My CEO husband, Victor Thorne, loved bringing his buddies home for dinner, claiming it made us feel more like a family. Watching me serve a table piled high with dishes, one of his friends grinned. “You’re always such a gracious hostess, Elara! Truly the queen of this castle.” My expression didn’t change as I asked, half-jokingly, “Oh? Is there some other, less… *generous* lady of the house I should know about?” His friends froze, a flicker of panic in their eyes. Victor chuckled, pulling me into a hug. “Listen to them babbling nonsense. Besides you, who else in this world is worthy of being my wife?” Watching his nonchalant act, I smiled. But the moment I turned away, I dialed a number. “Julian, Victor Thorne is cheating on me. Make sure he rots in prison.” My brother on the other end of the line was silent for three seconds. “Elara, are you sure you’re not mistaken? Victor, he…” I pulled off the wedding ring from my left hand, the diamond digging painfully into my palm. “We’ve been married for ten years. Every single one of his cufflinks, I’ve had custom-made in Italy.” “But today, he’s wearing a cheap, plastic flower pin. Julian, do you really think I’m mistaken?” “You know I won’t tolerate injustice. Expose all the dirty deeds he’s done over the years. And while you’re at it, get me the best lawyer. I want a divorce.” Julian’s anger flared. “Consider it done.” Half an hour later, my phone pinged with an encrypted file. I clicked open the first picture: an innocent-looking girl in a white shirt, beaming as she held a man’s arm. Her wrist, peeking out from her sleeve, bore a wolf-head tattoo identical to Victor’s. Without hesitation, I drove straight to his company. Minutes later, a girl with long, straight black hair and a white dress hurried out. I glanced at her employee ID: Serena Vance. The moment she saw me, her face went white with fright. She instinctively hid her hand behind her back. But I still caught sight of it: a Swiss custom-made watch. Last year, on my birthday, I received a notification of a Swiss purchase. A three-million-dollar watch, a fifty-thousand-dollar necklace. The necklace was carefully kept at home. The watch was on *her* wrist. I scoffed, cutting straight to the chase. “Ms. Vance, your husband seems to have remarkably similar taste to mine. Even his custom-made watch has the exact same design.” Serena trembled at my words, her red lips parting and closing several times before she stammered, “Y-yes… I guess all men have similar aesthetics.” Her fingers, clutching the hem of her dress, were bone-white. “Enough with the act,” I said flatly. “You’re the ‘little lady’ they’ve been calling, aren’t you?” Seeing that I’d directly confronted her, Serena trembled even harder, a panicked mess. “Please don’t misunderstand, it’s just that Mr. Thorne had another low blood sugar faint, and I simply looked after him once.” “Mr. Thorne’s friends thought I was very attentive, and they were just joking around.” “I’m truly sorry if I caused any misunderstanding.” With that, she even dramatically folded over in a ninety-degree bow towards me. She looked like a pathetic, wronged damsel. If I hadn’t seen her tactics for seducing Victor, I might have actually fallen for it. Half a month ago, she posted a video on TikTok. A man was swiping his card at a luxury car dealership, next to a Porsche. Her caption read: *Where a man’s money goes, his love follows.* At that time, I was at home, burning with a fever, almost unconscious. I called Victor, asking him to take me to the hospital. He panicked for a second, but then his voice turned hoarse, like he was suppressing something. “Darling, I’ll have the housekeeper take you. I have something urgent I can’t get away from.” An hour later, I was fighting for my life in the hospital with pneumonia. Meanwhile, she posted a photo lying in a car, a man’s chiseled abs dotted with suggestive red marks. Caption: *New car and you, forever marked as mine.* When Victor finally arrived, his shirt still half-unbuttoned. He threw himself by my bedside, his eyes red-rimmed. Then, I naively thought he was worried about me. But it turns out, it was just guilt from his illicit affair. A wave of nausea washed over me. And *this* is the caliber of woman Victor betrayed me for? Truly pathetic. Too disgusted to watch her pathetic act any longer, I turned and left. But the moment I got into my car, Victor called. The instant I answered, his voice was laced with panic. “Why did you suddenly decide to come to the company?”
