Chapter 2

Chloe snatched the papers away. She examined the signature carefully, a smug smirk spreading across her face.

"Glad you know your place."

She handed the papers to Carter and tapped her cheek playfully.

Carter planted a loud, wet kiss on her face.

Then, he turned his arrogant gaze toward me like he was tossing scraps to a stray dog.

"Get lost."

"Oh, almost forgot. Your luggage."

He snapped his fingers. A maid dragged a battered, worn-out suitcase down the stairs.

It was slammed onto the floor by my feet, kicking up a small cloud of dust.

The latch popped open, spilling its contents across the marble. They were all the cheap belongings I had brought with me from the orphanage when the Hayes family took me in at age seven.

I knelt down, slowly packing the items back into the suitcase. Seeing those faded clothes dragged me back into the shadows of my past.

I was left on the steps of an orphanage in a cardboard box as an infant.

Weak and sickly, the other kids bullied me. I went hungry, froze through winters, and never felt safe.

At seven, because of a unique birthmark on my back, the Hayes family claimed me as their late heir’s lost son.

And at thirty, a single DNA report cast me out into the cold again.

Carter’s condescending voice snapped me back to reality. He towered over me, smirking down.

"Everything in there matches your true status perfectly."

Chloe pinched her nose in theatrical disgust, violently kicking aside the items scattered near her feet.

"Carter, honey, you really have to spoil me after this. You have no idea how sick I felt pretending to love this trash for years."

My eyes snapped toward her, burning with rage.

I remembered the countless nights when I woke up trembling from orphanage nightmares, sweating cold.

She was the one who held me, whispering sweet reassurances.

I never knew that while I held her against my chest, her eyes were filled with such venom.

I looked away and continued packing. That was when I realized the thing she had kicked away was a photo album.

It fell open. The first page was our wedding portrait.

I reached out, pinched the corner of the picture, and slowly tore it in half.

Chloe shrieked.

"Julian! What the hell are you doing?! Have you lost your mind?!"

Carter grabbed her shoulder with a chuckle.

"Let him throw his tantrum, babe. It's the only thing a powerless loser can do."

I didn't stop. I tore the second photo, then the third.

Our honeymoon in Maui, our anniversary dinner in Paris, her birthday celebrations...

Photo after photo, ripped to shreds until not a single trace of her remained in the album.

I snapped the book shut and tossed the torn pieces onto the floor.

Zipping up the battered suitcase, I turned around and walked out the door without looking back.

Behind me, their obnoxious laughter echoed into the hallway.

Outside the estate gates, a sleek black Bentley pulled up silently.

The rear door clicked open, revealing my executive assistant, Maya.

"Mr. Vance."

I stepped into the leather-trimmed interior, tossing my battered luggage onto the seat beside me.

"How are things with Hayes Enterprises?"

"Everything is on schedule,"

Maya handed me an encrypted tablet.

"Hayes Enterprises stock hit rock bottom today. Panic-selling across the board. Our proxy accounts have absorbed over fifty-two percent of the floating shares. We can call a hostile board meeting whenever you say the word."

I nodded slowly.

"What about Carter?"

"He just dipped into the company's emergency reserves to buy Chloe a thirty-million-dollar beachfront estate in Malibu and a brand-new yacht. The paperwork is going through right now."

A cold smirk tugged at the corner of my lips.

"Let him spend it."

"The more he spends, the sweeter the payback."