My wife, Seraphina—a woman who commanded respect, a true queenpin in her own right—always insisted on having her “sisters” over for dinner. “That’s what makes a family,” she’d always say. Watching me serve a table piled high with food, one of her friends grinned. “Our Arthur is just *so* perfect, isn’t he? Always so attentive, always holding down the fort like a true patriarch.” My expression remained unchanged, but I casually shot back, half-joking. “Oh? What, is there some stingy ‘kept man’ out there I don’t know about?” Her friends froze, a flicker of panic in their eyes. But Seraphina just laughed, looping her arm through mine and nuzzling me playfully. “Don’t listen to their nonsense, darling. Besides you, who else in this world could ever be my husband?” Seeing her act so nonchalant, I smiled. But as I turned away, I dialed a number. “Dad, Seraphina Caldwell is cheating. Make sure she rots in a prison cell.” My father on the other end of the line was silent for three seconds. “Arthur, are you sure? Seraphina, she…” I pulled the wedding ring from my left hand. The diamond dug into my palm, a painful, biting reminder. “We’ve been married for ten years. Every brooch she owns was custom-made for her in Italy by me.” “But the one she’s wearing today is a cheap plastic flower. Dad, do you really think I’m mistaken?” “You know I won’t tolerate any disrespect. Send over all the evidence of her smuggling and money laundering over the years. And while you’re at it, get me the best lawyer. I want a divorce.” My father’s voice hardened with anger. “Alright.” Half an hour later, an encrypted file landed on my phone. I clicked open the first picture: a fresh-faced boy in a crisp white shirt, his arm around a woman’s shoulder, smiling shyly. On the wrist peeking from his sleeve was a wolf head tattoo, identical to Seraphina’s. Without a moment’s hesitation, I drove straight to the company. Minutes later, a young man with faded, well-worn jeans and dark hair ran out. I glanced at his work badge: Julian Hayes. The moment he saw me, his face went white with fear. He instinctively hid his hand behind his back. But I’d already seen it: a Swiss custom-made watch. Last year, on my birthday, I received a Swiss credit card statement. One watch worth three million, one necklace worth fifty thousand. The necklace was mine. The watch was on his wrist. I scoffed, getting straight to the point. “Mr. Hayes, your wife has similar taste to mine, it seems. Even the custom-made watch designs are identical.” Julian trembled at my words, his lips parting and closing for a full minute before he stammered out. “It… it’s… it’s true… maybe all women have similar taste.” His fingers, clutching at the hem of his shirt, were turning white. “Alright, drop the act.” “You’re her ‘kept man,’ aren’t you?” Seeing me lay it all bare, Julian trembled even harder, a panicked mess. “Please don’t misunderstand, it was just… Ms. Caldwell fainted from low blood sugar again, and I just helped her out once.” “Ms. Caldwell’s friends thought I was very attentive, so they were just joking around.” “I’m truly sorry if I caused any misunderstanding.” With that, he even exaggeratedly bowed ninety degrees to me. He looked like a poor, wronged college student. If I hadn’t seen the manipulative ways he’d charmed Seraphina, I might have actually fallen for it. Half a month ago, he posted a video on social media. A woman was swiping her card at a car dealership, next to a Porsche. His caption: [Wanted a new car, and my lady came through with her card.] At that very moment, I was home, burning up with a fever until I passed out. I called Seraphina, asking her to take me to the hospital. She panicked for a split second, but then her voice turned hoarse, as if she was suppressing something. “Honey, I’ll send the housekeeper to take you. I have something urgent here I can’t leave.” An hour later, my fever had spiraled into pneumonia, and I was in the ER, fighting for my life. Meanwhile, he posted a photo lying in the car. The tattoo on the woman’s collarbone—my initials—was adorned with suggestive red marks. Caption: [Not only does my sugar mama treat me right, but she’s got a soft touch where it counts.] When Seraphina finally rushed to the hospital, her shirt buttons were still undone. She threw herself by my bedside, her eyes red-rimmed. Back then, I naively thought she was worried about me. But now, I knew it was nothing more than the phantom guilt of a woman fresh from her illicit affair. A wave of nausea washed over me. This man? This slimy kept man was worth Seraphina betraying me for? Too disgusted to watch his pitiful act any longer, I turned and walked away. But just as I got into my car, Seraphina called. The moment I answered, her voice was frantic. “Why did you suddenly decide to come to the office?”
