The Disgraced Husband Is the Septamillionaire Heir

CHAPTER 8 PART 1

Inside Azure Lounge, Madison Crawford stood near the entrance, her arms crossed, eyes fixed on the double doors. She'd been waiting with barely contained glee to watch the guards physically drag Caden out. When he strolled through instead—the doors opening automatically as if he owned the place—her smile froze on her perfectly made-up face.

"How did he—" Her voice died mid-sentence as Caden walked straight toward their booth near the bar.

Vivian sat with rigid posture, her glacial blue eyes staring at nothing in particular. A glass of wine remained untouched before her, condensation beading down its sides. She looked like a marble statue—beautiful, cold, utterly indifferent to everything around her.

"Ladies," Caden said, sliding onto the leather barstool across from them. "Nice place you've got here."

Madison's mask snapped back into place. "Well, well. You made it in after all. How... fortunate." The word dripped with sarcasm. She glanced across the club, her eyes landing on a tall figure near the pool tables. "Oh, Caden, there's someone you simply must meet. Derek! Derek Chen, darling, come here!"

Derek Chen detached himself from his group and sauntered over. Everything about him screamed privilege—from his perfectly styled hair to his Italian leather shoes. His eyes immediately locked onto Vivian, his expression softening into something that made Caden's stomach turn.

"Vivian," Derek said warmly, completely ignoring Caden's existence. "You look absolutely stunning tonight. I was hoping I'd run into you."

"Derek," Vivian acknowledged with the barest nod, her voice flat and emotionless.

Madison's smile widened. "Derek, sweetie, I'd like you to meet someone special. This is Caden Pierce. He's Vivian's... husband."

The temperature seemed to plummet ten degrees.

Derek's head whipped toward Caden, his adoring expression transforming into pure hatred. "Husband? This is the nobody she was forced to marry?"

"That's right," Madison confirmed, clearly enjoying herself.

Derek looked Caden up and down like he was examining something stuck to his shoe. "You? You're married to Vivian?" He let out a harsh, disbelieving laugh. "This has to be a joke. Some kind of elaborate prank, right? Tell me this is a prank."

"Not a joke," Caden said calmly. "We registered this afternoon. It's very official."

"This is absolutely insane!" Derek slammed his fist on the bar, making glasses rattle. "Vivian is meant for someone of her caliber—someone educated, sophisticated, someone who can actually match her status. Not some random street rat who probably can't even afford the cover charge here!" He turned to Vivian, his voice becoming desperate. "You don't have to go through with this. Divorce him. Right now. I'll help you—my family's lawyers are the best in Los Angeles. They'll make it quick and painless."

Caden let out a soft scoff. "Even if I divorced her, do you really think she'd marry you?"

Derek's face flushed crimson. "What the hell did you just say to me?"

"You heard me." Caden's eyes deliberately swept over Derek's slim frame, his pampered appearance, the soft hands that had clearly never done manual labor. "Look at yourself. What exactly do you bring to the table besides daddy's money and your delusional fantasies?"

"You arrogant piece of—"

"Caden is right to question it," Madison cut in smoothly, though her eyes flashed with anger at seeing Derek humiliated. "But Derek, darling, you're the heir to the Chen family empire. Your father is personally connected to Sebastian Mitchell himself. If you're not qualified to be with Vivian, then who is?"

"I am," Caden said simply.

The surrounding tables had gone quiet. People turned to watch, drinks in hand, sensing drama.

"Oh, this is good," someone called out. "Fresh meat thinks he's somebody!"

"Did this nobody just claim he's better than Derek Chen?" another voice laughed. "Someone needs to put this clown in his place!"

Derek's hands clenched into fists, his face now purple with rage. "You want to prove you're qualified? Fine. Get up on that stage." He jabbed a finger toward the raised platform in the center of the club. "You and me. Winner gets to stand by Vivian's side. Loser walks away and never comes back."

Caden raised an eyebrow. "I'm already married to her. Win or lose, I'm still her legal husband. You realize what you're doing, right? You're trying to break up a marriage. You're the third party here. The home-wrecker."

Derek's mouth opened and closed. No words came out. Around them, people exchanged shocked glances, murmuring.

"I—that's not—you can't just—" Derek stammered.

"Useless!" Madison snapped, shoving Derek aside with surprising force. "If you can't handle this pathetic nobody, then I will." She stood, pulling off her designer heels and stepping onto the platform barefoot. Her red dress rode up slightly, revealing athletic legs. "I'll fight him instead."

The atmosphere shifted immediately. Excited murmurs rippled through the crowd.

"Madison Crawford is getting involved?"

"This guy's dead. She's ranked in the national top ten!"

"I heard she trained with military specialists in San Diego!"

"This is going to be brutal!"