Chapter 3

Bringing Robert and Eleanor along wasn't just to make the scene more dramatic.

It was because Eleanor's obnoxious, demanding personality was actually highly effective in situations like this.

Chloe and I had been together since college.

I started my business during my sophomore year.

After graduation, Chloe landed a prestigious corporate job.

To everyone else, we were the perfect couple. One had a stable, respectable career, and the other made a ton of money.

But Chloe had inherited her parents' insufferable arrogance.

When we were dating and first married, I thought her high standards were a good thing. I figured it would motivate me to do better.

But as the years went by, she began to look down on me for being a "mere businessman."

She spent my money like water, yet constantly bragged about being an independent, high-flying career woman.

She refused to have children and insisted on sleeping in separate bedrooms.

At home, I had to cater to her every whim like a servant, meeting both her emotional and material demands.

And yet, no matter how hard I tried, it was never enough.

Whenever she came home, she would lecture me using corporate buzzwords she picked up at her job.

If I tried to discuss anything with her, she would look at me with disgust, claiming I knew nothing about "real corporate world."

She constantly talked about how hardworking the men at her company were, and how prestigious it was to work in a real office.

In her eyes, even the low-paid contract workers at her firm were superior to me.

Soon, the hotel manager rushed over.

"Good afternoon, ma'am. How can I assist you today?"

Eleanor crossed her arms, looking down her nose at him.

"My daughter booked a room here. Why the hell am I not allowed to go up?"

The manager bowed slightly, his tone incredibly polite.

"Of course you can, ma'am."

"If you could just tell me your daughter's room number, I will personally escort you there."

"If I knew the room number, why would I need you to escort me?!" Eleanor's voice grew louder, drawing stares from other guests.

"Take me up right now. Do you have any idea what company my daughter works for?"

"One phone call from us, and I can have this hotel shut down for an inspection!"

The manager kept smiling, but his attitude remained firm.

"I apologize for the poor experience, ma'am."

"But we have strict policies regarding guest privacy."

"How about this? I'll make an exception. If you give me your daughter's name, I will call her room directly from our internal line to verify. Would that be acceptable?"

Eleanor snorted. "Finally, some common sense."

Before she could say Chloe's name, I stepped in.

"We already tried calling her cell, and she didn't answer."

"If she were free, she would have answered. A call from the front desk might disturb her if she's resting."

I couldn't let them make that internal call. If Chloe answered, she would know we were downstairs, and all my plans would go to waste.

The manager immediately offered a backup plan.

"In that case, let me escort you all to the VIP lounge. Once your wife calls back, you can head up immediately."

That wouldn't work either. My entire plan relied on the element of surprise.

If I couldn't catch Chloe off guard, this whole trip was pointless.

Before I could object, Robert waved his hand dismissively.

"Fine, let's do that. We can't just stand in the lobby like fools."

He turned to glare at me. "And you, you're always so useless at handling simple things. No wonder you're just a vulgar businessman."

Just as I was racking my brain for an excuse to stop them, several familiar figures walked through the revolving doors.

It was Lindsey and Chloe's colleagues.