“Why?” I started the car, perfectly composed, and shot back. “Just happened to have a contract to discuss, that’s all. Do you have something you’re afraid I’ll find out?” Seraphina seemed taken aback by my question. Her breath hitched. After a few seconds of silence, her voice suddenly softened, adopting her usual coaxing tone. “Honey, what are you talking about?” “I have nothing to hide from you. It’s just that my office is a mess, and if you were coming, I’d have someone clean up first.” “Besides, how could I ever betray you? You can check anything you want.” Hearing her, I felt a flicker of confusion. Julian hadn’t told her that I’d confronted him. I flipped through the evidence, listening to her flimsy excuses. Three gigabytes of data, every single day tied to Seraphina. Last Valentine’s Day, she claimed she was abroad on a business trip and couldn’t call. In reality, she was in the Arctic watching the aurora with Julian. When my mother was gravely ill, I called Seraphina over thirty times. She didn’t answer a single one. At that very moment, she was celebrating Julian’s birthday. “I believe you. But what about that watch?” Seeing me bring up the subject, Seraphina actually sounded relieved. Her voice leaned into the phone, deliberately making it sound intimate. “That watch? I fainted at the office, and Julian happened to be passing by. He helped me get to the hospital.” She paused, then continued. “He stayed with me all night, so I just gave him a watch as a thank-you. I forgot to tell you about it.” Forgot? She had quite the selective memory. Not only did she forget to tell me about the watch, she also conveniently forgot that they went to the hotel’s top-floor suite that very night. And stayed for three days and three nights. A cold laugh echoed in my mind. “He’s certainly attentive, isn’t he? Even washed and perfectly ironed the clothes you wore when you fainted, and returned them the next day.” Seraphina clearly faltered on the other end, her breath catching. Then she laughed it off again. “Oh, he really is! So meticulous, truly. Pays attention to every little thing.” “See? You’re always so suspicious, darling. My heart belongs only to you.” Her voice purred into the receiver, laced with a practiced tenderness. “Once I’m done with this busy period, I’ll take you to the Maldives for a makeup vacation, just the two of us, okay?” That soft, gentle tone used to melt my heart. Now, it only made my stomach churn. “Sounds good.” I gazed out at the passing neon lights, my voice as calm as if I were discussing the weather. “But you focus on your important business first. Don’t let me get in the way.” “Nothing is more important than being with you, darling.” Seraphina’s voice was tinged with eager flattery, but my heart grew colder and colder. It wasn’t just Seraphina’s betrayal that chilled me. It was the realization that they had been playing me for so long, right under my nose. My grip on the steering wheel tightened. I fought down the urge to confront Seraphina immediately. After a few perfunctory words, I hung up. Just then, Julian Hayes updated his social media again. The picture showed him in an intricately designed suit studded with diamonds, his eyes alight with triumph. “Another kept man came to cause trouble today, trying to climb his way up! But my lady, to make it up to me, is finally going to marry me!” “I just mentioned wanting a castle wedding, and she bought me an entire castle!” He smirked, the camera casually sweeping over a property deed. “And all these vineyards? She wants *me* to manage them!” “How could a humble person like me possibly manage them well! Luckily, my lady promised to come with me to stake my claim, so those old-timers won’t look down on me!” Seeing the property deed in the video, bearing my French name, pure rage surged through me. Those vineyards were my father’s gift to me for my coming-of-age. Seraphina was using *my* property to appease her kept man! Fine. They want to stake their claim? Then I’d be damned if I didn’t show up in person, the *real* owner of the vineyards, and see how they planned to do it!
