Chapter 1

Before my father-in-law's company, Vertex Corp., went public, it needed to raise capital.

I secretly injected fifty million dollars, just for Chloe's sake, becoming their biggest backer.

At the celebration dinner, after a few drinks, Robert turned on me in front of the whole family.

"Now that we have a publicly listed company, do you truly believe you're still worthy of my daughter?"

Chloe quietly chided him, "Dad, what are you talking about?"

But Robert sneered, "Since you married him, what has he ever done to help our family?"

I cracked a smile. "Without me, Vertex Corp. would have had a tough time going public."

I was just stating a fact, but the room suddenly went silent.

Everyone stared at me with strange expressions, wondering if I was trying to be funny.

Robert froze for two seconds, then sneered.

"My company going public, what does that have to do with you? Let's be honest, aren't you just a freeloader I've been supporting?"

As soon as he said that, everyone else laughed.

I could see the disdain in their smiles.

Even if they didn't say it directly, I could guess.

They probably thought I was a shameless kept man.

I wasn't angry. I turned to Chloe, who was sitting next to me.

"As long as you don't mind me."

I was about to take her hand, but she instinctively pulled away.

Chloe's face was cold, and her eyes held a hint of disgust.

"You're always like this, boasting for no reason, making us a laughingstock."

It was the first time in three years she'd rejected me.

And it was on the very night her family's company officially went public.

I withdrew my hand and smiled back at her. "I'm telling the truth. Don't you even believe me?"

"Believe what?"

Chloe stared at me indifferently. "Believe you're some kind of good luck charm?"

I had invested fifty million dollars to help their family go public, hoping it would strengthen our marriage.

Instead, it just showed me how selfish this family truly was.

Chloe's younger sister, Megan, suddenly mocked me too:

"Chloe's right. Some people do nothing but think they're hot stuff. Anyone else would have died of embarrassment."

I glanced at her, asking with a smile, "When did our adult conversations become your business?"

"I'm 22, are you asking for a fight?!" Megan instantly blew up.

Everyone else looked at me in surprise at her words.

After all, in their eyes, I was the outsider.

Even Chloe thought I was in the wrong and told me to apologize to Megan.

Eleanor said I was a jerk for daring to bully her youngest daughter.

I shot back, "So it's fine for your whole family to gang up and bully me, is that it?"

"Liam, are you drunk and making a scene today?!"

Facing Chloe's anger, I picked up the glass in front of me and smiled.

"I'm driving today, haven't touched a drop."

"Then why are you acting crazy? Dad's had too much to drink, he didn't mean any of this!"

Robert had a dark expression the whole time.

He told everyone he wasn't drunk today.

He simply wanted to use this dinner to formally announce that I was out of the Sterling family.

He even called me a parasite and said I shouldn't be sitting there.

I calmly looked at Chloe. "And you? What are you thinking?"

Chloe opened her mouth, then hesitated.

She first looked at her father, who was sitting at the head of the table, then at her mother.

She sighed, unable to meet my eyes when she spoke.

"Liam, maybe we're... we're really not a good fit..."

"My work will get even busier, and I'll have to attend high-end business galas frequently."

"Even... even there might not be time to have children."

"Staying together would only hold you back."

I nodded subtly. "Understood. Then, as you wish, we'll get a divorce."