1 My wife was a severe germaphobe. To even hold her hand, I had to endure a full surgical scrub. I would stand at the sink, brushing my palms and the backs of my hands until the skin was raw and glowing red, all just to earn sixty seconds of physical contact. If I wanted a kiss, I had to brush my teeth ten times before my lips could even brush against hers. Sharing a bed was an entirely different ordeal. I had to soak myself in medical-grade disinfectant, completely sanitizing my body, before I was allowed to pull back the covers. We had been married for three years, and I respected every single one of her paranoid boundaries. That was, until her company hosted a corporate retreat at a beach house in the Hamptons. Standing a few yards away, I watched my wife’s young assistant rubbing tanning oil onto her skin. His bare, unwashed hands, still gritty with beach sand, slid smoothly over her exposed back, trailing all the way down to her ankles. That was the exact moment it hit me. Her obsessive cleanliness was only directed at me. I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed a secure number. “Pull the plug on all of April’s corporate projects. Shut them down immediately.” If she was so deeply disgusted by me, I could easily find a wife who wasn’t. After all, as the sole heir to Horizon Enterprises, the line of women waiting to marry me stretched from Manhattan to Paris. … April had brought her entire staff to the Hamptons to celebrate landing a ten-million-dollar PR contract. I had just walked two miles under the blazing sun to fetch her a fresh artisan smoothie. The moment I stepped onto the private beach, I saw her lying on her stomach on a luxury towel. Her assistant, Edward, was hovering over her, dutifully massaging the expensive lotion into her skin. April was wearing a striking bikini. Edward’s hands moved with practiced ease, sliding down the curve of her spine, intimate and entirely unapologetic. They looked like lovers without a care in the world. In three years of marriage, I hadn’t even been allowed to touch her shoulder without a hazmat-level cleansing routine. I had scrubbed my hands until they bled just to hold hers for a few fleeting minutes. Even intimacy required a written schedule a month in advance. Yet here she was, letting Edward’s sandy, filthy hands wander all over her half-naked body. My expression darkened as I closed the distance between us. “I wasn’t aware an assistant’s job description included greasing up his boss’s private parts.” April glanced up. A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes, but she didn’t bother to sit up. “Adam, don’t be dramatic. The sun is brutal today, and I couldn’t reach my own back. I just asked him for a quick favor.” Edward’s hand lingered on April’s pale waist. He looked up at me, a smug, mocking glint in his eyes. “Come on, man. You’re just a stay-at-home husband. Everything you enjoy right now is paid for by April. You knew we were coming to the beach, and you didn’t even prep her skincare routine. That’s pretty lazy on your part.” He gave her shoulder a final, affectionate squeeze. “I just didn’t want her perfect skin getting ruined. Someone had to step up.” With the last drop of lotion applied, April looked at me with the cold authority of a CEO addressing a janitor. “Edward worked hard. Give him that iced drink you bought so he can cool off.” Edward smirked and reached out to take the cup from my hand. My face went completely numb. Without a second thought, I raised my arm and dumped the freezing, crimson fruit smoothie directly over Edward’s head. “If you want a drink, buy it yourself. Or do you just have a fetish for taking things that belong to other men?” A sharp crack echoed across the sand. April had leaped up and slapped me across the face with everything she had. “Are you out of your damn mind, Adam?” Edward wiped the sticky red pulp from his eyes, playing the perfect victim as he gently grabbed April’s wrist. “April, it’s fine. I was just trying to help you out. I didn’t know your husband was so insecure.” He let out a pathetic sigh. “I guess men who stay locked in the house all day just lose their grip on reality. He doesn’t even realize who puts the food on his table.” I stared at the pathetic mess of a man, my voice dropping to a low, dangerous octave. “Since when does a glorified paper-pusher get a vote in my marriage?” Edward’s face flushed with ugly anger, looking like he had just swallowed a fly. April immediately stepped in front of him, shielding him like a wounded puppy while glaring at me with pure venom. “Apologize