Chapter 1

In Jasperton, every light in the Guldner mansion blazed, turning the night as bright as day.

Today marked the 60th birthday of Cornelius Guldner, Amanda Guldner's father and one of Jasperton's most prominent businessmen.

As a man of considerable standing in the city, Cornelius had drawn a crowd of wealthy and powerful guests, and the banquet hall buzzed with lively conversation.

Jacob Cooper stood at the edge of the crowd in a neatly tailored suit, his posture straight and a mild smile on his face.

He held a long, rectangular brocade box in his hands. Inside was a pearwood carving titled "Rooted in Time," a piece he had spent more than three months carving entirely by hand. He had found the raw material years ago and had never been willing to part with it.

But to surprise his father-in-law, Jacob had shut himself in his workshop for months. From selecting the wood and designing the piece to carving and polishing it, he had poured his heart into every step.

Jacob walked up to the head table and handed the box to Cornelius. "Here's to your health and many more years ahead."

Cornelius wore a maroon suit that day and looked vigorous and full of spirit.

A warm smile spread across his face when he saw Jacob. He accepted the box and opened it. The moment he saw the glossy wood carving and its beautiful grain, his eyes lit up.

Cornelius was a genuine collector, and he knew quality when he saw it. He carefully cradled the carving in his hands and ran his fingers from the base to the peaks, nodding again and again.

Low murmurs of admiration rippled through the surrounding crowd.

"What craftsmanship! This carving is extraordinary!"

A guest familiar with the trade could not help but exclaim, "Mr. Guldner, your son-in-law is quite a treasure! This piece must be worth over 100,000 dollars."

The praise from the crowd delighted Cornelius even more, and he gave Jacob an approving pat on the shoulder.

"Forget 100,000 dollars. My son-in-law made this with his own hands. It's priceless. Jake is steady and talented, and Mandy is fortunate to have married him. Well done, Jake! I love this gift!" Cornelius's voice brimmed with joy. "The craftsmanship and thought you put into this are worth more than any mountain of gold or silver."

His father-in-law's sincere praise eased the tension in Jacob's chest, and warmth spread through him.

Throughout the years of his marriage, this self-made father-in-law had been the only person in the Guldner family who had ever truly treated him as one of their own.

Jacob was about to offer a modest reply when a sharp, mocking voice cut in from the side. "Oh my, cousin-in-law. That's certainly a gift that's light on cost but heavy on sentiment."

The speaker was Amanda's cousin, a young heir who spent his days coasting on the family business. "Not vulgar like the rest of us, throwing money at things."

A distant relative of the Guldner family, a woman dripping in jewelry, pursed her lips and muttered to the person beside her, "Please. What good is fine craftsmanship? He still lives off the Guldner family."

"Exactly. Look at him from head to toe. Every stitch he's wearing was bought by Mandy. A grown man lives off his wife's money, uses everything she pays for, and still has the nerve to smile."

"At the end of the day, he's just a man who married into money. No amount of polish can change that."

Their murmurs drew a ripple of stifled laughter from the crowd.

Jacob's expression darkened. He instinctively glanced at his wife, Amanda.

She wore a black evening gown that accentuated her snow-white skin and gave her an air of cool elegance.

She seemed not to have heard the mockery aimed at Jacob. Her face remained expressionless, and her eyes held only the familiar trace of indifference he knew all too well.

She neither stepped in to defend him nor stopped her relatives.

Jacob's heart sank little by little.

That indifference in Amanda's eyes had probably begun two years ago, after Dorian Blackwood entered their lives.

Dorian was the man who had saved Amanda's life. Two years earlier, Amanda had swerved to avoid a pedestrian while driving, lost control of her car, and crashed into a nearby house.

Dorian had happened to be passing by and pulled her from the wreck.

Just as they had been about to reach safety, however, the house's main support beam came crashing down toward Amanda. Dorian had shoved her out of the way in time, but the beam shattered his left arm and ended his career as a pianist for good.

From that day forward, Amanda had another person in her life to whom she felt deeply indebted.

At first, Jacob had been grateful to Dorian as well. But that gratitude gradually vanished beneath Amanda's endless, boundless attempts to repay the debt.

When Dorian mentioned that housing prices in Jasperton were too high, Amanda bought him a full-floor apartment in the city center and paid for it outright without a second thought.

When Dorian said his hand still ached from time to time, Amanda gave him a consultant position at her company with an annual salary of nearly 200,000 dollars.

When Dorian said he was in a bad mood, Amanda could abandon an anniversary dinner she had already promised Jacob just to sit with Dorian and watch movies all night to cheer him up.

She kept him company whenever he wanted to talk, eat, or simply clear his head.

At times, Jacob felt that despite being her husband, he mattered less to Amanda than a stranger did.

Once, he had gone to Amanda's company and overheard several employees talking in the break room.

"What do you think is really going on between the CEO and Dorian, that consultant? They're together every single day."

"Who knows? But Mr. Blackwood must have something special about him if he can get our ice-queen CEO to treat him so well."

"Last time, I even saw the CEO fixing Mr. Blackwood's tie herself. She was so gentle with him."

"Shh. Keep your voice down, or you'll get fired. But seriously, what does the CEO's husband even do? I don't think I've ever seen him at the office."

"I heard he carves wood. No real talent to speak of. Basically just lives off his wife."

Jacob had clenched his fists until they ached. But he hadn't stormed into the room. He had simply turned around and walked away in silence.

He had tried to talk to Amanda about it, but every time, she brought up the debt she owed Dorian for saving her life.

Little by little, Jacob stopped bringing it up altogether. He had believed Amanda would eventually understand that even gratitude had its limits.

He had been wrong.

As these thoughts churned through Jacob's mind, a commotion arose near the entrance to the banquet hall.

A tall, straight-backed man in a white suit entered with a group of people around him. A gentle smile graced his face, and he carried himself with a refined air.

It was Dorian.

Only moments earlier, Amanda's expression had been icy cold. The instant she saw Dorian, however, a smile bloomed across her face.

It was a smile Jacob hadn't seen directed at him in almost two years.

Amanda hurried over to greet him, genuine surprise filling her voice. "Dorian! What are you doing here?"

"It's your father's 60th birthday today. How could I not come?" Dorian replied with a smile and held out an elegant gift box.

"You're so thoughtful, Dorian," Amanda said.

Her gaze fell on Dorian's forehead, where fine beads of sweat had gathered. She immediately pulled a tissue from her handbag and wiped his brow with practiced ease. "Why are you sweating so much? Are you feeling unwell?"

"It's nothing. I think I rushed over here and jogged a little." Dorian's smile looked somewhat strained.

The sight darkened Jacob's expression even further. His wife was showing another man a tenderness and concern she no longer seemed capable of giving him.