Chapter 3

I spent the night on the couch, smoking one cigarette after another. Through the curling gray smoke, I got up to make Yvonne her final breakfast.

Today was the day. I was going to tell her I wanted a divorce.

She appeared in the kitchen wearing the pink pajamas I'd picked out for her. Keith was right behind her.

"Morning, honey. Thanks for making breakfast. Oh—make some for Keith too."

I turned around with the pan in my hand and caught the disdain in Keith's eyes. Like he was looking at some old relic ready for the trash.

He saw me turn and practically smirked. "Ethan, I gotta say, I'm so jealous of your life. All you do is sleep. What a gig."

"The title's kinda rough, though. Live-in husband. Ha."

Yvonne threw her arms around me, beaming. "Of course! I told you, I'd take care of him."

I just watched it all, blank-faced.

She wasn't taking care of me. I was the one covering for her behind the scenes.

Everyone thinks I'm some useless, pathetic live-in husband. The truth is, I'm the biggest financial backer behind Yvonne's company.

I waited for the leftover heat in the pan to sear the steak to medium-well, then smiled at Keith. "If you're so jealous, why don't you take over? Cook for Yvonne instead of me?"

Keith's eyes flashed—smug, mocking. But out loud, he acted shocked.

"Oh, I could never. No way would I be a kept man. If I ever married Yvonne, I'd marry her properly. The real way."

"Living off her family? That's just embarrassing."

When he said that, he shot Yvonne a heated look.

Yvonne just pouted and squeezed me tighter, defending our—no, my—situation. "No. I like it when Ethan cooks for me. You're going to cook for me for the rest of my life."

Keith had basically spit in my face, and Yvonne just acted like she didn't hear a thing. What a joke.

My eyes couldn't help but drift to the Rolex Submariner "Hulk" on Keith's wrist. He was making sure I saw it.

I'd seen that box at home before. Thought it was an anniversary gift for me.

But the next time I saw it, it was on Keith's arm.

She'd never given me anything that expensive.

She definitely never gave me a watch—something that actually shows a man's status.

Everyone knows Yvonne loves me. What they don't know is that her love isn't exactly... exclusive.

My smile got brighter and brighter on the outside. Inside, my heart was bleeding.

"I'm about to head out. Keith can make his own breakfast."

I untied my apron and moved to leave.

Yvonne wasn't having it. Her face dropped. "Honey, what's up with you lately? Why do you keep going out? Is there something going on? Let me handle it for you."

"Did you forget? Tonight's the night. Our big... project. No way. You're not going anywhere today. You're sticking with me. We're meeting a client later."

I laughed to myself. That client they were about to meet? That was me. Oh, and the divorce papers too.

Fine. I'd have one last breakfast with her.

After breakfast, Keith jumped into the passenger seat of Yvonne's two-seater Ferrari F8 before I could even move.

"Ethan, sorry about this. The client meeting's about to start, and I've still got documents to review."

"You don't really have anything to do anyway. How about you just grab a cab?"

Yvonne looked at me, a little torn. But her words sided with Keith. "Honey, this client's really important. You..."

I gave her a long look. "Work comes first."

I hailed a cab and followed far behind Yvonne's car.

We got to the hotel fast. I watched from a distance as Yvonne and Keith were escorted inside with the utmost respect.

The doorman stopped me. The place was booked out by Dragonshine Group. If I couldn't prove I belonged here, I wasn't getting in.

Just as I was about to explain who I was, Keith came scurrying over and snapped at the doorman,

"This is President Xu's little boy toy. Don't you recognize him?"

The doorman's face lit up with sudden understanding. "Oh, that famous live-in husband? You should've just said so."

He waved me inside.

I walked through slowly, feeling the mocking stares from the doorman and Keith on my back.

The second I reached Yvonne, Keith ran over again, all out of breath. "Ethan, this client's a big deal. You're a kept man with no real-world experience. Keep your mouth shut."

Yvonne looked worried too. "This client is the biggest investor our company's ever had. If anyone says anything about who you are... just stay calm, okay, honey?"

"We'll talk about everything when we get home."

Keith frowned beside her. "Yvonne, maybe we should have Ethan wait somewhere else? If something goes wrong because of him, the damage to the company would be huge."

"I told you, a man like him shouldn't be at a place like this. What 'things' does he even have to do? Go grocery shopping? Haggle with old ladies over vegetables? Everyone here deals in millions per minute."

Yvonne hesitated. She looked at me. "Ethan, what do you think?"

She actually wanted me to be the one to say I'd leave.

I would. Soon enough.

More people started drifting over.

"Hey there, President Xu. Oh, is that your little house-husband? A guy like that is fine for some fun, but at an important event like this? What if he screws things up?"

"No wonder he's in this line of work. Gorgeous face. Great body. President Xu, can I borrow your boy toy for a few days? Just to play?"

My eyes narrowed. I made a mental note to have Leo deal with these people later.

But what really got me? Hearing others mock me like that and watching Yvonne just frown a little. She didn't say a word.

Keith saw his chance and piled on, smug. "This man belongs to our President Xu. If you want one, go spend your own money."

"If you don't want to spend that much, just hit a nightclub and order a male model. Three thousand a night. That's about what they're worth. Any more is a waste."

The others burst out laughing.

"True. Guys like this get boring fast. Not worth spending real money on."

"A man needs a career to be attractive. What good is a pretty face? Live-in husband. Ha."

With everyone laughing at me right in front of her, Yvonne finally walked over. And the first thing she did was try to get rid of me. "Ethan, maybe you should just go home. I'll be with you when I get back."

I felt nothing. How many times had I gone through this over the years?

Tonight? This was just a light round.

But Yvonne's words still cut cold.

She hadn't called me by my name in years.

When people talked about me like I was some toy she'd bought, some plaything, she couldn't even find the nerve to say I was her real, legally-wed husband. Instead, she told me to go home.

Maybe, in her head, I really was just her boy toy.

Right then, my subordinate's car pulled up. I said flatly, "No need. Leo's here."

Yvonne still looked confused about who this "Leo" was.

Everyone else, though, spotted my subordinate's car and immediately flocked to it, trying to get on his good side.

Before he even stepped out, the flattery started.

"I thought I felt a warm spring breeze. Turns out it was President Li arriving."

"Seeing President Li is like seeing the God of Wealth himself."

"President Li, step right here when you get out. Watch out for slippery spots. My suit's Italian, custom-made. Perfect for traction."

Bowing and scraping one minute after acting high and mighty. The thought alone was laughable.

And President Li—the man they were all fawning over—didn't pay them any attention. He got out of the car with a frown, his eyes scanning the crowd.

None of them had a clue what he was searching for.

Then Keith shoved his way over and pushed me aside. "Why are you still standing here? Stay out of President Li's way."

The shove sent me stumbling. Yvonne shot me an annoyed look.

But I didn't feel any of it anymore. The disappointment had piled up high enough. Time to go.

I looked toward President Li. He happened to look my way at the exact same moment.

His whole expression shifted. The next second, he strode straight toward me.