I stood at the entrance of the Mercer house after the taxi dropped me off. Reaching out, it hit me that this place was no longer my home and my marriage was over. I stepped up to the electronic keypad and punched in the password I had used every day for three years.The lock let out a sharp, red flash and a repeating beep: Error.I entered the digits again, slower this time. The screen flashed red a second time: Access Denied.I stood there in the quiet corridor, a wave of pure fury rushing into my chest. After three whole years of complete devotion, this was how Sloane treated me. She hadn't even waited for the legal paperwork to be drafted before stripping away my access, and all of my personal belongings, the few things I had left of my father's memory were still trapped inside.I raised my fist and knocked on the heavy wood, the sound echoing loudly through the empty hallway.I kept knocking until the lock finally clicked open. Odette pulled the door back, her face twisting into

Odette instinctively grabbed the necklace and took a step backward. The surprise on her face quickly disappeared, replaced by her usual arrogance."Have you lost your mind?" she snapped. "This necklace belongs to me now. You gave it to me three years ago, and I'm not giving it back."My eyes never left the necklace."No," I replied, dropping my travel bag onto the floor. My fists slowly tightened at my sides. "I never gave it to you. You forced me to hand it over."I took another step toward her."It belonged to my father. It's the last thing I have left of him, and you're going to return it before I leave this house."Julian immediately stepped in front of his mother, spreading his arms to block my path."Back off!" he shouted, shoving a hand hard against my chest. "Who do you think you are, demanding things from my mother?"He sneered at me with open contempt."You don't own a single thing in this house. You never did. So keep your filthy hands away from her."I didn't waste another

He struggled to sit up, clutching his ribs."She'll use every connection Vespera Corp has to destroy your life!"I looked down at his bruised, bloodied face and let out a cold laugh."Destroy my life?" I said. "Your sister means nothing to me anymore."I picked up my travel bag and looked at him without a trace of fear."Tell her everything. Tell her I beat you. Tell her I'm waiting for her to come after me."I turned toward Odette.The moment our eyes met, she flinched and instinctively covered the silver necklace with one hand. Fear filled her face as she took another step backward.I no longer cared about taking the necklace back tonight. Watching both of them cower in fear was enough.Without another word, I opened the front door, walked out of the house, and slammed it shut behind me.The instant the door closed, Odette rushed to Julian's side."My son!" she cried, dropping to her knees beside him. "Look what that monster did to you!"With shaking hands, she pulled out her phone

Three years ago, before Sloane and I had ever started dating, Vanessa had quietly developed feelings for me. She had even confessed those feelings to Sloane during a private conversation, trusting her best friend with the secret.Just three days later, Sloane announced that she and I were officially together. Vanessa never argued.She buried her feelings without saying another word and quietly watched as I married Sloane and became the Mercer family's live-in son-in-law.I sat there in silence, remembering the things Sloane had told me over the years.She used to complain about Vanessa surprisingly often.At the time, I thought it was nothing more than harmless venting between friends. Now I realized it had always been jealousy.Vanessa came from a respected, stable family and was naturally admired wherever she went. People liked her because of her character, not because she forced them to.Sloane was different.She had always believed she had to fight for every bit of recognition she

Sloane lowered her head with a shy smile. "You're right," she said. "You always know what's the best for Vespera Corp."What she didn't know was that Lysander looked down on her completely.Behind his warm smile and big promises, he felt nothing but contempt.He looked down at her smiling face, hiding the disgust in his eyes. He had absolutely no intention of actually marrying a divorced woman. After all, Sloane was just a woman in her thirties who had been living with a delivery guy for three years. Lysander was perfectly willing to sleep with her and use her status for entertainment, but he would never legally bind his family fortune to her. He only wanted to manipulate her emotions so he could systematically take over Vespera Corp to add to his own personal power in the industry. His father had already instructed him to absorb her assets. Once he truly gained total voting control of her company and bled her financial reserves completely dry, he would discard her on the street wit