I had the servants throw all of Tiffany’s belongings straight into the recycling bins, then contacted an agent to list the villa for sale. With Maddie in tow, I rushed to the engagement party.

On the way, Tiffany called.

“Hubby, why are people from the Attorney General’s Office at the company? Hurry over and sort this out!

“I’m busy! Stop causing trouble!”

What, busy cuckolding me?

I sneered coldly and immediately blocked her number.

Arriving at the hotel Fabian mentioned, I saw the entrance filled with luxury cars.

I left my daughter in the car and walked in alone.

It was only an engagement party, yet the decor was extravagant.

Dressed to the nines, my childhood friend Fabian was greeting the guests.

Behind him was a display of greetings and wedding photos of him and Tiffany.

Revealing clothes and frivolous expressions, each one was pushing at the limits of my tolerance.

I clenched my fists, desperate to tear them all apart.

For the five years that we had been married, she had always acted like a pure maiden, granting me only a handful of intimate sessions.

Yet in Fabian’s arms, she acted like a bitch desperately trying to please her owner!

Perhaps five years ago, I shouldn’t have acted as a human shield between her and the money lender’s knife. Neither should I have cleared her debts and let her stand in a position that was never hers to have!

“Hey, isn’t this my good buddy Matthew Hunt?

“What’re you doing standing around like that? Never been to such a fancy place before and scared stiff now?”

A teasing voice cut through the air with the approaching Fabian, who was fawned over and orbited by a group of childhood friends.

“Buddy, you should’ve come to me for a loan! How are the cars coming along? I’ve been bragging about you everywhere, so don’t let me embarrass myself now!”

Standing beside him was Chester Byrd, casually raising his wrist adorned with an imitation of a green Rolex Submariner.

He said to Fabian, “Hey bro, let’s not make things hard for our Professor Mattie. He’s just a lowly teacher at a cram school. Probably took a cab here himself. Him gifting a car? I bet he can’t even afford a single tire even if he died trying!”

Everyone burst into laughter.

“Our Professor here is a man of letters. Why not write a poem for Fab here and his bride? Save those few hundred bucks for a cab ride home!

“Mattie, enjoy the meal later, but don’t ask for takeout in a plastic bag. Our Fab here is marrying the daughter of the top family in Cirrus, the Jeffersons. Don’t embarrass him…”

Watching my old playmates' bootlicking expressions, my heart only grew colder.

“Matthew, they’re just joking. Don’t take it to heart!”

Fabian patted me on the back, his eyes betraying undisguised smugness.

“But take it from me, your good buddy. Money makes the world go round. What good is your academic prowess? If I hadn’t gotten married, then you wouldn’t even be allowed in this hotel!

“Those girls you looked down on back then? You can’t even lick their boots now. This is where I’m better than you because I’m marrying a good wife, and I can walk sideways in Cirrus.

“But hey, don’t get discouraged. When you see my wife later, I’ll get you a job as a security guard at Jefferson Corp.”

I stared at him coldly.

The higher he preened, the harder he’d crash.

Just then, my phone rang.

The funeral wreaths had arrived.

At my order, a funeral procession suddenly erupted, carrying funeral wreaths on the red wedding carpet.

Some sang, while some were waiting. The whole ceremony turned chaotic in an instant.

Fabian’s face turned ashen, and he hurriedly ordered his men to dismiss the procession.

Looking thrilled, the florist owner came to me and said, “Mr. Hunt, all your wreaths have been delivered. I’ve even thrown in the full-service package. Are you satisfied?”

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“Well done. When my buddy gets hitched, I’ll be sure to call you again!”

The owner looked utterly bewildered, while Fabian was struck with the realization that I was behind this, and he trembled in rage.

“You son of a b*tch, Matthew Hunt! I’ll kill you!”

As he spoke, he swung his fist straight at my face.

I caught his wrist, shoved my shoulder into him, and flipped him over cleanly.

Fabian hit the floor like a dog face-planting in the dirt, groaning in pain.

His lackey, Chester, grabbed a chair and swung it at me after seeing him getting hit.

I dodged to the side, kicked him hard in the butt, and sent him crashing into the pile of wreaths.

Fabian scrambled up from the ground with his fleshy face twisted in fury.

“Are you tired of living, Mattie? Do you have any idea where the Jeffersons stand in Cirrus? Even having ten lives would not save you!”

I curled my lips. There weren’t many people in this world who could take my life.

Moments later, Fabian summoned over a dozen security guards.

“Get him! If he dies, it’s on me!”

With that guarantee, the security guards charged at me aggressively.

I took down the first two before using the terrain to maneuver around them. In the blink of an eye, more than half were on the ground.

Fabian watched in panic and was yelling frantically.

“You bunch of fools! Use your clubs! Whoever catches him first will get a hundred grand!”

The bounty turned several pairs of eyes bloodshot. They ripped their clubs off their belts and swung at me with all their might, viciously.

I got careless and took a hit to the leg, stumbling and falling to the ground.

What followed was a barrage of kicks and punches.

They then dragged me to Fabian. Without a word, he slammed two punches into my abdomen, hard enough to make bile rise.

“Weren’t you so cocky just now, Matthew?” Keep going, man!”

He grabbed my hair and landed slaps on my cheeks several times, all while his eyes gleamed with a sick, twisted light.

Just then, Chester handed over a bottle of liquor to him.

Without a second thought, Fabian smashed it onto my head. My vision was instantly blurred by a combination of blood and alcohol.