to him right now, Adam.” Hearing those words froze the last ounce of warmth I had for this woman. “And if I don’t?” Her expression turned entirely ruthless. “Then don’t blame me for forgetting we were ever married.” Without another word, she grabbed Edward’s arm and turned toward the massive beach house. “Let’s go inside, Edward. I’ll take you to the boutique down the road and buy you a new suit. I can’t have you catching a cold.” I stood alone on the beach, watching my wife walk away with another man. I took out my phone and made another call. “Halt every single operation tied to April’s agency. And find out exactly who signed that ten-million-dollar contract with her.” April claimed Edward was the genius who landed that massive account. I wanted to see exactly who at my company had the guts to sign off on a ten-million-dollar deal with an entry-level assistant without my direct approval. I sat by the ocean for a while, letting the cold saltwater breeze clear my head, before finally walking back to the villa. The moment I pushed open the heavy oak door, something shattered against the frame above me. A torrent of warm, rotting, fermented fruit juice rained down on my head. The sickeningly sweet smell of garbage filled my lungs. April’s icy voice drifted from the sunken living room. “You like pouring drinks on people, Adam? I figured I’d let you have a taste of your own medicine.” The room erupted in laughter. Dozens of her employees were lounging on the designer furniture, looking at me like I was the punchline to a pathetic joke. “A total freeloader living off our boss, and he actually has the nerve to lay a hand on Edward?” “Right? Everyone knows Edward is the absolute lifeline of this agency right now. Pissing him off is practically career suicide. Well, not that Adam has a career.” April sat crossed-legged on a white leather sofa, sipping champagne, her eyes devoid of any emotion. “This is the price of your stubbornness, Adam.” Edward strutted over to me, holding a plastic water bottle. The smug superiority radiating off him was nauseating. “Man, that spoiled juice smells absolutely vile. You’re stinking up the whole house. Let me help you wash that off.” He uncapped the bottle and squeezed the liquid directly over my hair. A sharp, pungent, deeply acidic stench hit my nose instantly. Hot liquid dripped down my forehead, stinging my eyes. A wave of pure, unfiltered rage exploded in my chest. It wasn’t water. It was piss. I lunged forward, grabbing Edward by the collar of his expensive polo shirt, nearly lifting him off the ground. My voice was a lethal whisper. “Do you have any idea what happens to people who cross me?” Edward barked a laugh, entirely unfazed. “You’re a useless househusband living off April’s credit cards. What are you gonna do? Burn my toast?” I didn’t waste breath on a reply. I drove my fist square into his jaw. The crunch of bone echoed through the room as Edward crumpled to the hardwood floor, spitting blood. April screamed and rushed forward, throwing herself between us. “Adam! He was trying to help you clean up, and you assault him again? How can you be this psychotic?” I wiped the vile liquid from my jaw, staring at her with a bitter smirk. “You’re really going to risk everything to protect him?” April met my gaze, her eyes blazing with absolute certainty. “He is my core team member. He’s the hero who brought in a ten-million-dollar deal. Of course I’m going to protect him!” The corners of my mouth twitched. “Is that so? What if I fire him right now? As Vice President of this agency.” When April first wanted to start her business, I didn’t just write the checks. I pulled strings across the entire East Coast, calling in heavy favors, and personally taught her how to run a boardroom. Once the agency gained a fraction of success, she manipulated me into stepping down, claiming she needed a stable presence at home. I hadn’t cared. I built the company to give her a sandbox to play in. I rarely went to the office anymore. But I still held forty percent of the voting shares. Firing a jumped-up assistant was a matter of a single email. The moment the words left my mouth, the room erupted into howling laughter. “Did this guy watch too many soap operas? He actually thinks he’s some ruthless CEO. He needs to check into a psych ward!” “A glorified maid threatening to fire our top earner. Is his brain melting?” Edward clutched his bruised jaw and looked up at April with teary, pathetic eyes. “April, if he hates me this much, I should just resign. I don’t want to ruin your marriage over a job.” April immediately