Chapter 1

The moment I stepped out of the taxi, I saw it from a distance—a wedding portrait set up at the hotel entrance to welcome guests.

The bride in the photo was smiling sweetly, radiant and full of life. There was no mistaking her. It was my newlywed wife, Portia Reymus.

I strode forward and kicked the display over without hesitation.

The crash immediately drew the attention of the hotel security, who rushed over.

"Where the hell did this punk come from? How dare you vandalize Ms. Reymus and Mr. Wynham's wedding photo!"

I was about to speak when a vaguely familiar male voice sounded from behind me.

"The wedding cars are almost here. What's all the noise about? If anyone dares to ruin my wedding with Portia today, I'll make sure they're thrown out of Garthem City immediately."

The security guard instantly put on a fawning expression and hurried over.

"Mr. Wynham, this guy kicked over your wedding portrait. I'll have him removed right away!"

Then he turned to me, pointing as he barked, "You—get the hell out of here! Do you even know whose wedding this is? You've got a death wish causing trouble here? Don't plan on staying in Garthem City anymore, do you?"

I heard every word, yet it was as if none of it registered. My gaze was locked on the man standing not far away, dressed in a custom-tailored suit. The longer I looked, the more familiar he seemed.

And then it hit me. Wasn't he Lucas Wynham—the finance department intern assistant I had personally instructed Portia to fire three months ago?

The evidence of his fraudulent invoices and embezzlement was still sitting in my computer.

I had only been abroad for three months. And now, somehow, he had become the groom to my newlywed wife.

Before I could process it further, Lucas, clad in his high-end suit, had already walked up to me.

Since I rarely showed up at the company—and even meetings were mostly held via voice calls—he had no idea who I was. He simply stared at me with a dark expression, his tone icy.

"You've got some nerve kicking over my wedding photo. Do you even know who I am?"

I looked at him with a faint, mocking smile. "Who are you?"

He puffed out his chest, his voice brimming with arrogance and disdain.

"I'm the husband of Portia Reymus, the CEO of JP Group! If you piss me off, my wife will make sure you can't survive in Garthem City!"

I had already guessed what he was going to say. But hearing it out loud still felt like a hand had reached into my chest and squeezed my heart tight. It hurt—badly.

Seeing me fall silent, lips pressed together, Lucas mistook it for fear. His grin widened with smug satisfaction.

"What's wrong? You were acting pretty tough just now. Scared already? Tell you what—go pick up that wedding photo, then kneel and beg me for forgiveness. Do that, and I'll have my wife let you off."

I forced down the bitterness and anger churning inside me and said, "You said Portia is your wife?"

"Of course. The wedding photo's right there—what, you blind?"

"But three months ago, I just married Portia myself. Wedding photos? I've got plenty of those on my phone."

With that, I pulled out my phone, scrolled through, and displayed my wedding photos with Portia to the gathered crowd.

The moment they saw the bride's face clearly, shock spread across their expressions.