The Billionaire They Kicked Out

Chapter 5: The Price of a Man

"You know, Ethan just bought Lilian a diamond-encrusted watch for no reason at all. Just a 'Tuesday gift,' he called it."

I stopped in the doorway of the morning room, the tray of tea things heavy in my hands. Miranda was sitting on the sofa with her sister, Aunt Lydia, who was visiting from the coast. They didn't stop talking when I entered. To them, I was just a part of the house, like the baseboards or the curtains.

"A Tuesday gift?" Lydia gasped, her eyes wide as she adjusted her pearl necklace. "How romantic. And how much was it?"

"Fifty thousand," Miranda said, her voice dripping with a pride that wasn't hers to claim. "He said a woman like Lilian shouldn't have to keep track of time on a phone screen like a common worker. He wants her to look at luxury every time she checks the hour."

"And what did Damien give her for their anniversary last month?" Lydia asked, casting a sideways glance at me as I set the tea service down on the low table.

Miranda let out a sound that was half-laugh, half-scoff. "A book. A leather-bound book of poetry he found in some dusty shop. Can you imagine? My daughter, a Sterling, being expected to find joy in paper and ink while other women in her circle are receiving keys to vacation homes."

"A book," Lydia repeated, looking at me with genuine confusion, as if I had handed Lilian a piece of trash. "Well, I suppose when you have no money, you have to be 'creative.' But creativity doesn't pay for the lifestyle Lilian was born for."

I kept my head down, arranging the cups. I didn't tell them that the book was a first edition of Lilian’s favorite poet, something I had spent weeks tracking down because she once mentioned it was her dream to own it. I didn't tell them that she had cried when she opened it though I wasn't sure anymore if those were tears of joy or tears of frustration at my lack of "real" ambition.

"It’s not just the gifts," Miranda continued, leaning in closer to her sister. "It’s the protection. Last week, when the Sterling company was having that legal spat with the contractors, Ethan made one phone call. One. By the afternoon, the contractors were apologizing and offering a discount. That is what a man does for his wife’s family. He builds a wall around them. He makes them untouchable."

"And Damien?" Lydia prompted.

"Damien?" Miranda laughed. "Damien fixed the kitchen sink so we didn't have to call a plumber. That’s his contribution to the 'protection' of this family. He saves us a hundred dollars on labor while the men Lilian should have been with are saving us millions in assets."

I stood up, the empty tray tucked under my arm. I wanted to walk away, but my feet felt like lead.

"I think the tea is at the right temperature now, Madam," I said quietly.

"Good. Now go see if the gardener needs help with the hedges," Miranda said, not even looking at me. "The Sterling name is being dragged down by the state of the front lawn, and since you don't have an office to go to, you might as well make yourself useful."

I walked out of the room, the sound of their whispers following me down the hall.

Later that afternoon, I was in the library, trying to organize the shelves. It was one of the few places in the house where I could find a bit of peace, but even that was taken from me when Victor walked in, followed by Julian and Marcus.

They were drinking scotch, the expensive kind that Victor kept locked in a cabinet I wasn't allowed to touch.

"The difference between a successful man and a failure," Victor was saying, his voice loud and booming, "is the ability to provide a lifestyle that exceeds expectations. Look at the Kane family. When Ethan’s father married, he bought his wife an entire vineyard in France just so she’d have her own label of wine. That is the standard."

"I heard the CEO of Voss Holdings just commissioned a yacht for his wife’s birthday," Marcus added, swirling his drink. "A hundred foot vessel with a helicopter pad. That’s how you show the world what your woman is worth. It’s a statement."

Julian looked over at me, a cruel glint in his eyes. "Hey, Damien. What’s the biggest statement you’ve ever made for Lilian? Did you upgrade her to the 'large' meal at the drive-thru once?"

The three of them laughed, a synchronized sound of mockery that echoed off the high ceilings.

"He doesn't understand," Victor said, his smile fading into a look of cold disdain. "He thinks that being 'nice' and 'present' is enough. But in our world, if you aren't providing luxury, you're providing a burden. Every day Lilian stays married to him, her stock drops. People ask me at the club why my daughter is tethered to a man who works at a hardware store. It’s embarrassing. It makes the Sterlings look weak."

"She’s a Sterling," Marcus said. "She should be draped in diamonds, traveling by private jet, and having doors opened for her by people who fear her husband’s name. Instead, she has to explain why her husband is the one opening the door for the pizza delivery guy."

