In the third year of marriage, a female college student, Afro Cartier, came to my door and shouted, "So this is the old woman who seduced Hyes!"

The woman grabbed my phone and threw it to the ground. In the next moment, a group of female college students swarmed over and held me down. "Strip her clothes off and throw her into the yard, see if she knows shame."

I screamed with all my strength and finally curled up on the ground. I let them punch and kicked me.

When Afro came back, I was kneeling in front of the mistress in embarrassment. She just frowned and helped me up, "The girls were jealous and they have bad tempers when they are bothered, so don't mess up with them."

I raised my head, "Why should I bother them?"

Afro sneered immediately, "Then you should try it."

Watching their backs hugging and leaving, I turned around and called the police. "Hey, I want to report a crime located in 10-meter suburbs of California. Someone broke into the house and beat me."

——

I went to the hospital to check my condition and got the injury report. Afro and her friends were taken to the police station.

I rejected the doctor's suggestion of intravenous infusion and took the medicine home. I held the pill in my mouth and the bitterness just spread on the tip of my tongue.

When Richard Hyes came back, he walked up to me and glanced at me, "You’re six years older than Afro, how can you be so ignorant? Don't you care about the face of our families? Go to the police station and withdraw the case."

He handed over a paper, "You don't want your father-in-law's scandal to be on the headlines tomorrow, do you? If your mother-in-law knows, she will go crazy again."

I flipped through the photos and documents handed over by the man and my eyes sank.

My father had always been bearish and the women he had slept with could be so much trouble.

After a provocation at home, my mother was pushed down the stairs and lost her eight-month-old son in her belly.

My mother had not had a miscarriage yet and the fact that my father's mistress gave birth to a son hit her so hard. She became mentally broken. How could she not when she borne such a blow?

The poor man who supported her wholeheartedly betrayed not only the vows of love, but also her beliefs.

That year, I was ten years old. I watched my father move into the house with his mistress. My mother cried all day long, half sober and half obscured.

At that time, I didn't understand why my mother didn't divorce. When I was eighteen years old, my mother gave me 50% of the company's shares when she was sober.

I realized that I couldn't protect the tens of billions of assets at the age of ten and my mother couldn't protect them either. She could only rely on the affection between her and my father when she was young to protect me as I grew up.

While my heart was broken, I consumed my spirit to heal myself. My heart was stung by the sting of a wasp's tail.

I looked at Richard with a stern look, "Richard, is she so important? Why do you treat me like this?"

At that moment, I raised my head and let my tears flow into my chest.

My mother's tears told me that tearing in front of someone who didn't love you would only be cheaper than tap water.

Richard looked at me, "Quinni, I always thought you were a smart person. She won't threaten your position as Mrs. Hyes. At most, she maybe a little bit aggressive, but you don’t have to be doing the same, do you?"

I looked at Richard and smiled bitterly. Being aggressive he said? His original wife was stripped naked and knelt down. Was that aggressive he meant? And after that, he turned to glaring at me. Wouldn't it mean that he would go to hell to atone for his sins to the mistress?

At this moment, I finally saw the attentive side of Richard, but his heart was only for his mistress.

"Richard, you promised me that you would not do dirty things and would not look for any other women. I married you because you have good self-control and a clean private life. Now you are threatening me with your dad?"

He knew how much I hated men protecting mistresses, but he still didn't care.

He really didn't care about me at all. Richard was silent for a moment.

He said, "This time it was just an accident. I will never look for a woman again. Don't touch Afro. She’s innocent. I will give you everything you want in the future, except feelings."

I was stunned and my ears were like thunder. He was not unchaste, but he had not met someone worthy.

At that time, he had met his true love, so he would do whatever it took and lost his principles.

Three years of marriage, after all, I was wrong. After thinking for a night, I withdrew the case.

My half-brother became the general manager of the company. I, the deputy general manager, was nominally half a level higher than him, but my father had already begun to train him to take over various activities of the company.

I couldn't act on impulse. Lawrence was built by my grandfather and my mother had given away half of it. I had to keep his hard work.

At night, Richard did not come back and I received a video sent by Afro.

Under the dim light, Richard held his wrist and put down his latest Patek Philippe, with a doting and affectionate look in his eyes.

"Little rascal, don't mess around anymore. What if I hurt you? I'll feel bad. No matter what happens, just leave it to me."

Listening to Richard's low and soft voice, a feeling of suffocation came over me.

"Richard, I broke into your house and beat her up on purpose. I just wanted you to see the truth. Who do you really love?"

"After all, even I mentioned that I beat her up, I know that you will protect me and settle it for me. You should be smart and take the initiative to divorce so you can get out of the Hyes Family."

The person on the other side was arrogant and complacent.

I had already prepared myself mentally, thinking that I had more a support. However, when I heard Afro's naked declaration, I couldn't stop the pain in my heart.