He spat at me in disgust before standing up to make a call.

“Honey, why aren't you here yet? Someone who’s jealous of me marrying you almost beat me up. You have to stand up for me!”

Tiffany’s cold voice was heard immediately.

“Which blind fool dared to lay a hand on my husband? Get your bodyguards to catch him, cripple him, or even kill him if necessary. I’ll be right there…”

The call ended, and someone couldn’t wait and began to flatter Fabian.

“Brother Fab is indeed fabulous. Even the mighty Ms. Jefferson is completely under your thumb!”

“Ms. Jefferson? She’s nothing. Back when Brother Fab was lending money, he could have any girl he wanted. Now, that’s what I call a good life!”

Flattered and extremely pleased, Fabian felt as if he had returned to the wild days of his youth.

Riding the ecstasy, he grabbed a steel fork and stabbed it into my palm.

The excruciating pain made me howl in agony as cold sweat soaked my entire body.

Seeing that I hadn’t returned in a long time, Maddie had secretly slipped in. The moment she entered, she witnessed this brutal scene and immediately cried out, rushing over.

“Let go of my dad! Don’t bully Dad!”

As she cried herself hoarse, she spread her small hands and shielded me behind her.

With Maddie’s sudden appearance, Fabian froze for a moment before his expression darkened.

“You little brat! Who let you leave the doghouse? Go back at once, or I’ll beat you to death!”

As I saw my daughter trembling in fear and covered in scars, the hatred in me erupted.

I yanked the steel fork from my palm and lunged at Fabian with all my strength, plunging the fork into his chest.

Unfortunately, it managed to penetrate only a third of the way in before Fabian kicked me away.

“You b*stard! Neither you nor your little piece of sh*t here will be leaving alive!”

Fabian vented his anger on me after treating his wounds.

Then, he whispered in my ear, “Matthew, I must thank you. You’ve raised such a fine wife for me.

“Your wife… sure is something else!”

Fabian’s words hit me like a brick as I stared at him dead-on.

“You knew all along!”

He burst into wild laughter.

“Why else would I call you stupid? If not for the thrill, why would I ever let a loser like you have her? You two have been married for five years. I’ve been playing with her for five years. I’ve worn her out so much that she won’t even let you touch her.

Blood rushed to my head instantly. I swung at him, but he dodged it.

“Why? You’re like a brother. Why would you do this to me?”

Faced with my questions, Fabian showed no remorse and instead glared at me with resentment.

“I hate it the most when you act like you’re all saintly, handing me scraps like charity. I want to take everything that belongs to you and make your children my pets!”

“You monster!”

I forced myself to stand, but before I could, a slap was whipped across my face.

“Which b*stard dares—”

The moment she saw me, Tiffany's voice faltered, and a flicker of panic flashed across her face.

“What are you doing here?”

“You have the gall to ask me that? You filthy wh*re!”

Hearing that, Tiffany’s expression shifted instantly. She raised her hand and slapped me again.

The blow nearly knocked me down. When I looked up again, she was already nestling into Fabian’s arms, staring at me with utter contempt.

“You want to know why? Because you make me sick!”

Her disgust was like a bone-scraping knife, slicing me open and making every breath agony.

Maddie curled behind me, tugging my hand and wanting to leave.

Sharp-eyed, Tiffany spotted Maddie. She pinched her nose and said, “So that’s where this rotten stench is coming from, you little sc*m? You don’t seriously think your worthless father can protect you?

Fabian snickered, sliding his hand straight up Tiffany’s skirt. He gave it a grab, then pressed his fingers to his nose for a deep inhale.

“Consider this house cleaning. Today we’ll dispose of these two pieces of trash!”

With a wave of his hand, I was pinned to the ground once more.

“Tiffany Jefferson, you’ll regret this!”

“Regret? I think you’re the one who’ll regret it!”

She stepped on my injured palm before grabbing a bottle of liquor and pouring it over the wound.

The moment it touched my skin, it felt like it was being torn open.

I was writhing in agony with my veins bulging.

Maddie wailed heart-wrenchingly, trying to pry Tiffany’s foot away, only for herself to be kicked, flying across the room.

She crawled up again, dragging herself to Tiffany’s feet and banging her little head against the floor.

“Mom, please… Don’t hurt Dad…”

This only further enraged Tiffany.

“Who’s your Mom, you little b*stard? I’ll kick your filthy mouth!”

She did just that, and blood was gushing out of Maddie’s mouth.

As I watched, my eyes nearly popped out in rage, but all I could do was curse helplessly because my body was pinned.

“Have you no humanity? She’s your own flesh and blood! I never should’ve saved—!”

Fabian landed a kick on me as I was about to reveal the rescue.

“Since you pair of father and daughter would like to suffer together, I’ll grant your wish.

“Give that little brat the rest of the liquor!”

As Chester pried open Maddie’s mouth, ready to pour the liquor, I screamed in agony, “You can’t touch her! I’m a national asset—renowned in the national research institute!”

The crowd fell silent for a moment before erupting in hysterics.

“You? A national asset? Then I must be the pope!”

“Have you read too many novels?”

“If you touch her, all of you will die!”

I roared with my bloodshot eyes.

In response, I was greeted with a barrage of kicks and punches.

“Nobody gets to threaten me, not even the gods!” Fabian roared as he grabbed the bottle of liquor and poured it toward my daughter’s mouth.

The glass doors of the hotel suddenly shattered. Several military jeeps rammed inside, followed by more than a dozen police cars, sealing off the entire lobby.