I made her a pauper after finding my wife cheating with the butler’s son. It was our wedding anniversary, and Ashley, my wife, had finally set aside her work for a trip together. Just as we were boarding the plane, she suddenly received a message: her father was sick. “Ryan, I’m so sorry, Dad’s suddenly not feeling well. I need to go back and check on him. I can’t go with you this time.” I was a bit disappointed, but her father’s health was paramount, so I agreed. After she left, I tore up my ticket. I decided to go back and see what was wrong with my father-in-law, who had supposedly been dead for three months. 1 I followed her car all the way home. I didn't rush out of the car. Instead, I pulled out my phone. And that's when I saw the butler's son, Chad Peterson, making a grand show of his life on social media. [Your boundless favoritism is the best 21st birthday gift I could ask for!] The picture showed him in a white suit, with an arm around a woman. That woman was my supposedly devoted wife, Ashley Davis. I rolled my wrist, opened the car door, and stepped inside. As soon as I entered the foyer, I saw over a dozen men and women in the massive living room, balloons hanging from the walls. A crowd was chanting: “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” … I don’t know how many times they’d shouted it when Ashley Davis looped her arms around Chad Peterson’s neck and pulled him into a full-on French kiss. The room erupted in cheers. When the kiss finally broke, Ashley lingered, her fingers tracing Chad’s lips. She looked up and her eyes widened in terror, spotting me somehow already at the front of the crowd. She instinctively tried to push him away. I was faster. My hand flew up, and I smacked her across the face. Smack. Smack. The sudden change in atmosphere silenced everyone. Chad turned to look at me, his face draining of color. He grabbed Ashley’s arm, pulling her protectively behind him. I watched her, a cruel smile playing on my lips. “So, when did you get a new sugar daddy? Or is he just your little pet project?” Ashley’s eyes darted frantically, trying to form an explanation, when a guy with bleached blonde hair, Spike, shoved me. “Who the hell are you? Crashing someone’s party and hitting people? Are you crazy? Apologize to Chad and his girlfriend right now! Or else!” His words opened the floodgates. Others chimed in: “Just casually assaulting someone? What kind of lawless behavior is this? An apology is too easy; he should be reported to the police!” “I agree. The police should check his background. He’s hitting people now, who knows what he’ll do next? Psycho!” “How did a lunatic get into a birthday party? And he dares to hit people? Do you even know who you hit?” I gave a faint smile to the loudmouths, then turned to Ashley. “You think I shouldn’t have hit you, don’t you?” Ashley licked her lips, about to speak, when Chad tugged her sleeve and shook his head. I saw their little exchange. I was genuinely curious to see what game they were playing. Then, Ashley glared at me, her face full of fury. “Ryan Miller, what in the hell is your problem? It’s Chad’s birthday! Whatever you have to say, save it for later. Don’t make a scene and ruin his party. Get out!” She was clearly afraid her little side piece would lose face in front of his friends. I sneered, watching her with detached amusement. “Ashley Davis, where exactly do you want me to ‘get out’ of? Or is it that you two have something so scandalous you’re afraid others might find out?” The next second, Chad gripped Ashley’s hand, a declaration of ownership in his voice. “Ryan… bro, I know you’ve always had a thing for Ashley. Seeing her with me probably hurts. But you can’t force love, can you? Ashley loves me. We’ve been together for two years. She said we’d get married after I graduate. Please, just stop harassing her.” Ashley hadn’t expected Chad to say that. Her face cycled through emotions, her eyes flicking to me in a furtive glance. Chad’s words hit me like a gut punch. Today was my and Ashley’s two-year wedding anniversary. And they had been together for two years. Meaning, she had been cheating on me before we even got married. And she’d brought Chad and his father into our home under the guise of hiring a butler. They had fooled me for two whole years. Spike spoke up again. “I get it now! You’re just the male nanny who has a crush on Chad’s girlfriend! How shameless can you be? Trying to steal someone’s girlfriend in front of everyone?” Being randomly labeled a "male nanny" made me genuinely laugh. “Chad Peterson, are you still dreaming? What makes you think you’re in a position to have me as your ‘male nanny’?” My words hung in the air, and then a splash. A drink was flung into my face. Spike stood there, holding an empty glass, a smug look on his face. “I think you’re the one who needs to wake up, pal. We all know who Chad is. His dad runs a huge business, and his girlfriend owns a company. This whole