Chapter 3

I had heard that name from my wife, Vanessa.

A few months ago, Vanessa showed me a photo of a young guy on her phone. She told me he was her cousin who had just got into the top university in our city.

She said, as his older cousin, she wanted to buy him a nice gift, but didn't know what he liked. She asked if she could just transfer some cash to him instead.

I didn't mind, of course.

Not long after, I heard her on the phone, saying, "Leo, I transferred the money. Study hard, and let me know if you need anything else, okay?"

She hung up with a sweet smile on her face.

Seeing me staring at her, she hugged my arm and explained, "My cousin’s name is Leo Vance. If you ever meet him, you have to take good care of him for me!"

I hadn't recognized him immediately because that happened last year, and I had completely forgotten what the boy in the photo looked like.

The only thing I remembered was that over the past year, Vanessa had transferred a lot of money to this "Leo Vance."

But since that was her allowance, I never questioned how she spent it or who she gave it to.

Now, it seemed like it wasn't her cousin at all.

What Leo did next confirmed my worst fears.

As if to rub it in my face, he pulled out his phone and started a FaceTime call. When the call connected, he said, "Babe, I have a surprise for you tonight. Let's celebrate Valentine's Day together."

The next second, a voice I knew better than my own came through the speaker: "Of course, baby! I can't wait!"

It was Vanessa.

Even though it was a hot summer afternoon, I felt like I had been plunged into an icy lake.

Vanessa and I were high school sweethearts. I had loved her for years, and we finally got married.

We had been married for over a decade. Although we didn't have kids, we had always enjoyed our life together. Our relationship had only grown stronger over the years.

Our friends always teased us for being as clingy as newlyweds.

I never, in my wildest dreams, thought she would cheat on me.

And I certainly never expected her to be keeping a twenty-year-old college student as her sugar baby.

My entire world shattered in that instant.

While I stood there frozen, a familiar voice called out, "Mr. Sterling? What’s going on here?"

It was my assistant, Justin. His voice snapped me back to reality.

"Call the police! Have all of them arrested! And call Vanessa. Tell her to get her ass down here right now!"

For years, I had pampered her, spoiled her, and made sure she never had to lift a finger. And this was how she repaid me?

Vanessa, how dare you!

I clenched my fists, fury burning in my chest.

Although Justin was confused, he immediately pulled out his phone to follow my orders.

But before he could dial, one of the college kids slapped the phone out of his hand. It shattered on the pavement.

"He's with the creep! He's probably trying to delete the evidence!"

The boy then stomped on the phone, crushing it completely.

I stared at them coldly. "What do you want?"

Leo sneered. "Don't think that just because you know my girlfriend's name and made up a fake marriage story, I'll be scared of you."

He laughed mockingly. "So, you're saying this is your company?"

"Yes," I replied coldly.

Leo threw his head back and laughed. The boys behind him joined in, howling with laughter.

Before I could call them crazy, Leo turned to his gang.

"Brothers, go inside and trash the place!"