt a little guilty. “It’s all for me. I can’t just lie around at home doing nothing at my age. Might as well get out and make something happen.” “That’s more like it. Come to my company and get some experience first!” offered Henry Smith, who watched me grow up. “Come work with me for a while and see how it goes. There’s no pressure, and you can treat it like a warm-up. I’ve got a project just starting up. You can help me think through it. What do you say?” he suggested. “Alright,” I agreed on the spot. My dad smiled. That dinner ended up shaking up the whole market. Although my dad had stepped back from the business world, his reputation still carried weight. As his son, of course, I wasn’t going to be some nobody. Henry offered me to work at his company not merely because of their friendship, but it was also because he saw the value in our family’s resources. Back when we were helping the Thompson family, my dad had used a lot of his connections for Pamela. That was why she had risen so quickly. But it was different now. Since I’d decided to get back in the game, I had nothing to do with her anymore. After the meal, I went back to the apartment and started packing. Once I had everything ready, Pamela came back. She still reeked of alcohol, clearly drunk. It was no surprise. She was probably with that young man again. When Pamela saw me, she snorted coldly. But when she noticed the suitcase by my side, she immediately looked angry. “Marcus, what the hell are you doing?” “Getting divorced. I thought I told you,” I replied. I handed over the printed divorce agreement. “Just give me back the three million dollars I invested back then. I don’t want a penny more. Also, sign the divorce papers already. Someone’s waiting for you, after all,” I said with intent. Pamela’s face flushed red. “Y-You… Just wait and see!” “Sure. I’ll see you tomorrow morning at nine at the civil affairs office,” I said. With that, I wheeled my suitcase out. Just as I was leaving, the young man sneered at me, but I ignored him. He could have her for all I cared. I was done with her, anyway. When I was back at my parents’ place, the young man sent me a friend request. I clicked on his profile, seeing that his name was William Campbell. He sent me a video of Pamela lying in bed, holding hands with him. At the bottom of the video, I could see Pamela’s nightgown. She’d been wearing regular clothes when she came back, but now she had changed. Who else could’ve been at home but William? He didn’t even bother to be discreet, but maybe that was for the best. Since she was already that far gone, we might as well get divorced. After thinking it over, I sent William a message. “Did she sign the divorce papers? William, how unattractive can you be? You tricked her into bed, yet she won’t give you a proper title.” William flew into a rage. I was just about to send him a meme when I realized I had been blocked. Huh, how boring. He couldn’t take a joke. I smirked and put my phone away. When I was about to rest, someone banged the front door open. “Marcus, get out here! You jerk, how dare you bring up divorce? Who the hell do you think you are? Get out here!”