Chapter 5

Josh was stunned—then furious.

"Bullshit!" he roared. "That bastard bought that villa with our money! I'm going to find him right now!"

He didn't know where Ray had suddenly come up with that kind of cash, but the timeline made no sense. The divorce had been finalized just yesterday morning—how could Ray have gotten 1.2 million in a single day?

There was only one explanation. The money must be marital property. Half of it belonged to them.

And besides, Ray had married into their family. As far as Josh was concerned, even the man himself was half their property. Round it up, and the whole 1.2 million practically belonged to the Gantts.

Max was getting married soon, and they were strapped for cash.

Josh suddenly found a burst of energy and bolted out the door.

The two old ladies who'd been gossiping nearby exchanged a quick glance, then hurried after him.

This was a big scandal—no way they were missing it.

Josh half-ran, half-jogged all the way to the villa. Not because he didn't want to run faster, but because that was as fast as his aging legs could manage. Luckily, it wasn't far.

When he arrived, a crowd had already gathered around the villa—mostly retirees, leaning against the railing and peering into the yard like curious children.

"Oh, it's Josh!" someone called out when they spotted him.

Everyone turned, eyes gleaming with envy.

"Well, well! Congratulations!"

"Bought yourself a villa, huh?"

"Didn't think you had it in you, old man. So low-key all this time."

Compliments came from every direction, one after another—but none of them pleased Josh.

All he could think about was how that villa couldn't possibly be worth 1.2 million. One million, maybe. Which meant Ray had overpaid by 200,000 dollars.

200,000 dollars of his money.

His face darkened as he marched forward. When he reached the gate, he started pounding on it.

There was a doorbell, but men his age never used those things.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

He kept pounding on the gates, as if someone had died inside.

Ray, watching through the security camera, thought at first it might be the contractor arriving early. But when he saw who it was, he couldn't help but laugh.

Josh.

So the news had already spread through the neighborhood, and Josh couldn't resist coming over.

Perfect.

Ray had no intention of avoiding him. In fact, he wanted this—wanted to see them jealous, furious, and filled with regret.

He opened the door, walked through the courtyard, and unlatched the gate.

"Bastard!" Josh spat, storming forward. He didn't want to make a scene, not in front of the whole crowd.

But Ray stood squarely in the doorway, blocking him.

Josh grew red with anger. He jabbed a finger toward Ray's face. "You used our money to buy this place, and you think you can stop me from coming in?"

Ray gave a small, amused laugh. "Josh, don't forget. I divorced your daughter yesterday. I bought this house today. So tell me, what does it have to do with your family?"

The words rippled through the crowd like a spark through dry grass.

"Divorced?"

"Really?"

Some of the neighborhood's old ladies immediately perked up, eyes shining with interest. A single, handsome man who could buy a villa? Maybe they should introduce their daughters.

But Josh wasn't about to be cowed. He sneered. "You think I'm stupid? You divorced yesterday! Where did you get that kind of money overnight? That's joint property—half of it belongs to my family!"

That sounded reasonable enough, at least on the surface.

The crowd's expressions shifted again—hesitant, calculating. If it were joint property, then indeed half would belong to Josh's family.

Suddenly, 1.2 million became 600,000 dollars. Ray's shine dimmed a little in their eyes.

Ray smiled faintly. "Property division depends on evidence, not on your mouth running wild. If you've got a problem, sue me. Otherwise, get out of my sight before I call the cops. Trespassing in someone's home can get you, what, fifteen days' detention?"

He was bluffing, of course. He had no idea if that was true.

But Josh didn't know that—and the color drained from his face.

Still, walking away empty-handed? Impossible.

In his mind, that villa was theirs. It wasn't even worth 1.2 million to begin with. He was determined to take it back, to contact the seller and redo the contract. After all, only the deposit had been paid; the title hadn't transferred yet.

200,000 dollars gone in a day—he could've killed Ray for that.

Just then, Daisy came hurrying up, carrying Michael in her arms. After listening to a quick rundown of what happened, she threw herself to the ground and wailed, "You heartless monster! You got rich and abandoned your wife and child! You're not even human!"

It was slander, but unfortunately, it sounded believable.

He had divorced. He had money now. He really had left his ex-wife and a son behind.

The crowd began murmuring again, voices rising.

Ray's expression didn't change. In fact, this was exactly what he'd been waiting for.

He wanted the Gantts' reputation to rot—to have everyone in the community turn against them.

His voice was calm. "You want to know why I divorced her? Simple. Lauren was already pregnant before we got married. She only married me to cover it up—made me raise another man's child. That's what kind of daughter you raised, Josh, Daisy—shameless and poisonous.

"I lived in your house for four years. Do you know what those years were like?

"Did you ever once treat me like family?

"You made me do all the chores, every damn one of them. Even when I came home from overtime at ten at night, you still made me wash the laundry.

"So don't talk to me about conscience. You don't deserve the word."

The words hit like a thunderclap.

The onlookers erupted.

Lauren had done that? Pregnant before marriage, tricking her husband into raising another man's child?

Even the most shameless of the old ladies couldn't defend that.

And poor Daisy—her dramatic crying fit had only made things worse.

The Gantt family's name was ruined.

Josh and Daisy just stood there, stunned. They hadn't known any of this—or if it was true. But the disgusted stares from the neighbors burned through them like needles. They wished they could sink into the ground and disappear.

This was Gohaven, after all—where an unwed pregnancy and a duped husband were stains that could follow a family for life.

After a long silence, Daisy snapped out of it first. She screamed, voice sharp and hoarse, "Lies! Lauren would never do something like that! Ray, you bastard! Just because you're divorced, you think you can slander her like this?"

Josh's face twisted with rage. "I'll kill you!" he shouted, lunging at Ray.

'Not yet,' Ray thought. 'Not before the apocalypse.'

He blocked Josh with ease. He wasn't especially strong, but against a sixty-year-old, it was no contest.

"Heh," Ray said, his eyes like ice. "Do you want me to name the man she slept with, too? Lauren's been in touch with him this whole time. I've got plenty of videos."

That part was a lie, but how could they know?

Would they really risk him showing proof in public? If he did, they'd never be able to show their faces again.

Daisy tugged at her husband's sleeve, her voice low but urgent. "Let's go. Call Max and Lauren back. We need to talk."

"But Lauren's still at work—" he muttered.

"Work?!" she snapped. "This is 1.2 million we're talking about! Who needs work when we can get that money back?"

Right.

Josh's anger melted instantly, replaced by greed. He followed her away, muttering to himself.