The night before Thanksgiving, my wife, Alexia Victor, had promised to accompany our daughter and me back home for the holiday. Halfway through the drive, she suddenly received word that her father, gravely ill, longed to see his granddaughter. "Honey, I need to take Cora to see Dad. I'm sorry. We won't be able to stay with you this time." Our daughter, Cora, ever the model of obedience, offered me comforting words. Considering her father's critical condition and his yearning for his grandchild, I swallowed my disappointment and did not object. Watching their retreating figures, I curled my lips into a cold smile. Thanksgiving turning into Halloween? Was my father-in-law, presumed dead for ten years, rising from the grave? I called my father—the man who had never failed to solve a problem. "Dad, Alexia has cheated on me. Bring Mom and our men. Let's catch her in the act!" I followed the car's GPS to the company. From the conference room came bursts of laughter. Through the window, I saw the company's pretty-boy accountant, leaning on Alexia's shoulder. He was about to blow out the candles. Cora stood beside him, leading the employees in a birthday song. When the song ended, Cora shouted excitedly, "Mom, give my dad a birthday kiss!" The other employees joined in the teasing. "Kiss! Kiss!" Amid the excited cries, Alexia pressed herself against Willie Watt and kissed him passionately, oblivious to everyone around them. Without a word, I pushed through the crowd. The next second, I slapped Alexia hard across the face. She looked up, about to retort, but her eyes turned frantic when she saw me. "Why did you get here?" Cora, bewildered, hid behind Alexia, silent. Only Willie remained unruffled, even flashing a charming smile. "Mr. Fanny, Ms. Victor is celebrating my birthday. Would you like a piece of cake?" As he spoke, he lifted an entire large cake towards me. In the next second, however, he slipped, and the cake smashed squarely into my face. Before I could react in anger, he looked contrite, his eyes red. "Mr. Fanny, I'm so sorry. You know how clumsy I am." I said nothing, grabbed the lapel of his bespoke suit, and wiped the frosting from my face. Willie let out a scream, looking aggrieved at Alexia. "This is the birthday gift you gave me, worth hundreds of thousands." My eyes turned cold. Was she using my money to support this man? Alexia snapped, "Claude, are you out of your mind? Can't you wash your face in the restroom? Why ruin Willie's clothes on purpose? How vicious! It was an accident!" "Weren't you supposed to be with your dying father? Or is Willie your new dad?" A colleague, Dunn, interrupted me irritably before Alexia could respond. "Mr. Fanny, how dare you speak like that? Ms. Victor is just celebrating her husband's birthday. What business is it of yours? You just slapped our boss and ruined Willie's suit. Apologize now, or we're calling the police!" I stared at Alexia with a sardonic smile. "Celebrating your husband's birthday, are you? What a devoted wife." Dunn snorted with envy. "Of course. Ms. Victor is infamous for doting on her husband. Everyone in the company knows. They just keep it low-key." A chill ran through me. So these two had been carrying on an affair right under my nose, while I was kept in the dark. "Care to explain your little arrangement with this stray?" At my words, the room erupted in an uproar, all eyes swinging to Alexia and Willie in disbelief. Alexia's lips went dry. She tried to explain, but couldn't force out a sound. Willie, hearing more murmurs, put on a wounded look. "Mr. Fanny, I know you've always tried to climb the ladder by seducing Alexia, but her heart is mine alone. I beg you, stop hounding her. If you persist, I'll have her fire you." Alexia, startled by his audacity, stole a glance at me. I laughed instead of raging. "Willie, you're the one who botched the client contract and cost the company tens of millions. Isn't the dismissal process complete yet?"
