Chapter 1

Mackenzie Lister, my germaphobe wife, refuses to let any man besides me touch her. She stays a full arm's length away even when posing for photos with investors.

It stays that way until the day of my birthday, when Colin Sumner, her assistant, suddenly posts a photo on his social media.

In the photo, Mackenzie lets Colin hold her around the waist from behind. "I finally got to meet the role model I grew up looking up to! I have to keep pushing forward and chase my dreams!"

I leave a comment on the post. "You two are an item now?"

Mackenzie calls me. "He has always looked up to me, that's all. Why do you always have to twist things around? You'd better not make a fool of yourself and delete that comment this instant!"

Additionally, my colleagues also blame me for meddling too much in other people's business.

Colin immediately posts an update. "I've learned my first lesson from my role model—don't waste your time arguing with petty people."

I look at my social media feed, which is getting spammed with comments, and place a single phone call. The next day, every investment in Mackenzie's company is withdrawn.

Chapter 1

I finally answered my phone when Mackenzie Lister, my wife, called for the 13th time.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Thomas Quinlan? It's an extremely crucial moment for the company right now, especially since it's going public soon. You're going to ruin everything!

"Isn't it just a photo? Why are you making such a big deal out of it? You're making a complete laughingstock out of us! I must have been blind to marry someone as immature as you!"

Mackenzie immediately started tearing into me the second I picked up.

I had been arguing with Mackenzie countless times over her assistant, Colin Sumner, lately. I was completely exhausted by this point, so I just said calmly, "If you actually knew how to draw the line and kept your distance from him, we wouldn't be making a scene like this to begin with.

"You're actually blaming me now? Who's the one being unreasonable here, Mackenzie?"

Mackenzie's company relied entirely on my connections and funding to get off the ground from the very beginning.

I had invested so much time, effort, and resources into helping it grow, only to be repaid like this. I couldn't help but find it utterly absurd.

In addition, everyone knew Colin was my distant cousin. If he was shameless enough to mess around with his own cousin's wife, then he needed to own up to the fallout.

"Why are you acting so unreasonable right now? You're the one who told me Colin had a tough upbringing and asked me to look out for him. How could you be complaining now that I'm doing what you asked, Thomas?"

I scoffed. "I asked you to look after him, not get all over each other. I can overlook how cold you've been to me, but you'd better not forget whose connections and support had brought your company this far and stop before this turns ugly for the both of us."

Mackenzie fell silent for a moment, then grumbled unhappily. "You're so narrow-minded, Thomas. I work myself to the bone at the company every day, yet I still have to put up with your endless whining at home. Why can't you just give me a break, Thomas?"

I was running out of patience. "You think I'm the one being unreasonable here? You and Colin were practically about to kiss at the annual gala, and I'm not allowed to have a problem with that? Do I have to catch the two of you going into a hotel together before I have the right to get angry?"

I had been drinking one glass of strong liquor after another to help her secure an investment at the gala that day.

I had just begun to feel dizzy from drinking when the CEO from the other company suddenly patted my shoulder and said, "I didn't expect Ms. Lister to actually have such a gentle, delicate side."

I looked back in surprise and saw Mackenzie shyly leaning into Colin's arms while whispering something into his ear.

They kept covering their mouths and giggling together, completely wrapped up in their own world. They were standing so close that their lips actually brushed against each other for a moment. They looked just like a young couple head over heels in love.

I couldn't help but clench my fists when I saw the scene before me. I found myself wondering if this was the same Mackenzie who used to frown and pull away whenever someone touched her.

Mackenzie looked uneasy and avoided my gaze the moment I brought it up. "I was drunk that day. I wasn't even fully conscious of what I was doing. Do you really have to keep making a big deal out of it, Thomas?"

I obviously wasn't buying that joke of an excuse. "You said you were drunk back then, right? What about right now? Do you think you're out of it right now, too? I've caught you two being overly intimate more than once or twice. Do you even regard me as your husband, Mackenzie?"

Mackenzie's face flushed. She wanted to argue back, but after stammering for a while, she couldn't get a single word out.

I couldn't be bothered to talk nonsense with her anymore. "That's enough, Mackenzie. Do you honestly believe what you're saying? You'd better not pull something like this and provoke me again. My decision to withdraw the investment is just a warning."