“Why?” I started the car, asking coolly, “Just happened to have a contract to discuss. Is there something you’re afraid I’ll find out?” Victor seemed completely thrown by my question. His breathing hitched. After a few seconds of silence, his voice softened, adopting his usual coaxing tone. “Darling, what are you talking about?” “There’s nothing I’m hiding from you. It’s just that my office is a mess; I’d have had someone clean it up if I knew you were coming.” “Besides, how could I ever betray you? Feel free to check anything.” Hearing that, I felt a flicker of confusion. Serena hadn’t told him I’d confronted her. I scrolled through the evidence, listening to his excuses. Three gigabytes of files, every single day connected to Victor. Last Valentine’s Day, he claimed to be on a business trip abroad and couldn’t call. In reality, he was in the Arctic watching the Northern Lights with Serena. My father was gravely ill, I called him over thirty times, and he didn’t answer a single one. Turns out, he was celebrating Serena’s birthday. “I believe you, but what about that watch?” Seeing that I brought it up, Victor seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. He leaned closer to the phone, his voice laced with a deliberately cultivated intimacy. “That watch… I fainted suddenly at the office, and Serena happened to be passing by. She helped me to the hospital.” He paused, then continued, “She stayed by my side all night, so I bought her the watch as a thank you. I just forgot to tell you.” Forgot, huh? He must be quite forgetful then. Not only did he forget to tell me about that, but he also conveniently forgot about the three days and three nights they spent in a penthouse suite at a hotel. I sneered inwardly. “She’s incredibly attentive, isn’t she? Even the black shirt you wore when you fainted, she washed, ironed, and returned it to you perfectly the next day.” Victor clearly faltered on the other end, his breath catching for a split second, before he quickly recovered with a laugh. “Isn’t she though? The young lady is so thoughtful.” “See? You’re always so suspicious. You’re the only one in my heart, darling.” His voice was close to the receiver, dripping with forced affection. “Once I’m done with this busy period, I’ll take you to the Maldives for a make-up vacation, just the two of us. How does that sound?” That tender tone used to melt my heart. Now, it just made me sick. “Sounds lovely,” I said, gazing out at the passing city lights, my voice as calm as if I were discussing the weather. “But you focus on your important business first. Don’t let me distract you.” “Nothing is more important than spending time with you, darling.” Victor’s voice was filled with urgent appeasement, but my heart grew colder and colder. It wasn’t just Victor’s betrayal that shocked me, but the realization that they had been playing this charade right under my nose for so long. My grip on the steering wheel tightened. I fought back the urge to confront Victor right then and there. No. I wanted him to confess his relationship with Serena in front of everyone, and then I would utterly ruin both of them. I mumbled a few dismissive words and hung up the phone. Just then, Serena’s social media updated again. The screen showed her in an intricately designed, diamond-encrusted wedding gown, her eyes sparkling with joy. “Another mistress tried to cause trouble today, wanting to take my place, but Mr. Thorne is making it up to me. He’s finally going to marry me!” “I just mentioned wanting a castle wedding, and he bought an entire castle for me!” She curved her lips, the camera casually sweeping over a property deed. “And these wineries? He actually wants me to manage them!” “How could a little dummy like me do that? Good thing Mr. Thorne promised to come with me to assert my authority, so those people won’t dare to bully me because of my age!” Seeing my French name printed on the property deed in the video, a surge of pure rage coursed through me. Those wineries were a coming-of-age gift from my brother. And Victor Thorne was using them to impress his mistress! Fine. They wanted to assert their authority, did they? I’d like to see how they’ll ‘establish their authority’ in front of the *real* owner of the winery!
I bought a plane ticket that night and flew to France. At the winery, Mr. Abernathy, the old butler, looked surprised to see me. “Ms. Sterling, what brings you here? Didn’t you say you were lending the estate to Mr. Thorne for an event today? And that all the family members were to be cleared out?” Hearing that, I felt my anger flare. Just as I was about to reply, Victor’s call came through. “Darling, I’m in a cross-border meeting. I’ll fly back to you as soon as I’m done.” Before I could answer, a syrupy sweet female voice faintly echoed from the other end. “Victor, does this look good on me?” The next second, Victor muffled the phone and walked away. “Can’t talk now, meeting’s starting.” Almost simultaneously, the winery’s ornate gates swung open, and over a dozen luxury cars pulled up in sequence at the fountain plaza. Countless unfamiliar faces were ushered to their seats. I found a secluded spot and sat down. Once everything was set, Serena Vance made her entrance in a fiery red haute couture gown, oozing the smug confidence of someone who’d just risen above her station. