The Billionaire Husband They Humiliated

Chapter 003

“Listen to yourself!” Christopher Hartnett snarled. “A broke nobody riding around on a beat-up scooter, acting like he's better than me. Who gave you the nerve?”

Isaac Thornton didn't bother answering. He walked Ruby into Vanguard Group without giving Christopher another glance.

“You son of a bitch!” Christopher shouted after him. “I'll make you regret this!”

Still furious, he kicked Isaac's scooter. Then he kicked it again, hard enough to bend part of the bodywork.

Upstairs, in her CEO's office, Ruby sat behind her desk, glaring at her husband.

Christopher was wealthy, influential, and connected to the Thornton family. Right now, Ruby needed investors more than she needed her pride. If Christopher withdrew his support because of Isaac's behavior, Vanguard Group could collapse.

She couldn't believe she had let Isaac bring her to work.

“Get out,” she said. “I don't want to look at you right now.”

Isaac nodded. “All right.”

He left without arguing.

Ruby thought bitterly of the women in her social circle. They dated heirs and entrepreneurs. Some had married men with thriving businesses of their own. And she'd ended up with Isaac—a husband everyone treated as a joke.

Outside, Isaac stopped in his tracks.

“What the hell?”

His scooter was lying at an awkward angle. The bodywork was cracked, and the frame had been damaged.

“Christopher, you bastard! Do you have any idea how hard I worked to buy this?”

A group of office workers passing by stopped to watch.

“That's the boss's husband?” one woman asked.

“He looks like he can't afford a proper shirt.”

“He's making that much fuss over a scooter?” another scoffed. “No wonder she doesn't want to be seen with him.”

They laughed as they walked away.

Isaac stared at the damage. He could afford to replace the scooter a thousand times over now. That wasn't the point. Christopher had destroyed something that belonged to him simply because he thought he could get away with it.

Not this time.

Isaac took out his phone and called the Thornton family.

“It's Isaac. I've thought about the money you asked for. I'll consider helping, but I have two conditions. First, get me a genuine pair of Elysian Slingback heels. Second, Christopher Hartnett is to be stripped of his position and cut off from the family.”

The people on the other end were suddenly very attentive.

Not long afterward, another message arrived reminding Isaac to buy proper tailored suits. The family's upcoming event was no place to embarrass the Thorntons.

Later that day, Isaac arrived at an enormous estate in one of Oakridge City's most expensive neighborhoods. The mansion, owned by the Thornton family patriarch, Mike Beatty, had cost an eye-watering sum to build.

Several senior family members were waiting in the living room, including Isaac's uncle, Jake Thornton.

Isaac settled onto the sofa, looking perfectly at ease.

“You haven't changed a bit, Isaac,” one of the elders remarked.

“Let's skip the small talk,” Isaac said. “How much do you need?”

Jake cleared his throat. “Well, compared with what you're worth now, it shouldn't be an unreasonable amount.”

“How much?”

“About six hundred million dollars.”

Isaac sat upright. “Six hundred million?”

He got to his feet. “Actually, I just remembered something I need to do. I should get going.”

“Isaac, wait!” Jake hurried after him. “We're already taking care of the conditions you gave us. Please. If you don't help, the family business could go under.”

“Uncle Jake, I don't have that kind of cash just sitting around.”

“Your investments are worth billions! You know we wouldn't ask if this weren't serious.”

Isaac's expression hardened.

They hadn't hesitated when they threw him and his parents out. Not one relative had defended them. But now that his investment had succeeded, the entire family suddenly remembered he existed.

“That money is mine,” he said. “I invested it myself. The family doesn't own a single share.”

He looked around at the faces that had once turned against him.

“Do any of you have the slightest idea what I've been through? If I were still broke, would you even have bothered to call?”

Jake's eyes filled with tears. “We were wrong. I'm sorry. But we're in real trouble now. Please, Isaac.”

He hesitated, then played his last card.

“If you save us, we'll make you president of Aether Group.”

Aether Group was one of the family's most valuable businesses, a huge company with resources and connections throughout Oakridge City. Isaac had assumed his uncle still ran it. Apparently it had been left in the hands of another relative, and things were going badly.

He considered the offer.

“Fine,” he said at last. “I'll help.”

As he left the estate, Isaac couldn't help wondering whether he had just paid an outrageous price for an executive position. Still, they were family, whether he liked it or not.

Then he remembered his high school reunion. He had to hurry. Old classmates, former friends, even a few people who had become famous would be there. He didn't want to miss it.

Meanwhile, back at Vanguard Group, Ruby emerged from a meeting and found several employees laughing over something on a phone.

“Isn't there work to be done?” she demanded.

Before they could hide the screen, she saw what they were watching.

It was a video of Isaac standing beside his damaged scooter, looking absolutely miserable.

“Who's that guy?” someone laughed. “Did he really get that upset over a scooter?”

“You don't recognize him? That's the boss's husband.”

“No way. She married him?”

“I heard he even promised to buy her a pair of designer heels worth millions. He probably couldn't afford a pair from the mall.”

“Some people will say anything to sound important.”

Their laughter died when they noticed Ruby standing behind them.

She had heard every word.