Working across borders for six months, my buddy suddenly shared a notification update about my wife.
[Tomorrow we will hold our wedding ceremony. All our dear family and friends are welcome to witness our happiness!]
He grumbled at me. [We've been friends for so many years and you didn't even tell me you're getting married? That's so uncool!]
I froze.
Julia Carpenter and I had been married for three years. However, she said she couldn't hold a wedding for three years because a relative passed away.
Besides, I was thousands of miles away from her now ... who was she holding a wedding with?
I video-called her and asked her what was going on. She remained calm and composed, replying, "I lost at Truth or Dare with my friends and chose the dare."
I said nothing.
I hung up the call and immediately called my assistant. "Sell the three stores I just bought for my wife! She's getting married to someone else."
——
After quickly handing over my work, I boarded the fastest flight back to Neanderthal, my home country.
When I arrived home, I found my villa decorated with decorative lamps and colorful decorations and two large pots of flowers on the gate.
A giant poster stood at my doorstep, showing my wife in a wedding dress, cheek to cheek with another man, smiling blissfully.
A large line of text at the bottom of the poster.
[Unforgetable Moment! Friends and relatives attending the wedding are kindly invited to Verdantia International Hotel.]
[May Julia and Jacob enjoy lasting happiness and love a lifetime.]
I suppressed my emotions and tried clicking my entrance password several times, but it showed "wrong password", then I switched to facial recognition mode, but it still showed "no such person found."
It seemed Julia had changed my password and deleted my facial recognition while I was thousands of miles away!
Clenching my fists, I headed straight to the hotel where the wedding was being held. As soon as I entered the hotel, I was stopped by a security guard before even stepping into the wedding venue.
"To attend a wedding, you must first give a gift!" he said.
Why should I give a gift at my own wife's wedding?
I pretended not to hear him and kept up my steps into the venue.
Seeing me ignoring him, he reached out and dragged me back.
"It's Mr. Schmidt's wedding party, the CEO of the Schmidt Group. If you can't afford a wedding gift, don't even think about getting in to freeload!"
Mr. Schmidt, the CEO of the Schmidt Group? My wife's affair was… with me?
Back then, my father was clamoring to retire, so he put the Schmidt Group under my name. But I refused to take over the family business, I was determined to build my own career.
So we made a deal ... if my own company wasn't listed on the stock exchange within five years, I would take over the Schmidt Group.
To prevent me from changing my mind, he still gave me a nominal position as CEO of the Schmidt Group.
Julia, however, said she couldn't hold a wedding with me! And who was that man on the poster?
Seeing me in a daze, the security guard shoved me and said, "Go, go away! Don't get in other people's way! I'm fed up with you beggars. You just barge into any rich family's wedding party. Don't you care about bringing bad luck to their joyous occasion?"
I took a deep breath and explained. "I'm the CEO of the Schmidt Group and I'm here to find my wife ...."
The security guard sneered and interrupted me. "What’s wrong with you, acting like this in broad daylight! Mr. Schmidt is inside toasting people!”
"Since I'm too lazy to bother now, just go!"
I showed him the wallpaper on my phone, which was a wedding photo of me and Julia.
To my surprise, the security guard burst out laughing.
"Bro, no offense, but you're crazy about being rich, huh?"
"You even dared to photoshop a picture of Mr. Schmidt's wife? Are you out of your mind?"
He picked up a stun gun to shoo me away as he spoke, "I'll count to three and if you don't leave right now, don't blame me for being rude!"
Amidst the commotion, a person walked out of the venue.
It was Liam Reitman, the assistant I had specifically hired for my wife to ease her workload at the store.
I suppressed my anger and beckoned to Liam.
"Liam, tell him who I am."
But I didn't expect him to completely dodge my eyes, too afraid to meet my gaze.
He said to the security guard, "I don't know this person. Don't let him block the main entrance. If you delay Mr. Schmidt's happy occasion, you'll all face the consequences!"
Upon hearing this, the security guard immediately approached, grabbed me and tried to drag me out of the venue.
I couldn't hold back any longer and shouted at him. "Liam, two years ago, you were serving dishes in a restaurant when you accidentally broke the boss's antique vase. The boss demanded you pay for it, but you couldn’t afford it and sat on the floor crying bitterly."
"Did I pay for you and even give you a decent job? Have you forgotten all about it?"
Liam bit his lip, looking at me expressionlessly. "I haven't forgotten! You're the one who's been chasing after the CEO's wife!"
"You can't win her over, so you keep stalking and harassing her. You sicko!"
The security guard who had been grabbing me spat at me. "No wonder I couldn't get rid of him no matter what I did, turns out he's a pervert!"
"They're already married and you still come here to bring them bad luck? Have you no shame!"
"Sir, come quick! Let's chase this pervert away. Who knows, Mrs. Schmidt will be happy and give us money later!"