I picked up the strong liquor in front of me and drank it in one gulp. Since I entered Lawrence's at the age of 18, in order to gain a foothold, I drank ten glasses of brandy and a bottle of Lafite at a time.

I was hospitalized for three days due to gastric bleeding. After being discharged from the hospital, I still drank with a group of men.

Since I married Richard, he didn’t let me drink wine and said, "Drinking is a man's thing. I will drink it from now on."

At that moment, I had expectations for business marriage. Perhaps, the husband chosen by my father for me would be my lifelong support. I also knew that he was a decent person with good self-control and behavior. He should not be a womanizer.

Tears mixed with strong liquor went down my throat and the burning heart hurt even more. In a trance, I pulled a man next to me and angrily questioned him, "Why? Why do you bully me like this?"

That day, I held him tightly and refused to let go. When I woke up again, I was lying on the big bed in my only small clothes and there was a sound of running water in the bathroom.

The tall figure was cast on the frosted glass and when I was going to move, my lower body was slightly painful. My heart trembled and I quickly bent down to pick up the clothes and put them on.

I walked towards the door with my back hunched. While I was walking to the door, I paused, took out a stack of money and put it on the coffee table. I left the room decisively.

Just as I let out a sigh of relief, my father called me, "Tomorrow is your aunt, Luna's 50th birthday. I need to discuss something with Richard. Ask him to go home."

I thought for a moment and called Richard. There was a burst of laughter from the other side, "Husband, I want you to feed me! Is it that the old woman?"

Richard's low laugh came, "Be nice, just one minute."

I took a deep breath and pretended not to hear, "Richard, go back to the old house tomorrow. It's Luna's birthday and dad asked you to go home."

The sound on other side hummed, "I will prepare a gift and pick you up at six o'clock tomorrow night."

After that, the phone was hung up with a snap. I could imagine the scene of Afro pestering Richard to feed her with a sweet smile.

Looking at the bruise on my arm, I suddenly felt a sense of revenge. I sighed dejectedly after a moment.

The next day, I prepared everything and put on light makeup to improve my complexion. At six o'clock, Richard was nowhere to be seen and could not reach.

After several times, I left her a message and went over first. I brought the gifts to the old house and found that the guests were all there.

Seeing that I was alone, my father said dissatisfiedly, "Where is my son-in-law? So many guests are here, why don't you come with him?"

Luna Ortish glanced at me lightly, "Ronald, don't embarrass Quinni. With her stubborn personality, it's normal that your son-in-law doesn't like to come with her." She raised her wrist unconsciously, revealing the eight-treasure imperial green bracelet.

I couldn't help but shrink my eyes. That was my mother's dowry and it was custom-made by my grandfather from a foreign master.

My father showed a little impatience, "Call him and make sure he’s coming."

I lowered my eyebrows and head, as I was about to perfunctorily pass it over. The next second, there was a noise outside the door. I looked up and saw Richard in a white suit and red bow tie at the door.

Meanwhile, Afro Cartier, who was next to him, was wearing a white dress.

If someone didn’t know him, they would most probably think that this was his wedding day.

My heart tightened. That day was the Lawrence Family's banquet and he actually brought Afro to the door. This was openly trampling on my face. Someone nearby started to whisper.

"Boss Hyes turns to bring his young mistress to his father-in-law's house, what a fantastic night!"

"Who let him be the richest man? When the Lawrence Family tried to lift him up after they sold their daughter, they should have thought about the result today."

"What’s on earth! It's very pitiful Miss Lawrence. She’s so proud and capable, but now look what happen? She becomes an abandoned woman."

I watched Richard walking to my father with Afro. "Dad, this is my friend, Afro Cartier. She’s bored alone at home, so I brought her here to get some fun."

My father's face froze and he smiled, "Afro Cartier, welcome, welcome, Richard's friends are friends of mine, please take a seat."

Afro glanced at me with her eyes rolling, "Since you welcome me, I won't be naughty."

Seeing Richard chuckle and look at Afro, my nose suddenly felt sore. My heart seemed to be pinched by a pair of big hands and ravaged.

In the next moment, my father led Richard to meet Luna. Richard handed over the gift with a smile, wishing her health and happiness.

My father and him sat side by side in the middle of the podium, accepting everyone's congratulations. Only then did I realize that my mother had also been taken back from the sanatorium. She actually stood below Luna.

Everyone called Luna Mrs. Lawrence and just nodded to my mother. In contrary, my mother only laughed, mechanically turned the jade bracelet on her wrist. She immersed herself in her own world.

It was a token of love that my father gave her when he confessed his love, a man-made glass bead bracelet worth twenty billion dollar.

I walked over her in distressed and hugged my mother. I arranged her hair. Everyone passed by us, toasting and laughing. They chatted with Richard, praising Afro's elegant temperament.

The rich ladies surrounded Luna, envious of her marrying a good husband and taking better care of herself.

In the intertwined banquet hall, my mother and I were like lonely fallen leaves, letting people wave away at will.