villa is his. As for you? Tsk, tsk, tsk. Look at you, dressed like you just rolled out of a dumpster, not a single designer label on you. You’re only fit for scrubbing floors and serving people.” Dumpster clothes? My clothes had no visible brand because they were custom-designed by world-renowned tailors. Other girls started defending Chad. “Yeah, why aren’t you apologizing to Chad? Otherwise, you’ll lose your job too.” Then, a girl spoke up, her tone flirtatious. “Hey, old man, maybe you should check your age. Competing with a hunk like Chad for a girl? If you’re that desperate, I can help you out. I’ve never tried a thirty-plus guy before. Can I get you for two hundred a night?” Her words sparked another round of laughter. I wiped the liquor from my face, then slowly, deliberately, fixed my gaze on Ashley. “Ashley Davis, I’m your husband. And you’re just going to stand there and watch them insult me, defending your little side piece? Don’t you dare regret this!” Ashley’s face was cold. “Chad is my boyfriend. You brought this on yourself.” Her words were ambiguous, a careful tightrope walk. With so many friends backing him up, Chad straightened his posture, his voice gaining confidence. “Ryan, bro, I’m calling you ‘bro’ out of respect for your age. But don’t forget your place. You can cause a scene all you want, like today, ruining my party, whatever. But Ashley is a woman, and with all these people watching, how can you just publicly slap the CEO of a whole corporation? Did you even think about how she’d feel?” He then smoothly shifted his gaze to Ashley, his voice softening. “Ashley, even though I’m young, I know how to protect my woman. I’ll always give you face when we’re out, unlike Ryan…” His double meaning successfully played on Ashley’s vanity and, surprisingly, her deep-seated inferiority complex. I scoffed. “You know, you’re right. I was so focused on her, I forgot to hit you too!” The next second, I grabbed his collar and slammed two hard punches into his perfect, pale face. Chad clutched his bleeding face, screaming. “Ryan Miller! How dare you hit me! I’m going to make you pay!” “You wanna keep yapping, poodle?” I raised my hand to hit him again, but Ashley grabbed my waist and shoved me with all her might. Caught off guard, I stumbled backward, crashing into the champagne tower. I fell to the ground, my hand landing on shattered glass. Ashley didn't even spare me a glance. Instead, she shielded Chad behind her and snapped at me: “Ryan Miller! Apologize to Chad!” I looked at my bleeding palm. Gritting my teeth, I endured the pain, carefully pulling out the glass shards one by one. Two years of marriage. It felt just like these shards, piercing my very being. Chad, peeking from behind her, grinned at me triumphantly. The pain in my palm sharpened my voice, chilling it to the bone. “Ashley Davis, you’re throwing a birthday party for your side piece in my house, publicly cheating on me right to my face, and now you want me to apologize to him? Are you out of your mind? Or do you just think I, Ryan Miller, am some pushover? Don’t forget, I can give you a life of luxury, and I can just as easily make you a pauper in a heartbeat!” My words made Ashley’s eyes tremble. But Chad quickly jumped in. “Ryan, Ashley built her company from the ground up with her own hard work and incredible intellect! She achieved financial freedom on her own terms! Don’t talk like you helped her do anything!” I paused, genuinely taken aback. Incredible intellect? Talent? Financial freedom? She couldn’t even understand the simplest business proposal, and now she supposedly had an “incredible intellect”? When she first wanted to start her company, I gave her a million dollars from my own funds and then pulled several multi-million-dollar projects from my father’s company for her to work on. To avoid hurting her confidence, I even transferred the heads of several core departments from my dad’s company to hers. She was just so ridiculously self-congratulatory, thinking she was some genius. Why else would top-tier professionals in various fields choose to work for her tiny, fledgling company? She actually believed they were just impressed by her “abilities.” If I hadn't been pulling strings behind the scenes, there's no way she could have turned a small startup into a major company on the verge of going public in just two years. The other party guests, overhearing our exchange, started whispering. “Did that guy just say this is his house, and Chad’s the side piece? Do you think he’s telling the truth?” “I think it’s possible. Look, that guy looks about the same age as Chad’s girlfriend. I always thought Chad’s girlfriend was way too old for him. Maybe she’s been playing him all along!” “But, Chad’s girlfriend is defending him so fiercely. If it were really the original spouse catching a cheater, would the cheating woman dare to act like this?” “Grab your popcorn, folks! This is about to get interesting. Let’s see how