The Billionaire Husband They Humiliated

Chapter 008

The front door opened just as Alex finished speaking.

Isaac stepped inside, soaked to the skin. Rain had started on his way home, and with his scooter wrecked outside Aether Group, he had been forced to push it through the streets. His shoes were muddy, and water dripped from his clothes onto the floor.

“Well, speak of the devil,” Alex said. “There's your useless husband now.”

Ruby's mother came out of the bedroom and stopped dead.

“You've got some nerve showing your face!” she shouted. “Get out! If you hadn't caused that scene at the family banquet, Ruby wouldn't have been stuck going to Aether Group tomorrow.”

She looked him up and down, growing angrier.

“You used to know your place. You cleaned, you kept your mouth shut, and you did what you were told. Now you talk back to Jordan like you're somebody important. And look at the mess you're bringing into my house!”

Isaac glanced at the wet footprints behind him.

“Sorry about the floor,” he said. “But I've spent years doing everything this family asks without complaining.”

He didn't want another argument. With his mother-in-law, any disagreement could become a disaster.

Instead, he walked over to Ruby.

“You don't need to look for an investor anymore,” he told her. “I'll cover what Vanguard Group needs.”

Alex threw back her head and laughed.

“You? Have you looked in a mirror lately? You barely managed to buy that scooter. Ruby needs hundreds of thousands of dollars, not a few bucks you've saved from doing chores.”

“Alex, leave it,” Ruby said. “Let him talk.”

After Isaac had defended her at the banquet, she found herself a little less willing to join in when others mocked him.

Alex wasn't impressed.

“If I were Ruby, I'd get a divorce. What's the point of having a husband who does nothing but cause trouble?”

“Shut up,” Isaac snapped.

Alex's expression changed.

“Remember what you said the other day?” he asked. “If I could get Ruby the money, you'd call me Daddy. I haven't forgotten.”

Alex folded her arms. “Then show me the money. Come on. I'd love to see it.”

“All right.”

Isaac brought over a bag, opened it, and turned it upside down.

For a heartbeat, the room went completely silent.

Bundles of banknotes poured out, scattering across the floor. The carpet vanished beneath a tide of cash.

Ruby's mother stared. “Where in the world did you get all that?”

Alex sank onto the sofa, unable to look away. There was far too much money to count at a glance.

Isaac gave her a small smile.

“Well? I'm waiting.”

Alex finally found her voice.

“You don't even have a proper job. What is this, years of pocket money? Or did you get it somewhere you shouldn't have?”

Before Isaac could respond, Ruby caught his arm and pulled him into a room where the others couldn't hear.

“Tell me the truth,” she whispered. “Where did you get that money? You didn't do anything illegal, did you?”

“Of course not.”

He didn't want to reveal that he was now president of Aether Group. He could already imagine Ruby dismissing it as another unbelievable stroke of luck.

“I borrowed it from a friend,” he said.

Ruby stared at him. “You have a friend who can lend you that much? Why haven't I ever heard of him?”

The question stung. After the Thorntons expelled him, nearly every friend he had ever known disappeared. Most acted as though they were afraid he might ask them for money.

“I ran into an old classmate at the reunion,” he lied. “We used to be close. He's running a big company now, and he agreed to help. Use the money. Don't worry about it.”

He turned to leave.

“I'll pay you back,” Ruby said quietly. “I don't like owing people money.”

By then, Alex had already slipped out, too embarrassed to keep arguing.

Isaac looked toward the empty living room and shook his head.

“So much for keeping your promises.”

Over the next few days, Oakridge City's business community buzzed with talk about Aether Group's new president.

The company had rejected every proposal that came across its desk, even from longtime partners. Major corporations were desperate to get close to Aether, while smaller businesses had barely a chance of securing a meeting.

The Pugh family, which had been turned away so publicly, seemed especially unlikely to succeed.

Then the news broke.

Aether Group had agreed to work with the Pughs.

Executives across the city could hardly believe it. How could a relatively small family business succeed where so many others had failed?

Ruby was just as baffled.

She had barely arrived at Aether's offices and explained why she was there before being told the partnership was approved. She hadn't even met the new president. The contract would be ready the following day.

It was almost too easy.

To celebrate, the Pugh patriarch booked the Velvet House, Oakridge City's most luxurious hotel, for an extravagant banquet. He invited business partners and prominent guests, eager for everyone to know that his family had secured a deal with Aether Group.

Ruby was given a place of honor near the head table.

Isaac happily followed his wife toward the front of the room, only to be stopped before he could sit down.

“What the hell do you think you're doing?” Jordan Pugh demanded. “Get up. That seat is for Miss Ritchson.”

Beside him stood a glamorous young woman.

Ruby's mother glared at Isaac. “You heard him. Move.”

The guest was Vicky Ritchson, the daughter of a wealthy family known for its antique business. The Ritchsons had money, influence, and a reputation that made the Pughs eager to stay on their good side.

Vicky barely noticed the argument. Her attention had settled on Ruby's shoes.

The Elysian Slingback heels?

She had wanted a pair for years. Only a handful existed, and even her family's wealth hadn't been enough to secure one. Buying them required exactly the right connections.

“Are you deaf?” Jordan barked at Isaac. “Miss Ritchson is waiting.”

Isaac kept eating.

His mother-in-law slapped the table.

“Get out of that chair! Who do you think you are?”

Isaac still didn't move. The idea of surrendering his seat simply because Jordan demanded it irritated him.

Finally, Ruby spoke.

“Isaac, please. Just sit somewhere else.”

He looked at his wife and stood up.

“All right.”

He moved toward the tables at the back of the room.

“Please, Miss Ritchson, sit down,” Jordan said, smiling broadly. “Don't mind him. He doesn't know how to behave.”

“It's fine,” Vicky replied absently.

Her eyes were still on Ruby's shoes.

“May I ask where you got those?” she said at last. “I've been looking for that design forever.”

Ruby couldn't help feeling pleased. Vicky Ritchson was one of Oakridge City's most admired socialites, and now she was asking about her shoes.

“They were a gift,” Ruby said.

Vicky leaned closer. “Do you think the person who gave them to you could get another pair? I'd be willing to pay even more than the usual price.”

The people around them stared. The shoes were already worth a staggering amount, and Vicky was offering to pay a premium.

“Call your friend,” Ruby's mother urged. “See if he can help Miss Ritchson. This is a wonderful opportunity.”

Ruby hesitated, then took out her phone and dialed Christopher Hartnett.

She put the call on speaker.

Her mother beamed. “Of course it was Christopher who gave them to you! What a thoughtful man. You should appreciate someone who treats you so well.”

On the other end of the call, Christopher didn't say a word.

Every asset he had held through the Thornton family had been taken away. He was practically broke, and too ashamed to admit it.