My prized, one-of-a-kind bottle of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, valued at over three million dollars, showed up on Liam Carter's Instagram feed. In the photo, the fresh-faced graduate assistant held up a glass, the caption a glaringly arrogant taunt: "Thanks for the love, Ms. Vance. The professor said this bottle could buy a condo downtown~" I sent a single text to my wife, Ava. "You have two hours to get that bottle back here. Or you'll face the consequences." Ava left me on read. Two hours later, I stared at my phone screen, my finger hovering over the "Report Crime" button for a full three seconds. A sudden commotion erupted at the charity gala I was monitoring remotely. Through the security feed, I watched as Liam Carter was slammed against a champagne tower by the police, expensive champagne soaking his borrowed designer suit. If they wouldn't listen to reason, I'd have to teach them a lesson in a language they'd understand. 1 "Brendan Sterling! You called the cops on Liam?" Ava's voice preceded her into the house, sharp and furious. Her Chanel handbag hit the entryway wall, the metal clasp leaving a dent. I didn't even flinch. "Your two hours are up." "He's my assistant!" Ava kicked off her heels, her voice rising to a shriek. "He just got a letter of recommendation from his professor!" "Do you have any idea what you've done? You've ruined him!" "Brendan, how could you be so vicious?" "Grand larceny. The value exceeds three million," I said, turning to face her, my expression calm. "Have you ever read the penal code, Ava?" Suddenly, she snatched the crystal decanter from the coffee table. The twelve-thousand-dollar piece of art shattered at my feet, red wine bleeding across my slippers like blood. "There are over three hundred bottles in our cellar. What's the big deal if I give one to Liam?" Her nails dug into her palms. "His mentor is the chairman of the awards committee. Do you know how much effort I put in to—" "He's just a kid from a small town, trying to make it in the city. I was just trying to help him." "Brendan, when did you become so cold-hearted?" "Help him?" I let out a cold laugh. "Anyone who didn't know better would think he was your lover. This city is flooded with small-town graduates every year. Life isn't easy for any of them." "If you're so charitable, Ms. Vance, why don't you sell off Vance Industries and start a foundation dedicated to helping small-town kids?" "You're being unreasonable, Brendan." My words left her speechless, her face flushing with anger. "Last year. On this day," I said, ignoring her and pulling up a photo on my phone. "Our third wedding anniversary. I waited for you at Lakeside Grill for five hours. You were at his thesis defense, cheering him on." A condescending smirk touched Ava's lips. "Brendan, are you really jealous of that?" "It was Liam's patent defense. I went to support him. It was just an anniversary, Brendan. We can celebrate it any year." I was rendered speechless by her audacity. I swiped to the next photo. A Cartier box gleamed beside a celebratory cake. "For his patent party, you baked a cake and bought him a watch." "For my birthday, you gave me expired grocery store coupons. Ava, tell me, who is your husband? Me, or Liam Carter?" "Do you need another watch?" Ava tilted her head back, her face a mask of impatience. "Brendan, you're thirty years old. Are you going to squabble with a child?" "No," I said, a slow smile spreading across my face. "I'm not going to squabble." "That's why I'm sending him straight to prison." "Brendan!" Ava's earrings danced as she breathed heavily. She grabbed her car keys. "I don't have time to argue with you. I'm going to get him. My lawyer will talk to you tomorrow." "A friendly reminder," I said, toying with the business card of my contact at the police department. "If he gets out before sunrise, I will have to seriously reconsider whether our marriage has any future at all." "Are you threatening me?" The doorframe trembled under her fist. "You're the one who pushed it too far," I said calmly. "I've tolerated your behavior time and time again, but you refuse to show any restraint." "Fine. Just fine," Ava roared. "Brendan, I am so disappointed in you." With that, she stormed out of the house. 