The Heir They Humiliated

CHAPTER 2

 

I refused to believe what my eyes were showing me.

Elara? How could she be standing here when she was supposed to be halfway across the country on a business trip? That was the story she’d fed me four days ago before she “left.” I hadn't heard her wrong; the memory was a jagged edge in my mind. But more confusing was her proximity to Julian. Why were they standing so close? What the fuck was happening?

I rose to my feet, my legs feeling like they were made of water. “Elara? What are you doing here?” I asked. My voice quivered, and no matter how hard I gritted my teeth, I couldn't control it.

She sighed, her face tightening into a mask of visible annoyance. “I didn’t want to come here, Carter. But you were so persistent when my mother and brother showed up that I had to handle this personally. So, here I am.”

“I don’t understand. Handle what? How are you even here?” I asked, refusing to look at Julian—the man I had slaved under for over a year. “Jax said something about you being at some boss’s house and—”

“Carter, stop,” Elara snapped, her patience hitting a dead end.

“Stop what? What did your brother mean? Why are you here, and why is Julian standing next to you like that?” My voice was rising, turning hysterical. My eyes were wild, darting between the woman I loved and the man who signed my paychecks.

Then, the world seemed to slow down. I actually had to take off my glasses and rub my eyes, certain my mind was playing a cruel trick on me. Julian reached out and wrapped his arm around Elara’s waist, pulling her flush against his side. That was my wife. My slender, beautiful wife, tucked under my boss’s arm like a trophy.

“Sign the papers, Carter,” she said, her voice cold. “Just do it and save everyone the stress. You don’t want to do this.”

“Do what, for fuck’s sake? Where have you been? You were at his house? Julian? You knew she was my fucking wife!” I bellowed, my voice cracking with accusation.

“That’s true, Carter,” Julian said. His voice was calm, almost bored. “But then again, you didn't deserve her. She needed a real man. Someone who could actually provide for her.”

“You didn’t really expect me to stick with you forever, did you?” Elara added. “We aren't in the same class. I never wanted to be with you anyway. Have you forgotten how this marriage even happened?”

I felt my head spinning. I could never forget. I had been appointed as her husband by her grandfather after I saved his life. I had seen it as a miracle; I loved her with everything I had. Even when she refused to let me touch her, even when we slept in separate rooms, I told myself I just needed to give her more time. Our marriage had always been a walk along a cliffside, but the moment her grandfather died, the ground gave way. The vows and the promises she made to the old man were tossed aside like trash.

“Have you forgotten so soon that I saved your grandfather’s life, Elara?” I asked, my heart shattering into a million jagged pieces.

She rolled her eyes. “Yes, you saved him, but he’s dead now anyway. That favor died with him.” She looked at me with pure indifference. “Look at yourself, Carter. You’re broke. You’re too impoverished for my liking. You can’t even take care of yourself, let alone me. I need a man who can win, a man who can give me the life I deserve.”

She turned to Julian, her gaze softening into an affectionate look that turned my stomach. She leaned up and kissed him, a slow, deliberate act that sent thorns straight into my heart. “And I’ve found that man in Julian. He’s my prince charming.”

My eyes welled with tears, but I refused to let them fall in front of them. The anger in my gut was boiling hotter than a volcano. I wanted to wring her neck. “But he’s my…” My voice broke. “That’s my freaking boss, Elara!”

From their easy intimacy, the truth finally settled in. I had been a fool. She hadn't just been "away"—she had been cheating on me for a long, long time.

“Not anymore,” Julian said flatly. I stared at him in shock. “You’re fired, Carter. Sign the divorce agreement, clean out your desk, and get the fuck out of my company.”

I couldn't believe my ears. My wife and my livelihood, both stripped away in the same hour. What did I have left?

Outside, the sun vanished behind thick, gloomy clouds. Within a minute, heavy pellets of rain began to beat against the office window. The battle was over, and the sky was weeping for my defeat. I had lost everything.

Dejectedly, I picked up the pen. As I scribbled my signature on the divorce papers, a single tear fell, creating a small, blurred puddle on the page. Elara snatched the paper the second the ink was dry, shoving it into her purse before clinging back to Julian’s arm.

“Good. Now get out,” Julian snarled.

I stared at Elara one last time, wondering how she could be so heartless. I packed my few belongings into a small bag, the reality sinking into my chest like an abyssal pit. As I walked out of my office, I had to endure the taunts of the colleagues who had always hated me.

“What a loser,” one whispered. “He didn't even fight for her.”

“Could he? He would’ve been crushed. A pauper against the boss? Carter is nothing. He’s leaving just like he arrived—with nothing.”

The rain was relentless. It beat me down as I stepped out into the street. My glasses became blurry, obscuring my vision, but I didn't care. I kept my head down, the small bag of my life tucked under my arm, walking aimlessly through the downpour.

I had been walking for about twenty minutes when the sound of screeching tires snapped me out of my trance. I stopped dead.

I wiped my glasses and squinted through the rain. My heart stopped. Strewn across the street was a fleet of the most luxurious cars I had ever seen. There were six Rolls Royces, four Bentleys, two Jaguars, and two Aston Martins. But the car at the very front stole my breath—a Bugatti Chiron.

Standing by the vehicles were men in sharp suits and dark glasses, ignoring the rain. They had cold, hard expressions that sent an immediate jolt of fear through me. I started to back away, thinking I had stumbled into something dangerous, until an old man in a hat stepped forward.

A guard held a large umbrella over him, marking him as the leader. I turned to run, but his voice stopped me cold.

“Don’t run,” the man said. His voice was firm, commanding a level of respect I had never felt before. “You are the one we have been looking for. For years, we have combed the earth in search of you. And finally, we have found you, young master.”

I froze. I wasn't sure I had heard him correctly. My eyes widened in total shock as the old man removed his hat and bowed deeply to me. Behind him, every single guard followed suit, bowing in perfect unison.

This was insane.