As we were talking, several security guards rushed towards me menacingly. They held up their stun guns and started hitting me.
I endured the pain and, taking advantage of their carelessness, I ran straight into the venue.
They grabbed me again, pinned me to the ground and beat me. I tried to get up several times, but they pushed me down each time.
During the struggle, a man walked out of the venue.
Jacob glared, scanning everyone one by one and shouted. "What are you all gathered here for? Can't you see you're blocking the guests' way!"
"Today is a big day for my wife and me. Can you afford any trouble?"
Everyone immediately held their breath and lowered their heads.
The security guard who hit me before rushed over to report. "Mr. Schmidt, there's someone here impersonating you and claiming to be the CEO of the Schmidt Group. We tried to get rid of him, but he wouldn't leave, which caused the commotion."
Jacob finally turned his gaze to me. He raised his head high, his eyes full of contempt.
I looked back and when I saw his attire, my eyes turned red with anger. Because he was wearing the haute couture suit my mother had personally made for me the year I started my company!
My mother, Karenina Schmidt, was a top designer and the clothes she made were priceless treasures. No matter how many wealthy people offered exorbitant prices, they couldn't get her to design a single garment.
What's more, three years ago, my mother passed away and this suit was her last gift to me. I had always been reluctant to wear it myself, keeping it hidden deep in my closet. So why was Jacob wearing it now?
I was furious, pointing at Jacob. "Get Julia out here and see me!"
With a bang, Jacob punched me right in the eye.
"You think you can just call the Schmidt Group CEO's wife by her name as you please?"
"You'd better get lost while I'm in a good mood, or you'll regret it!" The bridge of my nose was sore from being hit and when I touched it, I found it was bleeding.
I clenched my fist and spoke each word deliberately. "I am her legitimate husband, tell her to come out and see me!"
These words immediately drew laughter from those around him.
In the crowd, a familiar figure caught my attention.
It was my father-in-law, Ronan Carpenter!
Back then, when Julia and I got married, he owed fourty-two thousand dollars in gambling debts, sold his old house in the village and creditors from all over the city chased after him.
I paid off his gambling debts and even spent four hundred twenty thousand dollars to buy him a house in the city center of his hometown.
At the time, he was extremely grateful to me and practically wanted to be my brother. As long as he spoke up, he could definitely confirm my marriage with Julia!
I grabbed him and spoke excitedly, “Dad!”
Ronan suddenly shoved me, making me stumble. Before I could even regain my balance, he kicked me hard from behind.
I was kicked to the ground and the pain kept me from getting up for a moment.
"Who are you calling 'Dad'?"
"My daughter is the wife of the president of the prestigious Schmidt Group. How dare someone like you try to claim a relationship with her?"
I looked at Ronan in confusion.
He stood beside Jacob, his eyes filled with disgust as he looked at me.
"Dad, last year you broke your leg while hiking. I dropped everything at work to go back and take care of you for a whole month."
"Have you forgotten about that?"
Ronan kicked me twice more. "Stop talking nonsense! My only son-in-law is Jacob. You're just a delusional simp who couldn't win my daughter's heart!"
I was furious and immediately made a video call to Julia.
"I'm right outside the hotel. I heard you're going to have a wedding with someone else?"
Julia immediately panicked and replied, "Weren't you still busy with your business abroad? Why are you back all of a sudden!"
"Wait, I'll be out right away!"
I squinted at Jacob and Ronan, waiting to see how they would handle things after she came out.
Jacob stared at me and suddenly burst out laughing.
"I know, Julia told me about you."
"She did have a relationship with you before, which touched your pursuit."
He looked me up and down, finally fixing his gaze below my waist.
"She said she gave you a chance, but you're too short and small, even after watching two hours of videos, you still couldn't get an erection."
"That's why she's still a virgin even after sleeping with you several times."
"Hey dude, you're not even a man, what right do you have to keep bothering Julia?"
"Since she got together with me, she couldn't get out of bed every day and stuck to me every day, praising me for being amazing!"
I was furious. I stood up and punched him in the face!
"Shut up!"
Jacob was knocked back two steps, pointing at me. "This bastard dared to hit me! Hold him back, I'll make him regret this today!"
Several security guards instantly pounced on me and grabbed me.
"Break his legs! Cripple one of his hands!"
"Beat him half to death and then throw him into the street! Let everyone see what happens when someone tries to steal a woman from me, Jacob Schmidt!"
I was pinned to the ground, couldn't move and could only try my best to protect my head.
A few people's fists rained down on me and I felt a severe pain all over my body, with a smell of blood instantly spreading from my body.
I looked at Ronan, hoping he could stop them. However, I saw him find a broom, mop and stick from the corner and hand them to the security guards. "Beat him! Beat him to death! Let's see if he dares to be so ungrateful!"
In the chaos, I struggled to grab my phone and dialed a number.