Mackenzie wasn't about to back down without a fight since her financial interest was on the line. "Thomas Quinlan! Have I been so accommodating lately that you've started thinking you can act however you want?"

"Who exactly is the one losing sight of their place here, Mackenzie?" I asked, my expression hardening.

Mackenzie couldn't possibly have made it this far without me. She had become the perfect example of someone who forgot the person who helped her once she had succeeded.

I had been the one who fell in love with her at first sight and pursued her persistently, so she always held the upper hand in our relationship all those years. I had given everything willingly and had never held it against her, but nothing I did could change how cold she was toward me.

"I'm not going back and forth with you on this anymore, so you'd better get your act together," I said before hanging up on her.

I then leaned back into the couch and stared at the ceiling, sitting in total silence.

Chapter 2

The following day, I was woken up by an urgent call. "There's been a major issue, Mr. Quinlan! Ms. Lister inexplicably transferred all of her shares to Colin, so the board members are extremely upset about it!"

I froze for a moment before instinctively tapping open the work group chat, where it had already erupted into chaos.

"Is this for real? Is Ms. Lister really in a relationship with Colin?"

"Do you even have to ask? It's not like you guys don't know about Ms. Lister's special situation. Have you ever seen her get this physically close with anyone before? She literally gave Colin her shares! If that ain't love, I don't know what is!"

"Where does that leave Mr. Quinlan, then? I could've sworn they were actually a thing!"

"Mr. Quinlan has always been a hopeless simp for Ms. Lister!"

I couldn't help but laugh in sheer disbelief when I read that message.

Mackenzie had given me several conditions before joining the company, with one of them being that our status as a married couple was to remain hidden from everyone. She claimed she didn't want people assuming that she had reached her position because of me.

She had no problem taking my resources when she needed them, but now she wanted to pretend she built everything on her own. She didn't even have actual control over the company, so she didn't even have the right to transfer the shares to begin with.

She could mess around all she wanted, but the rest of the company wasn't going to suffer for her nonsense.

I took a deep breath and dialed Mackenzie's number, only to have Colin pick it up after a few rings. He then drawled on the other end of the line, saying, "I'm sorry, but Mackenzie just finished exercising and is taking a shower. You'll have to call back tomorrow, Thomas."

In that instant, everything went dead silent around me. I felt a lump in my throat as I asked, "What do you mean by showering? Where are you right now?"

Colin let out a contemptuous laugh, his voice filled with obvious provocation. "It's obvious that we're at a hotel. Where else did you think we'd be, Thomas?"

I knew Colin was deliberately provoking me. I held onto the phone tightly, my knuckles cracking from the force. "Do you know that she's my wife, Colin?"

Colin had nowhere to go after graduating from university, so he bent over backward to track down where I lived. He dropped to his knees before me the second he stepped inside, bawling his eyes out and begging me for help.

I felt bad for him, so I made an exception to let him join the company. I had never expected that decision to become the start of a betrayal.

Colin replied offhandedly, "Isn't this society about rewarding those who are capable? You were born with everything you could ever want, while I've struggled so much. Is it really so hard for you to step aside and let me have this, Thomas?"

I angrily ended the call. The disappointment, shame, and anger I had been holding in for so long suddenly exploded.

I looked around at the home I had once put so much effort into creating, only to find it painfully ironic now. I couldn't hold myself back anymore and threw my phone against the wall.

By the time Jesse Hall, my assistant, caught wind of the situation and rushed over, she walked in to find a complete mess. I was on the couch, burning through cigarettes one after the other, completely drowned in a suffocating cloud of smoke.

"What's our next move, Mr. Quinlan?" Jesse stood nervously by the doorway, her voice barely above a whisper.

I tossed the cigarette butt and ground it beneath my heel, replying coldly, "It's not the end of the world yet, so calm down."

I had no reason to stay behind Mackenzie every day to clean up her messes since she assumed she was capable enough to break away from my influence.

I was eager to observe how far an incompetent individual with only a vocational degree and a trophy wife who did nothing but shop for designer bags could actually go without my support.

…

It took five whole days for Mackenzie to bother remembering she had a husband waiting at home. She convinced herself that she ran the company and that the place would collapse without her and Colin, so she strolled back into the company acting like she was doing everyone a favor.

When she walked through the doors, she was met with earnings reports showing profits had surged multiple times over. The employees, who used to treat her with total deference, paid no attention to her presence, remaining engrossed in their work without looking up.