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Serena Vance, the new owner of this winery.” “Mr. Thorne said that from now on, all the wine here, the castle, even every grape in the vineyard, is under my management!” “To celebrate, all wines are seventy percent off, consider it a welcome gift!” Seventy percent off? She was certainly generous. The cheapest wines here cost at least a million a bottle. Some were such rare vintage collector’s items that even the British Royal Family would have to think twice before I’d consider selling to them! Mr. Abernathy, who had watched me grow up, was seething with rage. “When did this winery become hers?!” “And how dare Victor Thorne cheat on Ms. Sterling with a mistress?! Does he have a death wish?!” Seeing the butler about to storm out, I quickly shook my head. Now wasn’t the time to expose her. I wanted Victor to personally admit his relationship with Serena, and then I would utterly ruin both of them. Just then, the ornate gates opened again, and Victor Thorne strode in, impeccably dressed in a custom suit. Serena immediately rushed into his arms, giggling as she shook his arm. “Victor, I always said this brand suits you best.” Victor’s eyes visibly stiffened, but he nodded impassively. My internal fury, however, was about to erupt. The founder of that brand is our sworn enemy. My father was driven to his grave, heartbroken and defeated, by their ruthless schemes. Victor knew this. Yet, he was publicly slapping me in the face. Just as I could no longer hold back and was about to storm out, Victor’s friends surrounded him. “Victor, look at your ‘little lady,’ so vibrant and full of life!” “‘Little lady,’ our Victor just bought you a winery worth hundreds of millions! Where else can you find such a great man?!” “From now on, this winery will be called the ‘Vance Estate,’ so how are you going to thank our Victor?” Amidst their boisterous laughter, Serena lowered her head, blushing. Just then, Mr. Dubois, the winery manager, who was bringing over wine, spoke up, confused. “Called the ‘Vance Estate’? Didn’t you just borrow this from our young mistress, Ms. Sterling?” At his words, the guests exchanged bewildered glances, whispering among themselves. “What’s going on?” “I only heard this winery belonged to Mrs. Thorne, but isn’t Mrs. Thorne’s maiden name Sterling?” “Huh? Then if she’s a Vance, could she be some kind of imposter?” The manager’s face was already alight with fury. “Mr. Thorne, how could you do such a thing behind Ms. Sterling’s back?!” As he spoke, he reached for his phone to call me. The next second, Victor’s bodyguards swarmed forward, pressing the manager to his knees. Victor’s gaze swept coldly over the gathered crowd. “Rip his mouth out. Make him pay for running his mouth.” His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried the ruthless chill of someone accustomed to high power. The banquet hall fell silent instantly. Victor didn’t even lift an eyelid, his fingers casually caressing Serena’s face. “Serena is the true young mistress of the Thorne family! Elara Sterling is merely a housekeeper we employed.” A housekeeper? I was almost laughing from pure indignation. It seemed Victor had truly forgotten who had, step by step, propelled him to his current position of power. If it weren’t for me, he’d still be a nobody on the streets, getting kicked around, barely surviving! I struggled alongside him for ten years, even taking two knives to the chest for him, and had my brother secretly help him. When I was teetering on the edge of life and death, all I thought about was how to pave the way for him. Yet, in the end, he called me a “housekeeper.” No one present dared to cross Victor, and they all quickly chimed in. “So that’s it! Mrs. Thorne is too generous, letting a mere housekeeper use the Thorne family name to swagger around and cheat people.” Some even advised Serena. “Mrs. Thorne, a housekeeper like that might try to seduce Mr. Thorne at any time.” “You need to be careful. I think you should just fire her!” “With such malicious intentions, she should be thrown into the ocean to feed the fish!” The triumphant smile on Serena’s face was impossible to suppress. The manager’s face was ashen, but he struggled desperately before being dragged away. “I want to see Ms. Elara Sterling! She is the true Mrs. Thorne!” The guests’ faces showed disdain. “That housekeeper is truly cunning, even the winery manager has been fooled by her!” “Mr. Thorne, you really can’t keep such an ungrateful snake around.” Victor’s cold gaze swept over the crowd, his thin lips parting slightly. “I’ll say it again: I only have Serena Vance as my wife. From now on, anyone who dares to disrespect her will face my wrath.” The banquet hall fell silent. Only I slowly began to clap, the sound drawing everyone’s attention. I took off my baseball cap, looking at them coldly. “Then tell me, if she’s Mrs. Thorne, who exactly am I?” Victor and Serena’s smiles instantly froze.
