The Legendary Martin Garvey

Chapter 6

“Martin, stop being ridiculous! You’re embarrassing me. Let’s just leave now!”

Ignoring the stares and sneers aimed at her and her husband, Quinn tried desperately to drag Martin away. But no matter how hard she pulled his arm, it was useless.

“Quinn, why should I be embarrassed for speaking the truth? If someone else ended up with that fake necklace, I wouldn’t care. But I won’t stand by and watch it happen to you.”

Martin’s tone was calm and confident.

But that only made Quinn even more anxious.

If this hadn’t been Victoria, she wouldn’t have cared so much about what her husband said. But here—where people measured their worth by their wealth—every word had to be chosen carefully, or you’d become the city’s next laughingstock.

“Martin, please,” she begged softly, her voice trembling—something she had never done before. “Let’s just go.”

“I’m sorry, Quinn,” Martin said quietly, “but I have to see this through.”

For the first time, Quinn saw something different in her husband’s eyes. He wasn’t the same man who always obeyed her without question.

Meanwhile, Ethan let out a mocking laugh at Martin’s accusation.

“Hey, Mr. Garvey—you’re calling this necklace fake? Are you serious? Aren’t you ashamed of yourself? You live off your wife, and yet you act like you know everything about luxury?”

His words cut deep—especially for Quinn and Catherine. But they couldn’t defend Martin. After all, it was his reckless mouth that started this mess.

“Martin, Mr. Downey is right. Let’s just leave.”

Quinn knew she was no longer part of the richest family in Havenport. Since being expelled from the Hayes clan, all she had left was her pride. Staying here would only invite more humiliation.

“No.”

Martin’s voice was firm. He had never felt inferior about his life, even when living modestly. But he could sense his wife’s shame—and that only made him more determined to act.

“I’m not making things up,” he said evenly. “I have proof.”

“Martin, that’s enough,” Quinn pleaded.

“Quinn, let him talk,” Ethan interrupted with a smirk.

He reached out as if to touch her shoulder—but Martin moved faster, catching his wrist.

“Keep your filthy hands off my wife.”

Ethan, of course, had no idea that Martin worked at the very hospital where he served as director. By that logic, Martin should have respected him as a superior.

Even so, seeing how outrageous his behavior was, Martin no longer cared. Whoever he was—even if he was Martin’s superior—he would be put in his place.

“Whoa!” Ethan jerked his hand back, his expression twisting into open contempt.

“Well, well, well. Mr. Garvey finally does something useful for his wife! Fine then, since you’re so eager to play this little game, I’ll entertain you.”

Ethan adjusted his tie and collar, then raised his voice so everyone could hear.

“Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce myself. I’m Ethan Downey, director of Havenport General Hospital.”

The crowd murmured in awe. The Downeys were a respected family in the city, and the name alone commanded attention.

“This man,” Ethan continued, pointing at Martin, “is the live-in son-in-law of Catherine Hayes, second-generation heir of the prestigious Hayes clan.”

Gasps filled the air.

“Wait—that Hayes family?” someone whispered.

In Havenport, everyone knew that name. Following Ethan’s gesture, the crowd looked Martin up and down—from his plain shirt to his scuffed shoes.

“He doesn’t look the part at all!” one older man scoffed. “How could someone like him marry into the Hayes family?”

“You’re absolutely right! There’s nothing impressive about him!” another chimed in.

Ethan nodded smugly. “But what disgusts me most,” he said, “is that while this man freeloads in his wife’s home, he doesn’t even try to make her happy.”

He turned toward Quinn, his voice dripping with false concern.

“Look at this lovely young lady. Does she deserve such misery? I simply couldn’t stand to see her sad, so I gave her a gift worthy of her status.”

Then, with a cold sneer, Ethan faced Martin again.

“And this useless man dares to stop her from accepting it—claiming my Eclat d’Or necklace is fake! Tell me, everyone—does such a man even deserve to be called a husband?”

His words echoed through the boutique like a prosecutor’s closing argument.

The crowd immediately erupted in agreement.

“Mr. Downey’s right,” one man said. “A husband’s duty is to provide and protect. If he can’t even do that, he should at least not drag his wife down.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” another added. “Frankly, Mr. Downey, you’re the one who deserves her—not this worthless fellow.”

A middle-aged woman wearing glasses adjusted them and joined in.

“I heard the Jonathan family was cast out of the Hayes clan because their daughter married a common man. I didn’t expect that ‘common man’ to be this pathetic. If my daughter were in her place, I’d divorce him immediately and marry her to someone like you.”

As they showered Ethan with praise, Martin stood silently amid the noise.

The woman with glasses stepped closer to Quinn.

“Dear, I know love makes people blind—but spending your life with a man like him will only ruin you. You are very lovely. You deserve someone better.”

She then pointed at Ethan.

“Look at him. Handsome, successful, kind. He’s the kind of man a woman like you should be with.”

Their words were blunt—some even openly urging divorce.

But among everyone, the one who looked most unsettled was Catherine.

"Damn it!" she cursed silently. "This useless man never brings me anything but trouble!"

To preserve the family’s dignity, Catherine had always kept Martin hidden from her wealthy friends and colleagues. She even forbade her daughter from sitting beside him in the car—choosing the middle seats instead, as if Martin were just their driver.

And now, all her efforts had gone to waste.

“Hahaha… perfect,” Ethan thought, a triumphant smile curling on his lips. "With this, Catherine will be cornered—and she’ll have no choice but to force Quinn to divorce him."

But before Ethan could savor his victory, a calm voice cut through the laughter.

“Well,” Martin said, stepping forward with a faint smile, “I didn’t expect you to be such a good actor.”

Ignoring the ridicule and hateful stares, he closed the distance until only two meters separated him from Ethan.

“You might fool everyone here into believing that necklace is real,” Martin said quietly, “but you can’t fool me.”

He pointed at the black box in Delilah’s hands.

“That thing…”

He smiled faintly.

“I’ll prove to everyone here that it’s nothing but trash.”