She felt utterly humiliated as she stormed over and kicked the major shareholders' door open in a fury.

But the board members inside barely spared her a look before returning to the restructuring paperwork in front of them.

Mackenzie snapped, "Have you all gone blind? Didn't you notice that I have returned?"

"Please be mindful of your behavior. There are people trying to work here, Ms. Lister," Jesse said, sounding courteous but completely detached.

Mackenzie pushed Jesse out of her way. "What's that supposed to mean? I'm the CEO of this company!"

Jesse maintained a polite, professional smile on his face as she asked, "Did you not know that Mr. Quinlan has revoked every single one of your shares, Ms. Lister?"

Chapter 3

Mackenzie stormed over to me in a rage, instantly flying off the handle. "Thomas Quinlan! What right did you have to revoke my shares without consulting me?"

I responded without urgency once she finished her outburst. "You're merely a figurehead for this company. You seem to have forgotten your actual role and status, so I felt obligated to bring it to your attention."

Mackenzie glared at me, gritting her teeth. "It's my company! You're the one who needs to get out of here, Thomas!"

Just as Mackenzie said that, all the shareholders inside the room erupted into laughter.

I laughed so hard that I could barely stand upright. "Your company? What part of the company's operations have you ever managed? You haven't touched a single thing here, from the team to the actual deals.

"Your sole purpose was giving a short speech at the company's annual gala. You really got lost in that dream of being the CEO, didn't you?"

Mackenzie's face fell instantly. "How could you say that to me? Have you lost your mind? You're turning us into a complete joke in front of everyone!"

I scoffed. "You clearly don't care about your reputation, so I see no reason to care about mine. Plus, we've got someone way better lined up to step in after you leave."

I lightly clapped my hands after saying that, and a tall, attractive woman entered through the door. "Is this the trophy wife you've been keeping by your side?"

Mackenzie immediately bristled at the insult. "Who are you calling a trophy wife? I'm the CEO of this company!"

That woman scoffed and laughed right in her face. "Haven't you had enough of playing pretend yet, or do you simply refuse to wake up from your fantasy?"

I fixed my eyes on Mackenzie and said, "I'd like you to meet Scarlett Rutter, my junior from Stanwood University. She comes from three generations of major business moguls in her family. Do you really think you're better suited for this job than her, Mackenzie?"

Mackenzie stamped her feet in anger. "You can't do that! I'm your wife! You should be helping me, not some outsider!"

I just shrugged and asked, "Is there anyone in this company who is aware of our relationship? You're my wife, yet you still went to a hotel with another man. You really think I'm just going to sit back and take that?"

Mackenzie went dead silent, caught entirely off guard. "How did you know that?"

I raised my phone slightly and said, "It's usually a good idea not to share your phone passcode with strangers so recklessly."

Mackenzie was completely struck silent. She stormed out of the office, flushing bright red with humiliation.

But I knew Mackenzie well enough to know she would never give up so easily.

I had just arrived at the underground parking lot after work that night when I got jump-scared by Mackenzie, who was crouching in front of my car.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded.

Mackenzie scrambled to her feet and grabbed my sleeve, putting on a sweet act. "I know I was totally out of line this morning, Thomas. I swear I won't ever do it again, so please don't be mad at me anymore."

I couldn't help but be amused at how fast she switched gears. It had barely been a few hours, yet she was acting like a totally different person.

I calmly pulled my arm away and said, "I believe I've already made myself clear—there's nothing more to discuss between us."

Mackenzie had never seen this indifferent side of me before. She quickly moved in front of me and held out her hands. "I know you're mad at me because of what happened with Colin. I swear I'll never contact him from now on, alright?"

After saying that, she took out her phone and deleted all of Colin's contact information in front of me.

She thought she was off the hook after noticing my silence. "I was only treating him well because he's family, Thomas. I did it because I love you. How was I supposed to know you'd lose your mind, strip my stock, and wreck me like this? I'm so heartbroken, Thomas."

She wrapped her arms around me and leaned in, nuzzling her face right against mine.

I held her while taking in the familiar scent of her perfume, feeling completely unmoved.

I had given her everything because I wanted a happy marriage. I could have tolerated it if she had merely hugged Colin, but they had already slept in the same hotel room.

I wasn't going to sit back and endure being cheated on. It was time to pull the plug on this marriage.