The air in the banquet hall seemed to instantly solidify. The guests’ gazes uniformly slammed into me. From initial bewilderment, to seeing my face, they all gasped sharply. Serena’s triumphant smile instantly froze. She instinctively shrank behind Victor, her fingers, gripping his sleeve, trembling uncontrollably, her voice shaking. “You… how are you here?” I ignored her, my eyes fixed on Victor. His pupils abruptly constricted, a flicker of panic in his eyes, but it was quickly masked by his usual ruthlessness. He released Serena’s waist, walked towards me, his voice carrying an almost imperceptible tremor of alarm. “Elara? Why are you here? Didn’t I tell you to wait for me at home?” “Wait for you at home?” I repeated those words, smiling as I looked up at his familiar face, then spoke softly, “Wait for you to give my winery away to someone else, or wait for you to announce to the world that I’m merely your family’s housekeeper?” Victor’s face instantly darkened. After a moment, he seemed to have suppressed his emotions. He lowered his head, his voice deliberately hushed, attempting to plead, “There are too many ears here; this isn’t the place to talk.” “Elara, come home with me first.” “We’ll discuss everything at home; I’ll explain everything slowly later.” He tried to reach for my wrist, his movements as familiar as the countless times he’d placated me over the past decade. But looking at the cheap plastic flower pin on his cuff, smelling the perfume on him that wasn’t mine, I felt my stomach churn. I sharply recoiled, avoiding his touch. “Explain?” I laughed, the sound jarringly loud in the silent banquet hall. “Explain why you’re wearing the brand of our sworn enemy?” “Explain why you gave the winery my brother gifted me as a present to your mistress?” “Or explain how smug you felt when you just called me a housekeeper?” Victor’s face went from green to pale. He likely hadn’t expected me to publicly slap him in the face like this, and the panic in his eyes was undeniable. He gritted his teeth, his voice dropping even lower, almost a whisper against my ear. “Elara Sterling, don’t make a scene!” “Do you really want to humiliate me in front of everyone? Just come with me now, I’m begging you.” “Please?” He tried to soften me with his past intimate tone, but I found it utterly sarcastic. Years ago, when he was being chased and beaten in the streets, I was the one who carried him on my back for three blocks to find a doctor. When he was stabbed by a rival and lay on the operating table, I signed the critical condition notice and waited outside the operating room for three days and three nights. “Victor Thorne,” I looked up at him, my gaze as cold as tempered steel, “Do you really think there’s a ‘later’ for us anymore?” Victor’s face completely lost all color. He probably hadn’t expected me to be so merciless. “Elara, do you really have to be like this?” He practically gritted his teeth as he spoke, “Our ten years together, can’t you give me a chance to explain?” “Years together?” I pulled a stack of documents from my bag and flung them hard at his face. Papers scattered across the floor, the top one a record of his and Serena’s stay in a hotel penthouse suite. “When you were tangled up with her while I was burning with fever and unconscious, why didn’t you think about our ‘years together’?” Victor’s head snapped back from the impact of the files, veins bulging in his neck. The next second, he whirled around fiercely, his eyes filled with a hatred I couldn’t comprehend. “Elara Sterling, then don’t blame me.” Victor abruptly turned, his voice sharp. “Everyone, look closely! This woman is no Mrs. Thorne! She’s just a housekeeper employed by my family!” “Her family was so poor they couldn’t make ends meet back then. I kindly took her in, gave her food and clothes, and let her work as a housekeeper in my home!” He pointed at my nose, the ruthlessness in his eyes almost overflowing. “I never expected her to be such an ungrateful snake, seeing my success and daring to try and worm her way into my bed, even forging an identity to flaunt around and deceive people!” Serena immediately played along, her eyes reddening, sobbing behind him. “Victor, don’t say that… Ms. Sterling was just confused for a moment…” As she spoke, she secretly glanced up to gauge the guests’ reactions, a hint of triumph in her eyes. Several of Victor’s friends immediately stepped forward to back him up. “That’s right! We all know!” “This woman is just a housekeeper, using her long stay in the Thorne household to try and climb the social ladder!” “Victor has been more than benevolent to her, yet she still dares to cause trouble here. Shameless!” The guests’ murmurs grew louder, their gazes at me filled with disdain and disgust. Some pointed fingers at me, and one even muttered, “Turns out she’s a fraud. Looks decent on the outside, but her heart is utterly foul.” Victor watched the scene, a twisted smile on his face. He took a step forward, closing in on me, and threatened in a voice only we could hear, “Elara Sterling, if you know what’s good for you, get out now, or I’ll ruin you here and ensure you have no future left!” I looked at his distorted face, finding it utterly ridiculous. Mr. Abernathy, the old butler, was trembling with rage, shakily pointing at Victor. “You… you ungrateful snake!” “If Ms. Sterling hadn’t begged her father to pull strings and save you, you’d have rotted in prison long ago!” “Ms. Sterling broke ties with her family for you, even taking a knife for you and almost dying! Is this how you repay her?!” Victor’s face went from green to pale, clearly not expecting the old butler to expose his past in public. The ruthlessness in his eyes was almost overflowing. Just then, Serena Vance, who had been hiding behind him and feigning pitifulness, suddenly looked up, a sinister glint in her eyes. She clutched Victor’s sleeve, her voice timid, yet her words were venomous. “Victor… I, I know this might not be good to say… but if Ms. Sterling keeps pestering you like this, won’t it… won’t it jeopardize your plans?” She paused, as if summoning courage, then looked around at the guests, her voice trembling but clear. “I heard the others say before that people with malicious intentions, ungrateful snakes like her… they should be… they should be thrown into the ocean to feed the fish…” At her words, the hall fell into a terrifying silence. Even Victor’s friends were stunned, clearly not expecting this woman, who usually acted so sweet and innocent, to utter such cruel words. Victor’s pupils constricted sharply. He instinctively looked at me, a complex flicker in his eyes.
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “298540”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic
Leave a Reply