"It’s a disgrace," Victor muttered. "A man should be a ladder for his wife to climb. Damien is just a weight tied to her ankle, pulling her down into the mud of the middle class."

I stood by the ladder, a book in my hand. I felt the heat of their words like a physical burn. They talked about Lilian as if she were a piece of real estate, and about me as if I were a termite infestation.

"Victor," I said, my voice steady despite the pounding in my ears. "Lilian and I married for love. We agreed on a life that was…."

"Love?" Victor cut me off, his eyes flashing with sudden rage.

"Love is for people who can't afford a mortgage. In this house, we value results. We value power. Look at Ethan. He’s not even family yet, and he’s already done more for Lilian’s career than you have in three years. He got her that interview with the city planning board. He got her the cover of 'Modern Architect.' What have you given her, Damien? Besides a book of poems and a life of mediocrity?"

I didn't have an answer that they would accept. I couldn't tell them that I had been the one who secretly edited those architectural plans to make them perfect. I couldn't tell them that I was the one who kept her sane when the pressure of being a Sterling almost broke her. Those things didn't have a price tag, so to them, they didn't exist.

"Go find something to clean," Victor spat, turning his back on me. "The sight of you just standing there, doing nothing, is making my scotch taste cheap."

That evening, I found Lilian in her dressing room. She was staring at the watch Ethan had given her. It glittered under the vanity lights, the diamonds catching every spark of electricity.

"It’s a beautiful watch," I said, leaning against the doorframe.

Lilian jumped slightly, then looked at me through the mirror. Her expression was hard to read. "It’s... it’s an investment, Damien. That’s what Ethan said."

"Is that what you want, Lilian? Investments?"

She sighed, a long, weary sound that seemed to deflate her. "I want to be able to walk into a room without people whispering, Damien. I want my father to stop looking at me with disappointment. I want to feel like I’m moving forward, not just treading water."

"And you think I’m the reason you're treading water?" I asked softly.

Lilian stood up and turned to face me. She looked at my simple shirt and my worn out jeans. Then she looked down at her fifty thousand dollar watch.

"When we married, I thought love was enough," she said, her voice trembling. "But look at Sarah, my old roommate from college. Her husband just bought her a penthouse. Look at my mother, she has never had to worry about a single bill in her life. Everywhere I look, the men in my life are building empires for their wives. And you... you’re just here."

"I’m here for you," I said. "I’ve always been here for you."

"But that’s all you are!" she suddenly yelled, the frustration finally breaking through her composed shell. "You’re just here! You don't lead. You don't build. You don't provide the life that everyone expects me to have. My father is right, a man’s worth is measured by what he can do for his family. And right now, all you're doing is making me look like a fool in front of the people who matter."

She brushed past me, the scent of her expensive perfume lingering in the air.

"Lilian," I called out.

She stopped at the door, but she didn't turn around.

"Ethan is taking me to dinner tonight," she said. "Don't wait up. My parents think it’s a good idea for the company’s image if we’re seen together."

"You’re my wife," I reminded her.

"Then start acting like a man who can keep a wife like me," she whispered.

The door closed with a soft, final click.

I stood in the empty dressing room, surrounded by her expensive clothes and the jewelry her family had bought her to make up for my "failings."

I walked over to the vanity and looked at the watch Ethan had left. It was cold. It was hard. It was expensive.

I thought about the men they had compared me to, the yacht-owners, the vineyard-buyers, the empire-builders. They thought I was a failure because I didn't play their game. They thought I was a "nobody" because I chose to stay in the shadows.

I looked at my own reflection in the mirror. For the first time, I didn't see the humble son-in-law. I saw the heir to the Cross Empire. I saw a man who could buy this entire city and turn it into a parking lot if he felt like it.

They wanted a man who could build an empire? They wanted a man who could make the world tremble?

I could give them that. But they were beginning to forget one very important thing: when you ask a monster to show his teeth, you shouldn't be surprised when he bites.

I turned off the vanity light, leaving the room in darkness. The diamond watch stopped glittering. In the dark, it was just a piece of metal, worthless without the light.

Just like the Sterling family.

I walked out of the room, my footsteps heavy and deliberate.

They had no idea that I was just counting the days until I took those shoes away and made them walk on glass.