The old injury in my leg flared with searing pain, and I shoved Mr. Norton away.

He fell to the floor and immediately started cursing from where he sat.

Annoyed, I called Cynthia straight away.

She picked up quickly, but her tone was sharp with impatience. "Gerard, I'm very busy right now. The company just landed a major project. Didn't you say you were going to check on the tuxedo yourself? Why are you calling me then?"

"Cynthia, get your ass down to the boutique now! How dare some pretty boy you're keeping lay a hand on my suit?"

Cynthia paused briefly, but she didn't seem concerned. Instead, she said dismissively, "What are you talking about? Who's been feeding you nonsense again?

"I know you're upset that I didn't go with you to try on the tuxedo, but this isn't the time to be difficult. I'm busy. I have to go."

With those final words, she really hung up on me.

I clenched my fists tightly.

Fine. Since Cynthia brushed me off like this, there was no way I was ever going to wear the dirty tuxedo.

However, she owed me an explanation.

Struggling to my feet, I felt a pang of regret. After all, Mom had put so much heart into the tuxedo.

However, now that the tuxedo had been tainted, I couldn't possibly keep it.

The tuxedo lay on the floor. I stepped forward and randomly grabbed a corner of it. Then, with one sharp pull, I tore it clean in two.

When he saw what happened, Mr. Norton's eyes immediately turned red as he lunged at me.

"My tuxedo! You lowlife! I'll kill you! Do you even know who my wife is? She's the CEO of Norton Group! I'm calling the police!"

I just smiled coldly and dialed 911 first.

Since the tuxedo was worth a million dollars, this counted as a serious crime. Thus, the police arrived swiftly.

It was only then that I learned that the young man's last name wasn't Norton at all, but Hasting. His real name was Theodore Hasting, a financially struggling college student whose education was funded by the Norton family.

After graduation, he had remained by Cynthia's side as her personal assistant.

Though the nature of their relationship was an open secret, with my imminent return, Cynthia had publicly introduced Theodore as her adopted younger brother. That was why he was often addressed as "Mr. Norton" in social settings.

Theodore angrily appealed to the officers. "Officer, a month ago, my fiancee told me she ordered a custom wedding tuxedo for me at this boutique and asked me to come for a fitting.

"That's why I'm here. This tuxedo has been tailored to my measurements over the past month, and she even paid the deposit already. Now this jerk has ruined it. You'd better make sure he doesn't get away with this."

The supervisor quickly stepped forward to confirm this with the police.

"That's right. This gentleman is Ms. Norton's boyfriend. She often brings him to our store. This tuxedo has been adjusted to Mr. Norton's measurements for quite some time.

"Who would have expected such a mix-up today? The store has nothing to do with the damage to the tuxedo. It was all this man's doing."

The supervisor pointed at me, and the police then approached me.

"Sir, you claim this tuxedo belongs to you. Do you have any proof?"

"Of course, I do. This boutique is the personal brand store of a world-leading designer, who personally tailored my tuxedo. To prevent counterfeiting, there's a chip sewn inside the garment.

"A simple scan will reveal the owner's identity, and this wristband I'm wearing is precisely the device designed to scan that chip."

I handed the wristband over to the officer, who promptly located the chip. Once scanned, it displayed my identity information.

"Mr. Norton—or should I say, Mr. Hasting—do you see this? This tuxedo belongs to Gerard Emerson. It is my personal property, valued at a million dollars. Since you're the one who had it altered beyond recognition, it's only right for you to bear the full cost of all damages."

Theodore was immediately stunned.

He had spent so long having the suit altered and had never noticed there was a chip inside.

As for the supervisor, he was so frightened that his face turned white as a sheet. At the same time, he kept wiping away the sweat from his brow.

However, Theodore still refused to back down.

"This is fake! This cheap loser is trying to steal my tuxedo. He must've planted the chip here beforehand. Otherwise, how could the boutique staff have altered it so many times without noticing?

"He shows up once, and suddenly there's a chip? Something's clearly going on here!"

Afraid of offending anyone and desperate to avoid being implicated, the supervisor quickly backed Theodore up.

"That's right, he must've set this up! Mr. Emerson has been abroad for years and never mentioned returning, whereas Ms. Norton has brought Mr. Norton here many times.

"Officer, our store is fully monitored. The footage can prove that Mr. and Ms. Norton are the actual couple, and they did come in to view the tuxedo."

With that, the supervisor voluntarily submitted the surveillance footage.

I couldn't help but laugh at how foolish these two were acting. They could check the surveillance footage all they wanted to see whether I had actually tampered with anything.

However, thinking he was being clever, the store manager claimed the cameras had malfunctioned that very day.

In the end, due to the high value involved in the case, we were all taken to the police station.

