The House Husband is a Secret Tycoon

Chapter Eight

Colette stood frozen in place, her hand still gripping the car door, her mouth hanging open.

Sebastian was equally stunned beside her, his earlier smugness wiped clean from his face.

Neither of them had expected this.

The woman sitting in the driver's seat wasn't some random blonde Julian had picked up at a bar. She was Gianna Brennan, the legendary figure whose single contract had brought Mercer & Co more profit in six months than Colette had managed to secure in the previous two years combined.

And she was the one person Colette had been desperately trying to expand a partnership with.

Colette's mind raced, trying to make sense of what she was seeing.

Why was Julian – her house husband, the man who cooked her meals and did her laundry – sitting in a car with someone as powerful as Gianna Brennan?

It didn't make sense. None of this made sense.

Colette released the car door and took a step back, her face flushing hot with embarrassment.

"Ms. Brennan," she stammered, forcing a smile that felt brittle on her face. "I – I'm so sorry. I didn't realize it was you. I was just—I thought I was catching a cheating husband and I didn't expect to run into you here."

Gianna's expression didn't change. She looked at Colette with those sharp, calculating eyes and said nothing for a long moment.

Then she spoke, her voice cool and measured.

"Catching a cheater?" she repeated.

Sebastian stepped forward, sensing an opportunity. His face was still pale from the shock of seeing Gianna, but he recovered quickly, slipping back into his usual confident persona.

"That's right," he said smoothly. "We have evidence that Julian has been sneaking around behind Colette's back. We followed him here because we wanted to confront him about it."

He gestured at Julian with barely concealed contempt.

"He's been taking advantage of his position as Colette's husband to social-climb," Sebastian continued, his voice dripping with disdain. "Trying to use her connections to get close to people way out of his league. It's honestly pathetic."

Colette jumped in, emboldened by Sebastian's support.

"Exactly," she said, her voice gaining strength. "Julian has no right to be anywhere near someone like you, Ms. Brennan. He's just a stay-at-home husband. He doesn't have the credentials or the status to –"

"According to him," Gianna interrupted, her voice cutting through Colette's rambling like a blade, "he's already divorced."

Colette's mouth snapped shut.

Gianna tilted her head slightly, her gaze moving from Colette to Sebastian and back again.

"So where does this 'husband' talk come from?" she asked calmly. "And for that matter – who even are you? I've never heard of you."

Colette's face turned a deep shade of crimson.

The dismissal in Gianna's voice was unmistakable. She didn't know who Colette was and she didn't care, either.

To Gianna Brennan, Colette was nobody.

Colette's hands clenched into fists at her sides. Humiliation burned through her, hot and acidic.

She whirled on Julian, her eyes blazing with resentment.

"How could you?" she demanded, her voice shaking. "How could you go around broadcasting our divorce the moment it happened? What do you take me for?"

Julian looked at her, his expression completely cold.

"You and this man," he said quietly, gesturing at Sebastian, "dragged me into a public spectacle to 'catch me in the act.' What do you take me for? Is that all I am in your heart—just some cheater?"

Colette's mouth opened, then closed.

Guilt flickered across her face, but she pushed it down.

"I only did it because I cared about you," she said, her voice going defensive. "I thought – I was worried that –"

"You didn't care about me at all before," Julian cut her off, his voice hard. "You only came charging over to interrogate me once you thought I was cheating. Do you see me as a person, or just a piece of property you happen to own?"

Colette's face flushed deeper. She opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out.

Sebastian stepped forward, his jaw tight with barely controlled jealousy.

"Then why are you by her side?" he demanded, his eyes fixed on Julian. "What are you trying to pull?"

Even someone of his status wasn't qualified to stand next to Gianna Brennan. So how the hell did a pathetic house husband manage it?

"We have a professional relationship," Julian said simply.

Sebastian blinked. Then he let out a derisive sneer.

"Oh, I get it," he said, his voice dripping with mockery. "You're her Uber driver, aren't you? That's the only way someone like you could end up in a car with someone like her."

Julian chuckled coldly.

"Think whatever you want," he said. "I've looked into you, and your actual skill level isn't high enough for me to care about your opinion."

Sebastian's face went red.

"What did you just say to me?" he snarled.

"You heard me," Julian said flatly.

Sebastian took a step forward, his hands clenched into fists.

"How dare you," he spat. "How dare a pathetic stay-at-home son-in-law shamelessly claim a professional relationship with her and then turn around and slander me?"

His voice rose with each word, fury overtaking reason.

"I'm going to teach you a lesson," Sebastian growled, lunging forward.

Julian braced himself, his muscles tensing.

But before Sebastian could reach him, Gianna moved.

She stepped out of the car in one fluid motion, placing herself directly between Julian and Sebastian.

Sebastian didn't have time to stop. His momentum carried him forward and Gianna caught him by the wrist, twisted sharply, and sent him crashing to the ground.

Sebastian hit the pavement hard, the impact knocking the wind out of him. He gasped, his face twisted in shock and pain.

Colette let out a strangled cry and rushed to his side.

"Sebastian!" she said, dropping to her knees beside him. "Are you okay?"

Gianna looked down at them both, her expression ice-cold.

"Haven't you two made enough of a scene?" she demanded, her voice cutting through the night air like steel. "Do you really want to keep pushing your luck?”