As soon as the word "divorce" left my lips, the men in the restroom exchanged glances before bursting into roaring laughter.
Stanley laughed so hard his whole body shook. "Did you all just hear what he said? He said he wants to divorce Susanne!"
"Divorce? Is this guy out of his mind? He's not even married to Susanne, yet here he is talking about divorcing her."
"He'll go to any lengths just to see Susanne, huh?"
Stanley waved his hand, and his underlings quickly pinned me to the ground. After walking over contemptuously, he crouched down halfway and patted the side of my face with his hand.
"So, you're that desperate to see Susanne, are you? Do you love her so much that you'd spin any lie just to get to her?"
His gaze shifted from mocking to ruthless.
He gripped my chin with full force and continued through gritted teeth, "You keep saying you want to see Susanne, but have you ever considered that if she really wanted to see you, I wouldn't be the one standing in front of you right now?
"Besides, even if she came out to see you right now, what difference would it make? Ultimately, she's still going to be my wife."
Stanley's grip grew tighter and tighter, as if he were determined to crush my jaw.
I looked up at him unwaveringly. "Do you think you can stop me from seeing Susanne? If I don't see her, you'll never be able to marry her!"
"As if you have the power to decide whether we can marry or not. A homewrecker like you actually thinks you're a somebody? Why, I was with Susanne long before you even knew her, and now you have the nerve to say all this to me?"
Stanley suddenly took off an emerald pendant from around his neck and dangled it in front of me. "Do you know what this is?"
I stared intently at the emerald pendant in his hand. I had seen it once before on Susanne's mother, Gwen Thompson.
On our wedding day, Gwen took the emerald pendant from her own neck and gave it to me, saying it was a family heirloom. She hoped I'd wear it and take good care of Susanne from then on.
Later, Susanne took the emerald pendant back from me, claiming she wanted to return it to Gwen since it had been hers for years. Who would have thought she'd not only never send it back, but would give it to Stanley instead?
Seeing my shocked expression, Stanley couldn't suppress the smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Judging by your reaction, you must recognize this emerald pendant, right? It's Susanne's family heirloom. She said it was meant for her future husband! So, do you understand now?
"I'm warning you—you'd better stop harassing Susanne. You had no idea that I didn't even want to accept this pendant at first, but she insisted on giving it to me. So, I'm sure I don't need to spell it out for you just how important I am to her."
My eyes were fixed on the emerald pendant before me.
Husband? Future husband?
How laughable.
Susanne took the emerald pendant from me and gave it to another man. Just what kind of man did she really take me for?
She only got to be a general manager because of the proposals I wrote for her. Every promotion she had landed over these past three years was built on strategies I crafted and results I engineered behind the scenes.
And now, just as her career was finally gaining momentum and had started to lead a team, she went and did something like this!
"Fine! Since you both are so determined to be together, I'll make things clear with her."
I shoved everyone aside and headed for the door. With every step I took, it felt as though a thousand needles were piercing the soles of my feet. It was a staggering pain that shot straight to my heart.
"Stop right there. What do you mean you're going to make things clear with her?" Stanley took one large stride to block me from leaving.
"You wanted to marry her, right? Since she chose to disrespect me by cheating, I see no reason to cling to this hollow shell of a marriage any longer," I replied.
Stanley let out a mocking chuckle. Just from his expression, I could tell he still didn't believe a word I said.
"Clinging to the hollow shell of a marriage? You make it sound so noble. It's you who's been pestering Susanne all along. Yet, you still dare to say, right to my face, that Susanne is your wife?
"You must have a death wish for trying to hit on my fiancee. I'm gonna make sure the whole world sees what a shameless homewrecker you are!"
Stanley blocked the door to stop anyone from entering or leaving the restroom, then pulled out his phone to record a video.
"Check this out, everyone. This homewrecker has been trying to seduce my fiancee. My fiancee ignored him, but he still wouldn't give up. Now he's followed us all the way to our workplace. Are homewreckers these days really this shameless?"