My parents were currently abroad, so I called my butler, Mitch Eade, to come pick me up. Meanwhile, Theodore called Cynthia.

At this point, Cynthia was too afraid to show up. Instead, she sent her assistant, Rowena Ingram, to deal with it.

Upon seeing me, Rowena first bowed and offered an apology.

"I'm truly sorry you had to go through this, Mr. Emerson."

"Where's Cynthia?"

"Ms. Norton is currently occupied. The company has several ongoing projects, so she simply couldn't get away. That's why she asked me to come pick up Mr. Norton instead."

I let out a cold laugh. "Do you really think this pretty boy can just walk away?"

Rowena quickly dialed Cynthia's number and handed the phone to me.

"Mr. Emerson, Ms. Norton would like to speak to you."

I wanted to hear Cynthia's stance for myself, so I took the phone and put it on speaker.

The moment she spoke, her tone reeked of arrogance.

"Gerard, you're to stop this right now. Theo is a scholarship student sponsored by my family. How would it look if word got out that a corporation as large as ours was bullying a young man?

"We're about to get married, so shouldn't our shared interests come first? Just come back already. It's just a tuxedo. How did you manage to drag this all the way to the police station?

"You've really become unruly after all those years abroad. Once we're married, you'll need to work on that temper of yours."

I laughed in disbelief. All these years, I had never truly seen this side of Cynthia.

"Cynthia, do you realize what you're saying?"

She fell silent after my sharp retort.

If she were half as clever as she claimed, she would have understood that between the two of us, I was the one truly in control.

Sadly, years in the CEO seat seemed to have rotted her judgment.

"Gerard Emerson, is this how you speak to the head of this family? Where are your manners? Clearly, you need to be taught a lesson before the wedding!"

"No need to call for your butler. I've already had my people send him away," Cynthia added.

My eyes widened in disbelief. I hadn't expected Cynthia to actually have the guts to do this.

In the next moment, Rowena instructed someone to escort us out.

I was taken to a villa on the outskirts owned by the Norton family, where I came face-to-face with Cynthia.

"Cynthia, do you know what you're doing? This is illegal confinement. Have you considered how you'll explain this to my parents?"”

In just a few short years, Cynthia was no longer the timid girl who used to trail after me, pleading for resources.

She now exuded the air of someone in power. With a mere wave of her hand, Theodore obediently nestled into her arms, like a plaything wrapped around her little finger.

Upon hearing what I had said, Cynthia gave a dismissive laugh.

"What more is there to explain? We're getting married soon, so we're practically family already. After years of partnership between our families, do you honestly believe your parents would cross me for you?

"Theo may be a financially struggling student, but he's been taking care of me on your behalf all these years. And he hasn't seen the world as you have, so is it that hard to just let him have this?"

I cut her off with a raw, furious roar. "Cynthia, you're absolutely shameless! Where did you get the audacity to say something so vile?"

Cynthia frowned with contempt. Immediately, the people around her stepped forward and forced me down on my knees.

"It seems all those years abroad didn't teach you any humility. Theo, why don't you give him a taste of his own medicine?"

Theodore walked up to me with a smirk and punched me hard in the face.

"If you're disfigured, you won't be fit to stand by Cece anymore, will you?"

After saying that, he ordered those around him to punch me a hundred times.

My ears and mouth were bleeding, and my head was ringing.

Still not satisfied, Theodore had them strip off my clothes.

I struggled desperately, but Theodore broke two of my fingers and tore off several of my nails.

Cynthia had brought plenty of bodyguards. I was powerless to resist, and the countless invasive stares filled me with unbearable shame.

"Gerard, take the next couple of days to reflect. I'll come see you in a week. By then, I hope you'll have learned how to be a proper husband."

Cynthia left me behind and walked away.

I tried to make my way back to the city, but Cynthia had ordered that all exits be blocked. Thus, there was simply no way out.

There was no food here, not even a drop of water. After just three days, I lay exhausted in the living room. Staring at my twisted fingers and battered body, I clenched my teeth in fury.

Suddenly, the villa's front door was kicked open, and Mitch rushed in with a team of people behind him.

When I woke up again, I was already lying in a room at my family's private hospital.

Mitch was sitting by my bedside. His face lit up as soon as he saw me open my eyes.

"Mr. Emerson, you're finally awake! You had me terribly worried. If anything had happened to you, how would I ever explain it to your parents?"

"Where are they?" My throat felt torn. Each word carried the faint, metallic taste of blood.

"They're already on a flight back. They'll be here very soon."

"Good. Now, go deliver a message to the Norton family. Tell them that if Cynthia can still stand on her own two feet tomorrow, then her family will have no reason to exist."