2 Ava didn't come home that night. I had an early surgery the next day, so I went to bed without waiting for her. I woke up to a firestorm on social media. #VANCEINDUSTRIESCEOSECRETRENDEZVOUSWITHYOUNGLOVER The photos were crystal clear. Liam Carter, getting out of Ava's Porsche. Another, even more damning photo showed Ava holding his hand as they walked into a hotel. The bitter irony was that the hotel was one of my family's properties. A cold smile touched my lips. I dialed my lawyer. "Draft the divorce papers. Now." My marriage to Ava was never a simple love match. It was a strategic alliance. I am the sole heir to the Sterling fortune. But I have no interest in business. My passion is medicine. I only ever wanted to be a doctor. After much negotiation with my parents, we agreed on a solution: I would marry a capable woman from a suitable family, and she would help me manage the Sterling empire. Our future children would one day inherit it. Ava was the chosen one. Though her family's company, Vance Industries, was leagues below ours, I was drawn to her. She was smart, ambitious, and ruthless. Under her leadership, the market value of her family's company had doubled in three years. When we married, everyone called it a power merger. Even I believed it. It's why I tolerated so much of her drama with Liam Carter. But I draw the line at betrayal. Just then, my phone rang. It was Ava's father. "Brendan, my boy, I saw the news. Don't overthink it. It's just tabloid nonsense, I'm sure." "Ava, that girl… she can be stubborn, but she would never do something like cheating." "Don't worry. I'll make her explain everything. I'll make sure you get a proper explanation!" Two hours later, Ava's parents dragged her through my door. Her face was a thunderous mask of rage. She stormed towards me, yelling, "Brendan Sterling! Did you plant that story in the press?" I sat on the sofa, not even bothering to look up. "What do you think?" "You're despicable!" Her face contorted with a hysterical fury. "Is this how you get what you want, Brendan? By stooping to these disgusting tactics?" She lunged for the ashtray on the coffee table and hurled it at me. It grazed my forehead and shattered against the wall behind me. Her father's face went pale with shock. He slapped her, hard. "Are you insane? Brendan is your husband! What is wrong with you?" Ava clutched her cheek, staring at her father in disbelief. "Dad, you hit me? This is his—" Her eyes welled with tears. I shot them a cold glance and stood up. "Let's not make this more complicated than it needs to be. Just sign the papers." As if on cue, the doorbell rang. My lawyer stood on the doorstep, holding a folder. "Mr. Sterling, the divorce agreement is ready." Ava's head snapped towards me, her eyes wide with shock. "Divorce agreement? Brendan, you want to divorce me?" I took the papers and tossed them onto the coffee table. "Sign." 3 Ava stared at the divorce papers, her fingers trembling. "I won't sign." She looked up, her eyes red-rimmed. "Brendan, it was just one stupid bottle of wine. You're going to divorce me over a bottle of wine?" "If you're angry, I'll pay you back. I'll buy you ten bottles, twenty! Just... let's not get a divorce, okay?" I looked at her tear-streaked face, and for the first time, felt nothing. "Ava, that bottle was one-of-a-kind. It was a gift from my parents for my doctoral graduation." "I told you the story behind it." Besides medicine, I have one other passion: winemaking. And that bottle was the final creation of my favorite master vintner. There would never be another one like it in the world. I had told Ava this in our first year of marriage, explicitly warning her never to touch it. "Brendan, I'm sorry." Ava's face went rigid. "I... I really messed up." "I know I was wrong. Please, just forgive me this one time?" Her voice was low, laced with a desperation I'd never heard before. Her father quickly jumped in. "Brendan, Ava was just being foolish." "You two are still young. Every couple has their disagreements. You make up and move on. Just give her another chance. She'll learn her lesson this time, I promise." I let out a cold laugh. "You think a simple 'I'm sorry' can erase everything you've done?" "Don't worry, Brendan, we'll deal with that Liam Carter situation too," her father added, shooting Ava a pointed look. Ava caught his cue and grabbed my hand. "I'll transfer Liam to a branch office immediately. I'll never see him again." "Brendan, let's not get a divorce. Please?" Her tears fell onto the back of my hand, her grief genuine. My resolve softened. "This is the last time." Seeing me relent, Ava wiped her face and immediately called her company's HR department. Right in front of me, she arranged for Liam to be transferred. For the next two weeks, Ava was a changed woman. She came home on time every day, tying on an apron to busy herself in the kitchen. "Try this," she said, placing a piece