I bought a ticket to France that very night. At the vineyard, old Alfred, the butler, looked surprised to see me. “Master Arthur, what brings you here? Didn’t you say you were lending the estate to Madam Seraphina for an event today? You even had all the family staff cleared out.” Hearing that, I felt my anger flare. Just as I was about to reply, Seraphina’s call came through. “Honey, I’m in a cross-country meeting right now. I’ll fly back to you as soon as I’m done.” Before I could respond, I faintly heard a sickly sweet male voice from her end. “Seraphina, do I look good in this?” The next second, Seraphina covered the phone and moved away. “Gotta go now, meeting’s starting.” Almost simultaneously, the vineyard’s ornate gates swung open. A dozen luxury cars pulled up to the fountain plaza. Countless unfamiliar guests were seated, and I found a discreet spot to sit as well. Once everything was ready, Julian Hayes emerged, dressed in a custom-tailored suit, beaming with an obnoxious, self-important swagger. “Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Julian Hayes, the new owner of this vineyard.” “My lady said that from now on, everything here—the wine, the castle, even every single grape in the vineyard—is mine to command!” “To celebrate, all wines are seventy percent off! Consider it a welcome gift from me!” Seventy percent off? He was certainly generous. The cheapest wine here cost over a million a bottle. Some were rare vintages that I’d think twice about selling, even to the British royal family! Old Alfred, who had watched me grow up, was seething with rage. “When did this vineyard become *his*?” “And Seraphina! She’s cheating on you, Master Arthur! Is she out of her mind?” Seeing Alfred about to storm out, I quickly shook my head. This wasn’t the time to expose them. I needed to wait for Seraphina to personally admit her relationship with Julian, then I would utterly ruin both of those despicable cheaters. Just then, the ornate gates opened again, and Seraphina walked in, dressed in a designer suit. Julian immediately wrapped an arm around her shoulder, grinning as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips. “Seraphina, I told you this brand suited you best.” Seraphina’s eyes visibly stiffened, but she nodded, her face impassive. My rage, however, was about to ignite. The founder of that brand was a sworn enemy of my family. My grandfather had been framed by their schemes and had literally died of anger. Seraphina knew all about it. Yet now, she was publicly slapping me in the face. Just as I could no longer hold back and was about to storm out, Seraphina’s friends all swarmed around her. “Julian, our Seraphina just gifted you a vineyard worth hundreds of millions! Where else could you find such an amazing woman?” “From now on, this vineyard will belong to the Hayes family! How are you going to thank our Seraphina?” Amidst their laughter, Julian tightened his arm around Seraphina’s shoulder, his face radiating smug triumph. “Of course, I’ll thank my lady properly in bed~” His words were sickeningly suggestive. Seraphina, her face flushed, cast a coquettish glance at him. Pure fury consumed me. Just as I was about to say something, Mr. Davies, the vineyard manager, approached to serve wine and spoke, looking confused. “Belong to the Hayes family? Didn’t Madam Seraphina just borrow this estate from my young master?” At his words, the guests exchanged bewildered glances, whispering amongst themselves. “What’s going on?” “I only heard this vineyard belonged to Mrs. Caldwell’s husband, but isn’t her husband’s last name Lockhart?” “Wait, then who is this Mr. Hayes? Is he some kind of fake?” Mr. Davies’s face was already alight with anger. “Madam Seraphina, how could you do such a thing behind the young master’s back?” With that, he reached for his phone, intending to call me. The next second, Seraphina’s bodyguards swarmed forward, shoving Mr. Davies to his knees. Seraphina’s gaze swept coldly over the stunned crowd. “Shut his mouth. Let him learn the cost of reckless talk.” Her voice was low, yet it carried the brutal authority of a mob boss. The banquet hall fell silent in an instant. Seraphina didn’t even bat an eye, her fingertips idly tracing Julian’s face. “Julian is my *true* husband! Arthur Lockhart is nothing more than a servant in my household!” A servant? I nearly laughed at the sheer audacity. It seemed Seraphina had truly forgotten who had painstakingly elevated her to the position of a mob boss. If it hadn’t been for me, she’d still be being bullied and scavenging for scraps on the streets! I had toiled with her for ten years. I’d even taken two bullets to the chest for her. And my father helped her behind the scenes countless times. On the brink of death, all I could think about was how to pave the way for her. And in the end, in her mouth, I was just a “servant.” No one dared to challenge Seraphina, and they all quickly chimed in. “Oh, so that’s it! Mr. Caldwell’s husband is really too generous, letting a security guard use the Caldwell name to parade around, swindling people.” Someone even advised Julian. “Mr. Hayes, a security guard like that might try to seduce Mrs. Caldwell at any moment.” “You need to be careful! I think you should just fire him!” “With such evil intentions, he should be thrown into the sea to feed the fish!” Julian’s smug expression was impossible to hide. The manager’s face was ashen. As he was dragged away, he struggled desperately. “I want to see Mr. Arthur Lockhart! He’s Mrs. Caldwell’s real husband!” The guests’ faces contorted with disdain. “This security guard is truly cunning. Even the vineyard manager was fooled by him!” “Mrs. Caldwell, you can’t keep an ungrateful snake like that around.” Seraphina’s cold gaze swept over the crowd, her thin lips parting. “I’ll say it one more time. Julian Hayes is my *only* husband. If any of you dare to disrespect him from now on, don’t blame me for being ruthless.” The room fell silent. Only I slowly began to clap, the sound drawing everyone’s attention. I took off my baseball cap and looked at them coldly. “Then tell me, if *he’s* your husband, who am I?” Seraphina and Julian’s smiles instantly froze. The air in the banquet hall seemed to solidify instantly. All eyes in the room snapped to me. From initial bewilderment to dawning recognition, guests gasped in unison.
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