Chapter 1: First Anniversary

“What the fuck are you doing here? No one's been coming to my store because of you.”

Damian Giovanni Smith, a poor man who chose to wait until the rain stopped, looked at the old lady who suddenly came out of nowhere.

“What are you talking about? I’m not doing anything here,” Damian furrowed.

“That’s the point! Your presence scares away my customers!” The old lady fumed, arms crossed in anger. "Look at you! Filthy and shameless!”

Damian, confused, looked at his shirt and overall appearance. Well, he was covered in sweat and dirt from running in the streets, and the food stains on his shirt were from his delivery job.

Actually, the cake he held was the only decent thing about him, as he had bought it for his wife, Ava Medivien.

Even though that old woman treated him like a stray dog, Damian still remained polite. Today was supposed to be a special day, and he didn't want to ruin his first anniversary with Ava. “I’ll leave as soon as the rain stops.”

To Damian's surprise, the old woman suddenly gave him a strong push, apparently intending to push him into the pouring rain.

Well, however, Damian appeared slender but was actually quite strong, and the push from the old woman failed to move him. Damian turned around to look at her.

The old woman, furious and embarrassed, shouted at him, "Get the fuck out of here! You freaking beggar."

“Beggar?” Damian raised an eyebrow.

Seeing that he didn't immediately retaliate, the old woman seemed to gather some courage. She reached into her pocket and aggressively threw a handful of coins at Damian's face. "Is this what you want? Easy money? Is this enough for you to leave?"

Damian caught one of the coins which was about to hit his face, his movement so quick, and the old woman couldn't even see it clearly.

“Are you sure that you have no customers because of me, or it’s because you’re just incapable of working in a store?” Damian smiled coldly.

He put the coin into his pocket and interrupted the old woman who was about to attack: “You’ll pay higher price for being rude, but since this is the only money you have, I’ll take this.”

Damian left, paid no attention to the shouting curses from the infuriated woman.

 

A FEW moments later, Damian arrived at the Medivien Mansion. He expected a calm atmosphere. However, it was the complete opposite. The entire place was crowded with beautiful decorations, bright lights, and visitors scattered everywhere.

‘Is she going to declare me as her official husband today?’ Damian smiled at that thought.

They needed to keep their marriage a secret, since Ava’s family was the top seven highest-family ranking in Bee City. And Damian? He had nothing.

But it seemed Ava didn’t care about it at all. She proposed to him before, though Damian 's initial hesitation because he felt unable to provide the life she deserved. Ava was persuasive.

“Don't worry, my love,” said Ava as she held Damian’s rough hands. "My family will take care of all the wedding expenses. I believe that one day, you'll achieve success, and I want to be there by your side when it happens."

As Damian thought back to those fond memories, he couldn't help but overhear the people mocking him as he searched for Ava.

“What the hell? Why did they let a pauper enter this party?”

“Look at his hand. He has a cake. It’s... the most expensive cake in the city. Is he a guest?”

“Guest? Don’t make me laugh. He is not qualified to enter wearing this outfit even as a waiter.”

Damian sneered in response to the insults and chose to ignore them. He was eager to reunite with Ava, thinking that the event was for their anniversary.

But he was wrong. Confusion overwhelmed him as he heard the visitors' chattering.

"This engagement party is exquisite! No wonder they're among the top ten highest-ranking families in the city."

"Engagement party? But we're already married," Damian thought, his heart racing. "If it's not for me, then who is it for?"

Ava is the only person who can answer that question. Damian walked around the corner to see the other hallway, and in the next second, the cake in his hand fell straight to the ground.

He saw Ava making out with a guy, a little bit older than him.

“Ughhh…Yeah…” Ava groaned as the guy started roaming on Ava’s body.

Damian clenched his jaw and tightened his fist. He hadn't expected seeing such a terrifying scene on this special day. He grabbed the collar of the guy, pulling him away from Ava.

Damian had great strength, and the man was swiftly thrown out, stumbling and falling to the ground.

“What the hell?!” As the man struggled to get up from the ground, he shouted in anger.

“I should say the same thing,” Damian muttered in an intimidating tone, holding the man on the collar. “Who the fuck are you, and why are you kissing my wife?!”

“Carson!” Ava pushed Damian away with all her might. She went in front of the man, protecting him. “Are you nuts?! Why did you do that?! You can’t even pay for his hospital expenses if anything happens!”

“W-What?” Damian stood frozen in place, his wife, the love of his life, looked at him like he's a joker, “I don’t understand...You’re taking his side instead of me?”

Ava only sniggered, not even bothered that Damian caught her cheating on the spot.

“If you’re not that stupid, then you should know that I’m breaking up with you now,” Ava said in a cold and authoritative tone. “So that first anniversary you’re talking about? It wouldn’t happen. It will never be.”