Chapter 3

Cara was absolutely unconcerned.

She went on, "If he were really busy, he'd be at the office right now instead of scrolling through posts during work hours and leaving random comments just because he thinks he's contributed so much! He hasn't even apologized, and now he's throwing a tantrum because I scolded him."

I couldn't help clenching my fists.

It wasn't her efforts alone that built the company into the successful business it was today. I had contributed just as much, if not more, than she had.

Over the years, among all the projects we had, the ones that truly generated profits and turned things around had all been projects I secured.

Not only was she ungrateful, but she had also secretly stripped away my authority behind my back.

I had turned a blind eye to it because we were family. Yet, she showed no restraint whatsoever.

Not only had she promoted Warren over some even more qualified people, but she had also given him management authority beyond his rank and even personally defended him against criticism.

There was one time when Warren forgot to prepare a proposal, which led the client to become so furious that they nearly canceled the partnership. To protect Warren, Cara had shamelessly pinned the blame on me and forced me to take full responsibility.

"Julian, do you still not realize your mistake?" Cara asked coldly.

I nodded and said, "You're right. I was terribly wrong."

After ten years of marriage, I had failed to see her true colors sooner. I had wasted ten years draining myself emotionally. That indeed was a terrible mistake on my part.

Hearing my answer, Cara's tone softened somewhat. "Then hurry up and make up for it. After you feed the goldfish, clean the apartment. Make sure you do it by hand."

My clenched fist cracked audibly.

In a cold voice, I said, "I'm not going."

"What?" Cara's voice suddenly rose.

I didn't give her a chance to lose her temper, as I hung up immediately.

At the same time, a staff member handed me a receipt. "The paperwork is complete. There will be a three-day review period."

I nodded and accepted it.

Three days were more than enough time to take care of any loose ends. By then, Cara would probably have returned as well.

…

On the first day after returning, I held a simple funeral for Dad and posted an obituary on my social media.

I wrote, "I have lost another person who truly loved me."

After it was posted, quite a few people in the comments questioned it.

"Isn't this just another one of his tricks to get Ms. Lavigne's attention? That's really shameless. He's even using his own father's death to compete for affection."

Although they were technically employees under my management, most of them were close to Warren, and very few trusted me.

Back when Cara and I got married, Dad had opposed it. But because I insisted on marrying her, he eventually relented and agreed to the marriage.

During our ten years of marriage, Cara had never let go of that resentment. Not once had she accompanied me to have a meal with Dad. Even after receiving the customary monetary gift he gave her after we got married, she had never called him "Dad" out of appreciation.

I had tried explaining it to her many times, but she never listened.

It wasn't until I secretly overheard a conversation between her and Warren that I understood why she never warmed up to my dad. The reason she refused to acknowledge him wasn't because of any past disagreement.

She looked down on him. In her eyes, someone from such humble roots wasn't worthy of being her father-in-law.

But during video calls, she happily called Warren's father "Dad", and he was a construction worker.

Dad worked the same kind of labor-intensive job as he did. However, Cara treated him as if he were worthless and repulsive.

Even the room that should have been reserved for Dad had been converted into a storage room because she would rather fill it with clutter than let him stay there. As a result, every time he came to visit me, he had to stay in a motel.

Dad was the father-in-law to a CEO with a net worth in the millions. But when he came to visit his son and his daughter-in-law, he had to stay in cheap motels that only cost a few dozen dollars a night.

If I told people that, they probably wouldn't believe it.

Suddenly, a group of people arrived at the door. "Condolences for your father's passing."

They were relatives from my father's side of the family. There were several uncles, aunts, and cousins.

I nodded and poured them drinks.

"How come Cara isn't here for your dad's funeral?"

One of my aunts, Betty Fisher, was dressed in a bright, fashionable outfit and looked around curiously. When she didn't see Cara anywhere, she asked about it.

The others hadn't even glanced at Dad's memorial.