grabbed his hand, her face twisting with protective fury. “No one dictates what happens in my company except me.” She turned to her HR director, who was standing by the bar. “Effective tomorrow morning, strip Adam of his VP title. Edward will be taking over the position.” My fingernails dug into my palms. I stared at the woman I had married, feeling like I was looking at a total stranger. “You’re publicly humiliating your husband and handing over my executive seat to an assistant?” April sneered. “Your name is just ink on a piece of paper. Edward actually brings value to this company. You bring nothing.” I let out a dry, hollow laugh. “I can’t wait to see exactly how much value this parasite brings you.” The idiot couldn’t even format a basic spreadsheet without holding someone’s hand. I turned on my heel, ready to walk out. The heavy front door slammed shut. The deadbolt clicked. April’s voice echoed behind me, cold and authoritative. “You’re not leaving this house until you get on your knees and apologize to Edward.” I slowly turned back to face her. “And if I refuse?” She crossed her arms. “Then we do this the hard way.” At her signal, three of the male employees lunged at me. They pinned my arms behind my back, using their sheer weight to force me down. One of them drove a heavy boot into the back of my knee. Bone cracked against the floor as I was forced to kneel. I ground my teeth together, the taste of copper flooding my mouth. “Are you absolutely sure you want to cross this line for him, April? Have you thought about what happens tomorrow?” She hesitated for a fraction of a second. Before she could speak, Edward stepped up, leaning heavily against her arm. “April, I just got promoted. If he disrespects me like this in front of the whole team and gets away with it, how am I supposed to lead them tomorrow?” That was all it took to harden her resolve. She looked down at me like I was trash on the sidewalk. “Apologize right now, Adam. And sign over your forty percent equity to Edward. If you do that, I’ll pretend today never happened.” The sheer audacity of her demand actually made me laugh. “Is your brain filled with concrete? You want me to gift millions of dollars in shares to a glorified secretary?” Seeing my absolute refusal, April’s face tightened. Edward smiled, wiping the blood from his chin. “Since Adam isn’t in a talking mood, why don’t we play a little game?” He snapped his fingers. The men dragged me across the living room and threw open the sliding glass doors leading to the massive backyard pool. The moment I saw the water, my blood ran cold. The pool was boiling. Dozens of illegally imported red-bellied piranhas were swarming wildly beneath the surface, snapping their razor-sharp teeth. I tensed, fighting against the men holding me. “What the hell is wrong with you people?” Edward crouched in front of me, a sickening grin on his face. “Just a little team-building exercise, man. Let’s see who swims faster, you or the fish.” April, completely ignoring her supposed germaphobia, linked her arm through Edward’s. “It’s not too late to apologize, Adam.” Murderous intent flooded my veins. My hands curled into fists so tight my knuckles turned white. “It’s not too late for you either, April. If I go into that water, I guarantee your precious agency won’t exist by sunrise.” Edward threw his head back and laughed. “Still pretending to be a billionaire? Drop him.” April didn’t even blink. “Throw him in. Pull him out when he learns some respect.” A heavy kick to my spine sent me plunging into the chlorinated water. The moment I broke the surface, the water churned. The fish swarmed like a plague of locusts. Sharp, tearing agony ripped through my calf. Then my thigh. The crystal blue water turned a horrific, cloudy crimson in seconds. I kicked violently, swimming toward the concrete edge with everything I had. My fingers clawed onto the slick tiles. Before I could pull myself up, Edward loomed over me, holding a high-voltage stun gun. “Where do you think you’re going?” He jammed the electrodes into the wet concrete right next to my hand. Blue electricity arched across the water. A massive shockwave tore through my nervous system, locking my muscles in blinding agony. I choked on the bloody water, nearly blacking out. Edward admired the blooming red cloud in the pool, thoroughly entertained. “Beg for mercy, or become fish food. Your choice.” He turned to the crowd of employees watching from the patio. “Let’s make this interesting. Taking bets on how long the deadbeat lasts!” The finance director eagerly raised his