The Billionaire Husband They Humiliated

Chapter 004

“We're sorry, Ms. Pugh. We'll get back to work. It won't happen again.”

The employees scattered, leaving Ruby in the hallway with her embarrassment. She had planned to grab lunch, but after hearing them ridicule her husband, she had lost her appetite. She turned around and went back to her office.

Isaac, meanwhile, was in a wonderful mood. His reunion was coming up, and for the first time in years, he had something to look forward to. He was humming an off-key tune when he got home.

His mother-in-law was waiting for him.

“Do you have any idea what you've done?” she demanded. “Come here and apologize.”

Most of Isaac's misery under the Pugh roof had come from this woman. Even with everything that had changed, her tone made him instinctively tense.

“As far as I'm concerned, you're no longer part of this family,” she announced. “Tomorrow, you and Ruby are getting a divorce. Pack up your filthy things and get out.”

Isaac's smile disappeared.

“I don't want a divorce. I love Ruby. I've cared about her all these years. You can't decide this for us.”

His mother-in-law gave a cold laugh. “Love? What good is your love? Christopher Hartnett says he'll invest several million dollars in Vanguard Group if Ruby marries him instead. What can you offer her?”

“Just a few million?” Isaac muttered.

Christopher's money came from his connection to the Thornton family. Once the family cut him off, he would have nothing to offer anyone.

“I won't divorce Ruby just because you say so,” Isaac said. “If she wants me gone, she can tell me herself.”

He walked away.

“Isaac! Get back here! How dare you talk to me like that?”

He didn't turn around.

That evening, Ruby was getting ready to leave Vanguard Group when the receptionist called her over.

“Ms. Pugh, a package arrived for you.”

The receptionist handed her an unusually heavy gift box with a gleaming gold finish. People nearby stopped to stare.

“Is that real gold?”

“Who ships something in a box like that?”

“Open it, Ms. Pugh. We have to see what's inside.”

Ruby usually kept a professional distance from her staff, but she had always treated them fairly. Now a small crowd gathered around the reception desk as she lifted the lid.

A pair of shimmering designer heels lay nestled inside.

For a moment, nobody spoke.

“Are those the Elysian Slingback heels?” someone whispered.

“I thought those were impossible to get.”

“They're gorgeous. Who sent them?”

Ruby could hardly believe what she was seeing. She had admired the shoes since the day they were released. And unlike Christopher's imitation pair, these looked unmistakably genuine.

Could Christopher have tracked down the real thing after all? Had he spent his entire fortune on her?

Ruby touched the delicate finish, already imagining the impression she would make at the Pugh family's annual gathering.

Across the city, Isaac arrived at Echo Karaoke Lounge, an exclusive entertainment club popular with Oakridge City's wealthy crowd. Luxury cars lined the entrance. Inside, the private rooms cost more for a single evening than many people earned in months.

Isaac pulled his battered motor scooter into a space beside an expensive sedan. He had meant to replace it earlier, but he had left his identification at home and put off the trip. For now, the scooter would have to do.

A horn blared behind him.

“Hey! Who said you could park that thing here? Do you even belong in this place?”

The driver lowered his window, then stopped mid-insult.

Isaac recognized him immediately.

Frank Davis. Their old high school class president, famous for boasting about himself even when they were teenagers.

“Good God, Isaac,” Frank said. “What happened to you? You look terrible.”

He laughed and headed inside.

By the time Isaac reached the private room, most of their classmates had arrived. Frank made an entrance in expensive designer clothes, his luxury car key conspicuous in his hand. Everyone rushed to greet him.

“Frank! Look at you!”

“You've really made something of yourself.”

No one paid much attention to Isaac, dressed in cheap clothes and holding the keys to a dented scooter.

He didn't mind. He scanned the room and spotted the woman everyone had once admired at school: Sara Davis.

She had been the class beauty, with long legs and an effortless confidence. Years later, she looked even more striking in fitted jeans, attracting admiring glances from nearly every man in the room.

Frank was staring, too.

“Sara! What are you doing these days?” he asked. “I almost didn't recognize you. You look incredible.”

“She works in entertainment now,” a classmate volunteered. “And she's about to sign with Aether Group. Once that happens, she'll be a star.”

Aether Group was the biggest name in Oakridge City's entertainment industry. The company had launched some of the country's most successful performers.

Isaac's eyebrows rose.

That's my company now.

He headed over, smiling, and reached for an empty seat near Sara.

She wrinkled her nose before he could sit down.

“Who are you supposed to be? Get away from me. You look filthy.”

Isaac paused. “Is someone sitting here?”

“No,” she said, looking him up and down. “But I don't want you sitting next to me. Find somewhere else.”