I turned to him and shouted, "Are you sure you want to film me? Susanne is the one at fault in this marriage—she's the one who cheated. If this blows up, it won't do either of you any good."
As soon as Stanley heard what I said, his expression immediately darkened.
"You're still trying to talk your way out of this even with death staring you in the face? You're slandering Susanne? You must be looking to die. She and I have been together for two years.
"We've been together day in and day out, so I know exactly what kind of person she is. If you're really her husband, does that make me the homewrecker then? Susanne is a genuinely kind person. There's no way she could keep up some act for two whole years."
Soon enough, Stanley ignored my objections and posted the edited video online. Almost immediately, a torrent of hateful comments flooded in beneath it.
Afterward, he shoved the comments right in my face. "Take a good look. They're all calling you a shameless homewrecker. Someone as shameless as you deserves whatever comes to them, even if it means getting beaten to death."
Before I could say another word, Stanley threw a punch squarely into the side of my face.
I had just been kicked by him, and the ache in my shin hadn't even faded yet. This time, he put his full force into the punch, and it sent me sprawling to the ground.
"Let's see if you still dare to spout nonsense. I'm going to make sure you walk the other way every time you see me from now on. You lot, hang him up."
At his command, several underlings immediately grabbed my arms and lifted me up. Then, Stanley kicked me hard in the abdomen, as if I were a punching bag.
Despite landing several kicks, he still wasn't satisfied. In the end, he even recorded the whole thing.
"Once I'm done with you, I'm going to show this video to Susanne. She'll be thrilled I helped her get rid of such a huge nuisance."
The pain was so intense I couldn't utter a word, and there seemed to be a thick, metallic taste of blood lodged in my chest.
Stanley seemed to have lost his mind. Each blow he delivered was heavier than the last. Perhaps he truly never intended to let me leave this restroom alive.
Just then, his phone suddenly rang.
He glanced at me and put the call on speakerphone.
Soon, the anxious voice of his assistant came through. "Mr. Quinn, where are you? The clients are here today to inspect and accept the machines, and they're waiting in the conference room right now."
"Got it. I'll be there right away."
After hanging up, he gave me one last look. "Looks like I won't be finishing you off today. I have an important meeting to attend, but I'll deal with you once I'm done."
Machine inspection?
It suddenly hit me. Last time, I had passed the proposal to my half-brother, Hubert Maynard. He seemed genuinely interested, which was why he decided to invest in Susanne's company.
If it weren't for me, Susanne would never have stood a chance with Maynard Group. Yet, she was convinced it was all thanks to her own exceptional talent. In truth, both the proposal and the connections were offered solely out of respect for me.
"Hey, I'm talking to you here. Why aren't you saying anything?" Stanley slapped the back of my head hard. "Are you dead already? Ugh, forget it. You're too much of an idiot to understand even if I told you.
"You probably don't realize that Susanne's position as general manager is rock-solid precisely because she secured the project with Maynard Group. Not to mention, the company holds her in especially high regard.
"I have to go upstairs for this meeting, but it's inconvenient to leave you alone down here. So, I'll take you up with me first, and once the meeting is over, we'll continue where we left off."
If I went upstairs, I'd finally see Hubert and Susanne. Maybe this whole thing should have ended a long time ago.
"You're obsessed with Susanne, right? After the meeting, I'll have her personally tell you who she chooses to spend the rest of her life with."
Stanley grabbed a wad of toilet paper from the stall and stuffed them into my mouth. Then, with his underlings, he hauled me upstairs.
The elevator went straight to the top floor. When the doors opened, Susanne was standing right outside.
Stanley stood in front of me, completely blocking my view. He bounded over to Susanne, eager to claim credit.
"Honey, you won't believe the shameless creep I caught today. He actually kept insisting you're his. But we've been together two years, so you're mine. Even so, he still wouldn't back down, so I brought him right up. Will you tell him yourself?"
Stanley shifted to the side. Just as Susanne was about to see me clearly, a sharp voice cut through the air from behind her.
"Susanne! Stanley! What on earth are you doing?"
