In the morning, after discussing a project with our partner, I unintentionally ran into Sonya Cage, the woman I was deeply in love with, at the Dior boutique. She bought the custom suit I had reserved for a long time.

That evening, the suit appeared on the body of Sonya's male assistant. I didn't question her, merely smiling with playful amusement.

Then, I had all Dior stores in the city bring over every custom suit of the same style and piled them in front of her. I told her to buy them all at once if she liked.

My good friend even stayed up all night drafting a divorce agreement for me. I was rich, handsome and capable, if there's one thing I never lacked, it was women!

***

At the annual company gala, I held a glass of red wine, chatting and laughing with the CEOs of our branch offices.

As the music began to play, the dance floor grew lively. Sonya showed up fashionably late with her male assistant in tow.

I watched with my own eyes as she helped Keenan Sommers adjust the position of his Dior brooch at the entrance. Her lips curled slightly, her eyes brimming with affection, clearly satisfied with her work.

Sonya had always had an exceptional eye for detail. After her adjustment, Keenan's entire demeanor was immediately elevated, barely enough to match the custom suit he was wearing.

In that moment, all my illusions were shattered.

That morning, when I saw Sonya leaving the Dior boutique, I thought she was picking up the suit for me and my heart was filled with happiness. I even had my stylist prepare a hairstyle to match the suit.

Up until the start of the gala, I kept waiting, but the suit never made it back home. I specifically called her, testing the waters by asking if she had something for me.

She brushed me off with a vague excuse about being busy with work, but I still caught the faint sound of a timid male voice in the background, "Mrs. Phoenix, do you think Mr. Phoenix would be upset if he finds out?"

"Don't worry about it. He has so many clothes, he could open a fashion show," she said.

At that moment, I realized this woman was no longer the same.

Keenan obediently followed Sonya, giving me a polite smile. The mole at the corner of his eye looked especially familiar.

He congratulated me, "Good evening, Mr. Phoenix. Congratulations on being named the city's Most Accomplished Young Entrepreneur of the Year."

In response to his compliment, my gaze turned colder, scrutinizing him from head to toe and said, "That suit of yours is nice, it's the same style as the Dior suit I had reserved."

We're all smart people, there's no need to spell things out. As a fresh graduate who had been working for less than a year, he couldn't possibly afford a high-end suit costing nearly twenty-thousand dollars.

Under my gaze, Keenan squirmed uncomfortably, pursing his lips and casting nervous glances at Sonya.

Sonya met my gaze with her usual calm and composed expression and said, "Cole, don't misunderstand. Keenan said he's never attended such a formal event or worn a high-end suit before. Since he works hard and is so ambitious, I just casually picked one up for him."

I raised an eyebrow and nodded, signaling to my assistant. The next second, a row of thirteen Dior salespeople, all dressed impeccably in tailored work uniforms, walked into the hall with polite smiles.

Each of them carried a matching suit and lined up in front of Sonya. She looked at me, puzzled.

With my arms crossed, I leaned casually against a carved pillar, the corners of my mouth lifting into a mocking smile while I said, "Pay for them. All thirteen CEOs here brought their assistants, each one hardworking and ambitious. Surely Mrs. Phoenix wouldn't play favorites and only dote on her own assistant?"

Keenan understood that I was deliberately embarrassing them. The blood drained from his face in an instant, leaving him pale with shame and frustration.

"Mr. Phoenix, don't make things difficult for Mrs. Phoenix. This is all my fault. I'll return the suit immediately," he said.

Look at how he phrased it, as if I were being unreasonable, like I was tearing apart a pair of lovebirds.

I said casually, "You are Keenan Sommers, right? You're overthinking it. It's just thirteen sets of clothes, it's hardly making things difficult."

I continued, "Sonya was pampered since childhood. Someone even deboned her chicken for her. It's understandable that she doesn't realize what it means for a woman to give a man clothing. But as her personal assistant, you should be more sensible about these things than she is. Don't you know?"

Keenan panicked, lowering his head and apologizing repeatedly.

Sonya had always been exceptional, her looks, family background, career and capabilities made her shine like a brilliant star in the first half of her life. Countless men admired her, yet, she always maintained her pride and independence.

Those who tried to get close to her were met with nothing but her cold and distant gaze.

There were countless nights when she leaned against me, whispering softly. She told me I was the one she treasured most.

But now, everything had changed. In her eyes, I saw her tenderness for another man.