this plays out.” Spike couldn't stand it anymore. He bellowed, “Don’t spread rumors! This is Chad’s house! I’ve been here plenty of times. I’ve seen Chad and his girlfriend sleeping in the master bedroom with my own eyes. I’ve even met his dad – that’s the real rich guy!” A chill spread through me. The thought of them “rolling around” in my bed filled me with profound disgust. Chad fiddled with the couple’s rings on his finger and spoke again. “This is my home. Everyone here can vouch for that. I think you’re the one who needs to leave. Ashley, I don’t want to see him. Can you make him go?” Ashley nodded. “This is your house, Chad. Whatever makes you happy.” Spike grabbed my hair and started dragging me toward the door. “Old man, you need to know your place! How shameless can you be, trying to steal someone’s girlfriend in broad daylight? You’re a disgrace!” Then, he yelled to the others, “You guys wanna see what this creep looks like naked? Bet he’s got abs under that garbage, perfect way to get some payback for Chad!” My pupils contracted. I instinctively clutched my clothes over my chest. Some of the girls, fueled by the mob mentality, were already reaching out, trying to rip my clothes off. I struggled desperately, screaming at Ashley, hoping she would stop them, save me. Ashley frowned, about to lift her hand to intervene, but Chad grabbed her arm. “Ashley, don’t worry, my friends know their limits. They’re just trying to stick up for me. Besides, this way, won’t it make it easier for you to control him?” Ashley’s eyes lit up with understanding. She squeezed his chin, and together, they watched as I was torn at, stripped of my clothes. “Let go of me! This is illegal!” Spike raised his hand and slapped me. “This is us taking out the trash! Besides, you like to ‘steal’ women, right? We’ve got so many young, beautiful girls here, you should be thrilled!” As his words died out, I felt hands all over me, pulling, grabbing, tearing… Just as despair washed over me, a voice boomed from the doorway. “How’s my boy’s birthday going? Dad’s got your present!” Mr. Peterson, Chad’s father and our butler, appeared in the doorway, impeccably dressed in a black suit, holding a beautifully wrapped box, exuding an air of exaggerated wealth. He took in the scene inside and shrieked. “What in God’s name are you doing?!” Spike, quick as a flash, ran to Mr. Peterson to report. “Mr. Peterson, you were only gone for a minute, and this guy broke in and hit Chad!” Mr. Peterson followed Spike’s pointing finger and, as his eyes landed on my face, his own face went white. His lips trembled, and his eyes darted around, terrified to meet mine. The next second, Chad put on a show of noble generosity. “Dad, I’m sure Ryan didn’t mean to. He’s just upset seeing Ashley and me together. My friends just wanted to teach him a little lesson to defend me. Please, forgive him this once. Don’t fire him.” Mr. Peterson immediately understood, though his tongue still felt thick. “R-right… well, you all carry on. I’ll just go upstairs.” Fury boiled within me, my voice hoarse and icy. “Mr. Peterson, your son is acting like an idiot, and you’re not stopping him? Do you think these people can protect you for a moment, let alone forever?” As I spoke, I had subtly pulled out my phone. Mr. Peterson puffed out his chest, glaring at me, but his voice still held a hint of panic. “You little bastard! Don’t talk nonsense! You think I’m scared of you? Everyone knows my son and Ms. Davis are the real couple now! Only a man like my son deserves to be with Ms. Davis. Men like you deserve a beating. Don’t hold back, everyone! If anything happens, I’ll cover it!” I suppressed my rage, buying time. “Cover it with what? You’re just a butler. Do you really think you’re some rich tycoon?” My gaze fell on Ashley. “Ashley Davis, everyone who’s hurt me today will pay. Every single one of them. And that includes you.” Chad lunged at me, trying to hit me again. I gathered all my strength, lunged up, and rammed into him. He crashed to the ground, and Ashley’s rage flared. “Don’t hold back on him! I’ll take responsibility for anything that happens!” My hair was yanked violently, and I was thrown hard onto the ground. “Ms. Davis said it herself! We don’t have to hold back! Do whatever you want!” “Tsk, just a bastard! Dares to steal Chad’s girl! If I don’t teach you a lesson today, I don’t deserve to be Chad’s friend!” “Strip him down!” Spike jumped on top of me, pinning my stomach, making it impossible for me to move. He began furiously tearing at my clothes. Just as I felt more and more skin exposed, almost completely uncovered, the front door was kicked open. A dozen police officers swarmed in. Chad gasped, clamping a hand over his mouth. The people pinning me froze, terrified, and quickly raised their hands. A police officer shouted, “Who called this in?” From behind them, I slowly raised my hand. “I did!”
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