Saintess’s Worthless Husband Turned Dragon King

Chapter 2: The Ultimate Humiliation

The banquet hall glittered like something out of a fever dream—all crystal chandeliers and polished silver, tables groaning under the weight of gourmet dishes that cost more per plate than Marcus earned in a month. Wine flowed freely, the bottles bearing vintage dates older than some of the guests. Jewelry sparkled on every wrist and throat, enhanced with cultivation energy that made precious stones glow with an otherworldly light.

And there, at the head table beneath the largest chandelier, sat Sophia.

She'd changed into an elegant emerald dress that hugged her figure perfectly, making her look like some fairy-tale princess. Her Saintess aura radiated from her skin, a soft golden glow that made her appear ethereal, untouchable. Divine.

Alexander Grant sat close beside her—too close—serving food onto her plate with practiced intimacy. He murmured something in her ear, and she actually laughed. A real laugh, musical and light, the kind Marcus hadn't heard from her in over a year.

"Perfect pair, aren't they?" someone whispered nearby.

"Born for each other," another voice agreed.

Marcus sat at the smallest table near the entrance, separated from the main gathering by what felt like miles of polished floor. His table was meant for overflow guests, distant relatives nobody cared about, people who needed to be present but not seen.

He pushed food around his plate mechanically, tasting nothing.

"Marcus!" Victoria Sinclair's voice rang out, Sophia's cousin, all false sweetness and genuine malice. "How's the job search going? Still looking after all this time?"

Conversations quieted. Heads turned. The predators smelled blood.

"I'm exploring opportunities," Marcus replied carefully.

"Exploring opportunities," Wellington Radcliffe repeated with a snort. "That's corporate speak for 'unemployed for three years.'"

Laughter rippled through the hall.

"Now, now," Marcus Sinclair boomed from the head table, his voice carrying effortlessly. "Let's be fair. Marcus helps with household chores. That's... something. Every great woman needs someone to handle the domestic duties."

More laughter, sharper this time.

"He does the laundry beautifully," Elena Sinclair added, examining her wine glass. "I've seen the sheets. Very crisp. Perhaps that could be his career path—professional laundryman."

The humiliation burned through Marcus's chest like acid, but he kept his face neutral. Three years had taught him how to swallow rage, how to smile through contempt.

"Speaking of careers," Marcus continued, standing now, commanding the room's attention, "Alexander here closed three major deals this month! Three! The Whitmore contract, the offshore expansion with the Chen family, and that tricky negotiation with the Morrison Group. The boy's a natural!"

Alexander waved off the praise with practiced modesty. "I only did what Sophia trained me to do. She's the true genius behind the strategy."

"You're too modest," Sophia said, her voice warm in a way Marcus hadn't heard directed at him in months. "I couldn't have done it without you. You're invaluable to me."

Invaluable to me.

The words struck like physical blows. Marcus's hands clenched beneath the table.

She'd never said that about him. Never called him invaluable, necessary, important.

In three years of marriage, he'd never been anything but a burden she tolerated because she'd made some misguided promise about destiny and Saintess intuition.

"A toast!" Grandfather Sebastian raised his glass, his voice still strong despite his eighty years. "To Alexander Grant—a young man who understands how to treat a Saintess properly! Who knows what true strength and capability look like!"

Crystal clinked. Voices rose in agreement.

Marcus's glass remained on the table, untouched.

Dessert arrived in waves of culinary artistry—delicate pastries that looked like jewels, chocolate sculptures too beautiful to eat, fruits carved into impossible shapes. The staff moved with choreographed precision, serving the head table first, working their way through the hierarchy.

Marcus's dessert arrived last. Naturally.

Then Alexander stood, and the room fell silent with anticipation.

"Sophia," he said, his voice carrying that smooth confidence of someone who'd never been denied anything. "I saw this and thought of you."

He produced a velvet box, opening it to reveal a delicate crystal necklace that caught the chandelier light and threw rainbows across the ceiling.

The centerpiece was a flawless diamond, suspended in an intricate web of silver and smaller crystals that seemed to pulse with faint holy energy.

"It reminded me of your pure and radiant spirit," Alexander continued. "The way you bring light to everyone around you."

Gasps echoed through the hall. Someone actually clutched their chest like they might faint from the romance of it all. Sophia's eyes glistened. Actual tears. "Alexander, I... I don't know what to say. It's beautiful."

"May I?" He gestured to the necklace.