Chapter 4

The fire of revenge burned hot in my chest, but I had to keep up appearances.

My daily life had to go on, especially since I was managing a major project—the complete interior design of a luxury villa in the suburbs.

The client was incredibly demanding. Every detail of the construction had to be perfect.

One of the most important material suppliers for this project was Victoria Brooks.

Victoria was a heavy hitter in the local construction scene.

In her early thirties, she had taken over her family’s supply business and turned it into an empire. She was sharp, efficient, and had an impeccable reputation. I highly respected her as a partner.

"Carter, you seem off today," Victoria called out to me at the construction site.

She was wearing a neat jumpsuit and a hard hat. Her sharp eyes scanned my face.

"When I was explaining the marble vein matching patterns for the foyer, you spaced out twice."

I forced a tight smile. "Sorry, Victoria. Just didn't sleep well last night."

"Really?"

Victoria took off her hard hat, revealing a striking, makeup-free face.

"You don't look tired. You look like you have something heavy on your mind. Come on, let me buy you a coffee. We can go over the material delivery schedule while we're at it."

I couldn't decline.

At a quiet coffee shop near the site, Victoria ordered two espressos.

"Alright, what's bothering you?" she asked, sliding a cup toward me.

"We've worked together for a long time, Carter. You're always meticulous. You don't make mistakes like this. If a personal matter is affecting your work, the villa client won't accept any excuses."

Her directness actually made me want to open up.

Maybe I had bottle things up for too long, or maybe her sharp, professional understanding made me feel safe. I found myself talking.

I didn't give away too many details. I simply mentioned that my wife had been acting strange lately, and that I suspected... she was seeing someone else.

I took a sip of my bitter espresso, but the taste couldn't match the bitterness in my heart.

"Ha," Victoria let out a cold, cynical laugh.

"Whether it's a man or a woman, do they all turn into the same garbage after marriage?"

I froze, looking at her in confusion.

"My husband spent over a hundred thousand dollars on a watch for some 'important client,' and invested hundreds of thousands into shady projects. Whenever I ask where the money went, he says it’s just for business and networking," Victoria said, looking out the window, her voice dripping with ice.

"His schedule has become erratic, and every word out of his mouth is a lie."

My heart skipped a beat. A bizarre, terrifying intuition gripped me.

"Victoria, you mean..."

"My husband is Jackson Vance," Victoria said slowly, turning her sharp gaze back to me.

"And for the past two months, he's been acting exactly like that."

*Jackson Vance!*

A bomb went off in my brain.

How could the world be this absurdly small?

My wife's lover was none other than Victoria’s husband!

Seeing my stunned, speechless expression, Victoria put the pieces together instantly.

Her face turned pale, but her eyes grew incredibly cold and sharp.

"The woman your wife is sleeping with... is it him?"

I nodded slowly, spitting out the words through clenched teeth. "Jackson Vance."

The coffee shop fell into a dead silence.

Two betrayed spouses sitting across from each other, discovering their partners were sleeping together in the most disgusting way possible.

It was the ultimate joke.

"Good. Very good," Victoria broke the silence.

She didn't cry or break down. Instead, she smirked, a dangerous, ruthless glint in her eyes.

"Carter, looks like we’re in the same boat."

She leaned in, staring into my eyes. "Since they love playing games so much, why don't we team up?"

I stared back at her, seeing the exact same hunger for revenge in her eyes.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Simple." Victoria put her coffee cup down with a heavy thud.

"We gather the evidence, uncover everything, and then... we strip them of every single penny and ruin their lives."

She locked eyes with me. "I need you."

"You’re the lead designer for Jackson’s luxury villa. He's been using the excuse of 'inspecting the site' to take your wife there. That villa is the perfect stage for us."

"And as for me..." Her lips curled into a chilling smile.

"I know his company's accounts and his personal cash flow better than anyone. If he thinks he can use our marital assets to fund his little mistress, he’s got another thing coming."