The moment my words landed, the company's HR guy, Logan, dumped a drink all over me. "You must've got cream on the brain. Let the wine wash it off! This is Ms. Victor's company. Willie could lose a hundred deals and still keep his job. He's her husband! As for you, dream on if you think a few big clients make you indispensable." The others chimed in, "Apologize to Mr. Watt this instant!" The fat cleaner Susie leered at me. "Mr. Fanny, if you're that desperate for a woman, marry me. Eighty-eight thousand for the dowry, I'm not greedy." The room burst into laughter. Someone suggested I get engaged to Susie on the spot. "Even though Susie is fifty and has two kids, she's more than good enough for you!" "Who knows why you're still single at thirty? Maybe you're impotent." I wiped the wine from my face and said slowly, "Alexia, I suggest you tell the truth before you regret it." Seeing me cornered, Alexia became more confident. "Willie is my husband! What do I have to regret? You brought this on yourself!" "Apologize to Willie!" Willie pulled Alexia into his arms, whispered, "Babe, forget it. I'm such a clumsy guy. I wouldn't hold a grudge even if I were bullied." "I'd never slap you in front of everyone and humiliate you the way Mr. Fanny did." As expected, Alexia clung to Willie tighter, her eyes full of affection. I looked at Willie and curled my lips into a cold smile. "I almost forgot, I only slapped her, not you!" The next second, I yanked them apart and slapped Willie twice, hard! Willie roared in fury, "Are you insane? You dared to hit me!" Before I could continue, Alexia stepped forward and delivered a vicious kick to my groin. "Go to hell!" The force was immense, and I was unprepared. Cold sweat beaded on my forehead from the pain. But then, Willie swung a wine bottle and smashed it against my head. Blood mingled with the alcohol, streaming down my face. Seeing my icy glare, he hurried to explain, "Mr. Fanny, I was trying to help you, but I'm just clumsy and missed..." He then stared at Alexia with feigned innocence. "Honey, don't blame me. I was just trying to prevent you from kicking him again and, well, you know, finishing him off." Without sparing me a glance, Alexia buried herself deeper into Willie's embrace, clinging tighter. "How could I blame you? You're just too kind-hearted." Our marriage lasted for over a decade. In that instant, it just crumbled into dust. I pressed my hand to the gash on my head and said in measured tones, "You may deny me, but my own flesh and blood can surely vouch for my identity!"
At my words, the employees' gazes shifted towards Alexia, now tinged with suspicion. Some even began to whisper. "From what they just said, Mr. Fanny seems far more confident than Ms. Victor. Could it be that Willie really is the homewrecker?" "It's possible. Ms. Victor's daughter is already ten. She looks more like Mr. Fanny's child. Willie is barely in his twenties. Could he really have a child that age?" "But would Ms. Victor really flaunt an affair so brazenly?" Cora, who had been hiding behind Alexia, suddenly stepped forward. "Stop judging my dad!" I had hoped to shield Cora from the adults' mess. But now, I silently prayed she would speak up for me. "My dad is Willie Watt! He's my mom's legal husband! Claude Fanny is just crazy!" Her words felt like a plunge into an icy abyss. I was jolted back to the birthday song she had led. I looked at my daughter in disbelief, my voice hoarse. "Cora, don't you remember how I signed you up for a European summer camp last summer, but Willie, being so 'clumsy,' sent you to Africa instead? Or last month, when he drove you to school and, in his confusion, lost your lunch, leaving you hungry? And..." "Stop it!" she interrupted furiously. "You don't understand! Daddy didn't mean it! He's just a bit clumsy, but he's incredibly kind-hearted, nothing like you! You wanted me to go to Europe just to force me to attend a German-language program! The so-called nutritious meals you made were all things I hated. Daddy is different. He says I don't have to do homework and can buy snacks from street vendors. I love him! He's my real daddy!" After a decade of toiling for this family, I felt utterly disheartened, drained of any strength to argue. Willie looked at me triumphantly. "Mr. Fanny, what else do you have to say? Kids don't lie." Susie, seeing that I was "indeed" the fake, stopped pretending and thrust herself into my arms, showing her true colors. "Claude, if you're that horny, just say so. Why steal someone else's wife? That's just low." Logan chuckled. "Susie, if you really want Mr. Fanny, why not just sleep with him? He won't dare deny it then." I stared at them in shock. The others joined in with taunts. "Susie, share the spoils. It's not nice to hog him all to yourself. Claude is a bit older, but he's still quite the catch." I looked at Alexia. After ten years of marriage, even a stranger wouldn't be so heartless. But she just waved her hand in disgust. "Take him to another office. Don't ruin Willie's birthday party." Willie's eyes gleamed. "We'd better film this. Otherwise, if he goes to the police..." Alexia nodded with a sly smile. "And you said you're clumsy? I'd say you're the smartest person here!" Rage flooded through me as I screamed, "Don't you dare!" Willie slapped me hard twice. "What's there to be afraid of? Once we drug you and film it, let's see how defiant you can be!" As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of hands reached for me, trying to drag me to another room. I struggled desperately. Just then, a familiar voice came from outside the door. "My son, I'm here!"
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