hand. “A thousand bucks says he gives up in ten minutes!” “Five hundred on five minutes!” Amid the sick cheering, a cold voice cut through the noise. “I’ll put down a hundred grand. He won’t last ten.” April pulled a sleek checkbook from her designer bag, scribbled on it, and handed it to Edward. “Consider this a little bonus for your promotion.” The crowd gasped in awe, eating up the display of wealth. “The boss really knows how to treat her executives!” “Adam’s getting kicked to the curb soon anyway. Edward is the future of this place.” As they cheered, my strength was rapidly fading. The blood loss and the electrical shocks were taking their toll. The swarm of teeth closed in again. Just as my vision started to darken, a frantic shout echoed from the front of the house. “Boss! We have a massive problem! The executives from Horizon Enterprises are here!” April frowned. The marketing manager came sprinting onto the patio, panting heavily. “The VP of Horizon just called! They are ten minutes away from this exact villa!” April froze. Edward puffed out his chest, looking incredibly pleased with himself. “See? I told you. They know we’re here for a retreat, and they want to celebrate with us. They’re probably bringing paperwork to double the account size!” The employees immediately showered him in praise. “Edward is a god! Horizon Enterprises never does house calls!” April glanced back at the pool. Seeing the horrific amount of blood in the water, a fleeting shadow of panic crossed her face. Edward noticed and played the perfect gentleman. “We can’t let the VIPs see this mess. It’s bad for corporate image. Pull him out.” The men grabbed my arms and hauled me out of the blood-soaked water, throwing me onto the cold concrete. I lay there gasping, my clothes shredded, blood pooling beneath me. Edward walked over, holding a shot glass filled with a murky amber liquid. “Here’s the deal, Adam. You drink this, and we call it even. You can walk out the back gate.” I stared up at him, my eyes dead and hollow. “We are far beyond calling it even, Edward.” April’s face hardened with impatience. “Adam, don’t push your luck. He’s offering you an out. Take it before I let them throw you back in.” I looked at my bleeding legs. I needed out of this house to make the phone call that would ruin their lives. I didn’t have the energy to fight twenty people. “If I drink that, you unlock the gate?” Edward smiled. “You have my word.” I snatched the glass from his hand and threw it back. The liquid tasted metallic and burned like battery acid going down my throat. Within seconds, my blood felt like it was boiling. My vision warped. A heavy, paralyzing numbness crept up my limbs, as if thousands of microscopic insects were chewing through my nerves. “What… what did you give me?” My tongue felt heavy. My knees buckled, and I collapsed onto the concrete, entirely unable to control my own body. The patio erupted in sadistic laughter. “Edward, you absolute legend. A custom muscle relaxant laced with compliance juice. He’s totally locked in his own head, but he’ll do whatever we tell him!” I gritted my teeth, fighting the terrifying paralysis. “You’re… dead men…” Edward chuckled, stepping forward and kicking me hard in the ribs. “Maybe. But right now, you’re the dead man.” “Bark for me, Adam. Bark like a good little dog.” The chemical fog was eating my brain. My body betrayed me, slumping forward onto all fours despite my screaming mind. I bit the inside of my cheek until it bled, using the sharp pain to tether myself to reality. Blood dripped from my mouth onto the stone. I couldn’t move a single muscle on my own. I looked up at April, desperately hoping to find a shred of humanity left in the woman I had loved. She just looked at her diamond-studded watch. “Keep it clean, guys. Horizon is almost here. I don’t want them seeing any blood. Though… he is my husband, so don’t completely break him.” Her permission was all they needed. The crowd descended on me like vultures. “Strip your shirt off! Let’s see how pathetic the boss’s husband really looks!” “Crawl over here and lick my shoes, you absolute loser! Let’s see what a billionaire househusband tastes like!” Just as a hand grabbed my torn collar, an explosive crash rattled the entire patio. The heavy iron gates of the backyard were violently kicked open. Dozens of men in sharp black suits swarmed into the yard, completely surrounding the pool. April turned her head, and the moment she saw the man leading the pack, her pupils dilated in absolute terror.
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