of sweet and sour pork in my bowl. "I spent all afternoon learning how to make it." I looked up at her. There was a smudge of flour on her forehead, and her eyes were filled with a cautious hope. "It's good," I said, and went back to eating. When I was on call at the hospital over the weekend, she showed up with an insulated lunch box. "Dr. Sterling, your wife is here again?" a nurse teased. Ava laid out the food and handed me a freshly brewed coffee. "Your stomach is sensitive. Don't drink that instant stuff from the hospital," she said softly. I watched her bustling around, and the divorce papers in my desk drawer began to gather dust. 4 Life returned to normal, and my career quietly reached a new milestone. I was selected to join a team of experts for an international medical conference abroad. It was a huge opportunity. When I told Ava, she was supportive, helping me pack. On the last day of the conference, I received a shocking text message. It was from the head nurse of the cardiology department at my hospital. Nurse Davis: Dr. Sterling, could you please talk to your mother? She's being very difficult with the on-duty nurses. Nurse Davis: Our department is already swamped, and most of our patients are elderly. The staff can't dedicate all their time to just one person. You're a doctor, you understand. Please, ask her to be more considerate. I froze. I hadn't heard anything about my mother being hospitalized. And my mother was the sweetest woman alive; she would never harass a nurse. Confused, I called home. "Mom, are you in the hospital?" "Nonsense!" Her voice was as vibrant as ever. "I'm in the Maldives, scuba diving!" After hanging up, I texted Nurse Davis back. Brendan: Nurse Davis, my mother isn't in the hospital. There must be some mistake. Nurse Davis: Dr. Sterling, your wife brought her in personally. She brought you lunch several times, we've all seen her. There's no mistake. A moment later, she sent a short video. A woman with permed hair was jabbing her finger in a young nurse's face. "My daughter-in-law is the CEO of Vance Industries! You dare to give me substandard care? Believe it or not, she'll buy this hospital and turn it into a public toilet!" "You nurses are just modern-day servants! What's wrong with washing my underwear for me? My daughter-in-law paid for the VIP package! That means you serve me! You do whatever I say!" I zoomed in on the video. I didn't recognize the woman's sharp, cruel face at all. Alarmed and bewildered, I couldn't wait for my colleagues. I booked a flight home the same day the conference ended. As soon as I landed, I went straight to the hospital. The old woman was in the VIP room, cracking sunflower seeds, the shells littered all over the floor. "Ma'am," I said, stepping in front of a furious Nurse Davis. "You said your daughter-in-law is Ava Vance, the CEO of Vance Industries. What is your relationship to her?" "She's my daughter-in-law!" the woman spat, sunflower seed shells flying from her lips. "And my son is—" I held up my marriage certificate. "What a coincidence. My wife is also named Ava Vance, and she's also the CEO of Vance Industries." "I just wasn't aware that my wife had a second mother-in-law. Or that I had a second mother." The room went silent. The sunflower seeds scattered from the woman's lap. "You... you're Brendan—" "So you do know me," I said, picking up the nameplate from her bedside table. "Mrs. Miller. And what's your son's name?" She suddenly snatched the call bell and threw it at me. "None of your damn business! My son is ten times the man you are!" I sidestepped the projectile and nodded to Nurse Davis. "Call security. And the police. Report it as medical fraud." The police arrived quickly. As Mrs. Miller was throwing a tantrum on the floor, her son burst into the room. White shirt, gold-rimmed glasses, and a tie that I recognized as one I'd thrown out last year. Liam Carter. "Dr. Sterling?" His face went pale. "You... you're not supposed to be back yet. When did you get here?" I smiled. "Thanks to you and your mother, I just arrived." Ava was truly something else. So much for sending Liam to a branch office. This was what she had planned all along. My phone rang. It was a voice message from Ava. "Brendan, send me your flight number. I'll come pick you up..." I hit the record button on my phone. "No need. Just come straight to VIP room 3 at my hospital." "And thank you so much for the wonderful surprise." There was a distinct pause on the other end of the line. "Brendan," she said, her voice tight. "You know."
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