Chapter 2

"No wonder Ms. Sterling chose to sponsor him. What an outstanding young man!"

Lara and Kyson stood in the center of the crowd, surrounded by employees showering them with compliments. Both wore smug smiles.

The office was in complete chaos, and our most important client of the day would be arriving any minute.

Suppressing my frustration, I lowered my voice. "This is a company, not a playground. The client will be here any moment."

Lara had spent the entire night unable to find me, and she hadn't yet had the chance to vent her anger. The moment she heard me speak, she instinctively wrapped an arm around Kyson's waist, making her support for him unmistakable.

"Nolan, how many times do I have to tell you? Kyson is an adult now. He has 'Adult Privilege.' I allowed him to stand here. That's a privilege I granted him. Do you have a problem with that?"

Her expression turned icy.

Immediately, people around us began siding with her.

"Nolan, look up. The sign on the wall says Sterling Group."

"I honestly don't know where a live-in son-in-law gets the nerve to lecture people around here."

Not a single person stood on my side.

And yet, without me, Sterling Group would have gone bankrupt the very year Lara and I got married. The only reason it was still standing today was because of my connections and my ability.

But Lara had become far too full of herself. She believed my love would never run out. To her, all that mattered was that I'd embarrassed her in front of the young man who had just come of age.

Lara's face darkened. She grabbed my wrist and dragged me into the executive lounge in full view of everyone.

I'd been intoxicated by her fake tenderness for so many years that I actually believed she wanted to explain herself.

Instead, the moment she lured me inside, she locked the door from the outside.

Shock quickly gave way to heartbreak.

But I didn't even have time to dwell on it. I'd fought tooth and nail to secure today's deal. I had to get out.

"Lara! Open the door!" I pounded on it with all my strength. "Open the door! I have an important client today!"

The office doors were built thick and heavy for soundproofing.

I pounded until my hands swelled, yet I never heard Lara's voice.

Instead, I heard Kyson speaking through the door in a deliberately considerate tone, "Mr. Taylor, Lara already went downstairs to meet the client. You can yell all you want. It won't do any good.

"She also said today's the day she's going to teach me how to conduct a business negotiation."

The moment I heard that, I froze.

The client had flown in from abroad and would only work with me. Anyone else was useless.

I forced myself to soften my tone. "Kyson, please open the door. Today's negotiation isn't something anyone can fool around with."

Kyson let out a giggle, his thin voice slipping through the crack beneath the door. "Mr. Taylor, what do you think? If I tell Lara you said her business negotiations are just fooling around, do you think she'll get mad?"

With that, the sound of handcrafted leather dress shoes clicked farther and farther away.

Only then did I fully realize it. He always called me "Mr. Taylor," but he called my wife "Lara."

His intentions had been obvious all along. I was just too blind to see them until today.

The executive lounge door never opened again until nightfall. No one brought me so much as a sip of water. It was as though I'd been completely forgotten in that corner.

I had no idea how much time had passed before I finally heard voices outside.

"Lara, don't be upset. Nolan must not have done the prep work properly. That's why today's negotiation fell apart."

I had personally worked on that project for six months. The deal had been on the verge of closing. Yet at the final moment, my own wife locked me away just to protect another man.

And now they were blaming me?

"Thank you, Kyson. You're so thoughtful and considerate. I raised you so well. How could I bear to see you marry another woman someday?"

My brow twitched.

A moment later, a muffled grunt came from outside the door, followed by Kyson's low chuckle. "Lara, I'm never marrying anyone else."

"Kyson, take your hand off me..."

"Lara, I'm going to exercise my 'Adult Privilege' with you now, and you're going to do as I say."