1 Victoria Greene, the city’s elite darling, was famous for her one-month flings and zero commitment. A line of suitors hoping to lock her down stretched across the city. In a good mood, she’d gift a mansion; in a bad mood, a million-dollar goodbye check. Everyone laughed, calling me the most humiliated kept man alive—and they believed I’d endure it forever. Until Victoria brought home Liam Anderson, an ordinary college student who broke her monthly rotation rule. She gave me two choices: accept an open marriage with Liam as an equal partner, or divorce her, take half her wealth, and leave. Her friends watched eagerly, expecting me to swallow my pride and stay for the money. But I didn’t hesitate. I chose to leave. In my past life, I chose tolerance. Liam only pushed for more—forbidding Victoria from touching me or having my children. Old and alone, I watched his family grow. Even after Victoria’s death, her will ignored me completely, leaving everything to Liam. I died lonely, bearing only the empty title of her husband. Reborn, I finally understood: take the money and go. This time, I wanted nothing to do with her. I picked up the divorce papers, read every word, and reached for the pen. Victoria, surprisingly, spoke, a tightness in her voice she herself might not have noticed. “Alex Jupp, are you sure? Once you sign, there’ll be no turning back.” My hand didn’t falter. The pen scratched a clean arc across the paper. I signed. “I’ll pack my things and leave now.” Why would I regret it? In my past life, I foolishly believed she brought Liam home as a new form of torment. I naively thought, after all these years, there had to be some affection between us. How laughable. She and Liam had two children in three years, living a life of devoted affection until their old age. And I? I was nothing more than an awkward fixture in that house, a silent ornament for half a lifetime, the subject of whispered jokes for decades. It wasn’t until my twilight years that I overheard her and Liam talking in a hospital room. She said the dramatic scene, the “affair” I supposedly had with a disheveled housemaid, had been entirely her doing. “I was just tired of him, and I didn’t want a messy divorce.” Her clouded eyes held not a shred of guilt. “So I engineered that whole thing. That way, whatever I did next, it would look perfectly justified.” So that was it. No wonder my desperate explanations were always met with her cold disbelief. Because she knew the truth all along. She didn’t love me, yet she used a fabricated crime to trap me for fifty years. She could have ended it cleanly, but instead, she chose to slowly carve me to death with a blunt knife. I looked at her, at the young yet still chillingly indifferent face before me, and felt nothing but a churning, seething hatred where love once resided. She stared blankly at the signed agreement, her eyes wide with bewilderment. Outside, the furtive sounds of eavesdropping abruptly ceased. The next second, my “esteemed” in-laws burst into the room, beaming. My mother-in-law grabbed Liam’s hand, scrutinizing him, clucking with approval. “Oh, it’s so much better with young people! So much vitality!” My father-in-law, who usually glowered at me, was smiling benignly now. He cast a pointed glance my way. “Finally, we’ve gotten rid of the dead weight. How many years has it been? Not even an heir.” Liam ducked his head shyly, feigning modesty. “Uncle, don’t say that. I’m not that much younger than Alex.” He paused, a blush rising on his cheeks. “Actually, Victoria is already a month pregnant. It’s early, so we hadn’t wanted to say anything.” I raised an eyebrow. Of course. The familiar thinly veiled jabs, the sickening tone. But this time, I felt nothing. For years, to be the perfect kept husband, I toiled like a dog at Greene Corp during the day. At night, I returned home to serve these demanding, antiquated relatives. I was barely thirty, and my temples were already streaked with gray. Yes, I looked old. I turned and walked into the bedroom, beginning to pack my meager belongings. My mind was already racing, planning where to go first for a well-deserved break after the money came through. I didn't notice Victoria follow me in. “It’s late. No need to move out immediately. Stay another night.” “Isn’t that villa on the West End still empty? You can stay there for now. I’ll come visit when I have time.” “Alex, I know you love me. Don’t be childish and spiteful.” She gently placed a hand on her flat stomach. “But a proper title… I truly can’t give you that anymore. I can’t let my child be born a bastard.” I didn't reply. I simply picked up my suitcase, walked past her, and headed straight for the door. “There’s nothing left to say between us. I’m glad to be divorcing you.” “If you have any conscience left, just send me the money you owe me. Quickly.” The night wind, carrying a dusting of fine snow, bit at my skin. It was icy, bone-chilling, yet it couldn't extinguish the fire that burned brighter and hotter within me. 2 Victoria Greene’s efficiency was, as always, impressive. When I woke up, three hundred million dollars had landed in my bank account. The first thing I did with the money was book the most luxurious private club in the city. Haircut, full spa, the works. The haggard, gray-haired man in the mirror was gone. In his place was a sharp-eyed young man with defiant red hair. I had just changed into fresh clothes when my good friend, Ethan Hayes, called. He immediately launched into an astonished shout. “Alex Jupp! What’s going on with you and Victoria? Are you insane? Has the whole world gone mad?!” I held the phone away from my ear, asking lazily, “What’s up?” “What’s up? Don’t you read the news?!” Ethan’s voice was filled with disbelief. “The headlines are all about Victoria Greene taking that pretty boy to a gala! She stood in front of all the reporters and declared that kid her only husband! Said they’re getting married immediately!” He lowered his voice, a hint of cautious concern in it. “Your stuck-up in-laws were there too, saying that kid is ‘worthy’! Buddy, are you okay?” All the public acknowledgment I had never received, all the validation I had yearned for half my life, Victoria had now bestowed upon another man. “I’m fine,” I said, admiring my new look. “We’re divorced.” “Divorced…?” Ethan couldn’t believe it. He’d watched me love Victoria for over a decade, watched me humble myself, abandon my self-respect, and beg like a dog for that marriage. I didn’t offer any further explanation. I just chuckled softly. “Free tonight? Come out for a drink. My treat.” At the city’s most extravagant bar, the VIP booth was laden with bottles of the most expensive champagne. Several young, beautiful hostesses hovered around me, eagerly pouring drinks. Ethan’s eyes widened. “Holy hell, now I believe you. You’ve really moved on. This isn’t like the old you.” The old me, desperate to prove to Victoria that I wasn’t after her money, scrutinized every purchase for its cost-effectiveness. I was terrified she’d think I was wasteful or didn't care for the family. Now, I sat in the opulent private room, looking at the man reflected in the polished glass. Defiant red hair, a perfectly tailored custom suit. Ethan raised his glass and clinked it against mine with a loud thud. “You’re acting like the Alex Jupp from back in our top business school days – the once-in-a-century genius.” He chugged a large gulp of champagne, fuming on my behalf. “How many venture capitalists were fighting over you back then? If you’d started your own company, you would have crushed Greene Corp years ago!” “You spent over a decade being their glorified dog, and this is all you get in a divorce? Buddy, I really don’t think you got what you deserved.” More than a decade. In my past life, Greene Corp, under my management, had topped the national charts as the most powerful enterprise. Yet, in my old age, I couldn’t even afford a box of painkillers. I was eventually thrown out by Liam’s “dutiful” children, dying of illness beside a dumpster on a winter night. The business empire I’d built with my life’s effort had all become a wedding dress for Liam and his offspring. The thought made me drain my glass. The sharp, burning liquid scorched my throat, but it ignited a furious fire in my heart. Let them all see. Let them see if they can thrive without Alexander Jupp.
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