Sonya shook her head and smiled faintly. She took out a black card from her pocket and handed it to the lead salesperson.

Then, she walked to my side unhurriedly, wrapped her arm around my waist and gazed deeply into my eyes.

Under the cover of the music, her soft, pleasant voice sounded in my ear, "It's just a piece of clothing. I didn't expect you to care so much. You've scared the poor newcomer. If you get upset, it'll hurt my heart."

Her tone was light and playful, as if she were talking about something trivial. She easily shifted the topic away from Keenan.

The corners of my mouth curled into a cold smile. My fingers, defined and strong, gently cupped the back of her head, pulling her closer, inch by inch and whispered, "Keenan likes you. Someone as smart as you can't possibly not see it. I know you don't care about this two million, but let today be the first and last time this happens."

The surrounding employees thought we were flirting and started cheering and teasing us loudly.

At such a close distance, Sonya's face turned red. For the first time, her usual calm and composed expression showed a slight crack.

She frowned awkwardly, "Cole, don't do this. What will the subordinates think if they see us like this? Keenan and I will always just be in a boss-assistant relationship. Don't overthink it."

I scoffed lightly and released my fingers. Humiliating her was easy, but it wouldn't look good on me either.

Getting jealous over some plain and boring boy would only lower my worth. Satisfied with venting my frustration, I decided to let them off for now. After all, I didn't have concrete evidence of their ambiguous relationship.

Taking her hand, I led her to the stage to deliver the annual summary of our impressive achievements this year.

The branch CEOs' assistants, all sharp and observant, were elated as they flaunted their new suits. They even made sure to parade in front of Keenan.

"Thanks to Keenan, we all get to wear such expensive suits, something we might never have done in this lifetime!"

"In Mrs. Phoenix's eyes, gifting someone a suit is as casual as giving a child a piece of candy. Surely, Keenan, you wouldn't dare develop improper thoughts toward her over this?"

"Those eyes of yours and that tear mole … no wonder Mrs. Phoenix gives you special attention."

One by one, their faces were full of ridicule and their words carried warnings. Keenan had probably never been humiliated like this in his entire life.

His head sank lower and lower and he was utterly mortified. When the crowd finally dispersed, he fled with red-rimmed eyes. He didn't return for the rest of the gala.

After dinner, we tactfully left early, letting the younger employees truly relax and enjoy the night that belonged to them.

I had been drinking, so Sonya drove us home. Sonya was a person with a strong need for control and no one else was allowed to drive her car.

The moment I got in, I noticed that the passenger seat, which was mine, had been adjusted. The sun visor even had a few bold childish stickers on its corners.

Other than me, no one dared treat Sonya like a chauffeur, let alone have the audacity to sit in the passenger seat.

There was no need to guess who did it. An inexplicable fury surged in my chest.

Though I didn't want to admit it, I was utterly provoked, to the point that my scalp tingled and I lost my rationality.

Even knowing that Sonya gave my suit to Keenan, I had only regretted losing a piece of clothing. But now, he had left traces of himself in my personal space, this was outright provocation.

In five years of marriage, this was the angriest I had ever been. I wanted to slap Sonya, kick her out of the car and race over to Keenan to punch him twice.

Just as I was about to question her, her phone rang. Sonya seemed completely unaware of my flushed face as she calmly answered Keenan's call.

Annoyed, I began adjusting the seat, but I overheard her say, "Alright, don't worry, I'll be right there."

I paused, slowly raising my head to look at her.

She frowned slightly, "Keenan is at the Dior boutique trying to return that suit. He doesn't have the receipt, so I need to go. Cole, I'll call the driver to pick you up. You should head home first."

I spoke in disbelief, "You're ditching me for something so trivial? And I'm drunk, no less."

She replied, "Cole, don't make this difficult for me, okay? The boy has a strong sense of pride. After what you pulled, he cried so much his voice is hoarse. He just wants to return the suit now."

"Does he have a strong sense of pride, or is he deliberately provoking me in front of you? Can't he come and get the receipt himself?" I asked again.

Sonya closed her eyes in exasperation, sighed, then reopened them. Her gaze was icy while said, "Cole, is making things hard for a newcomer really meaningful? When did you learn to bully others with your power? You weren't like this before."

My earlier rage instantly extinguished, replaced by a profound sense of disappointment.

Suddenly, I found the situation laughable and said, "I bully others with my power? Sonya, you've never defended another man in front of me, not even your father. This is the first time." Her cold face showed a trace of confusion.

I said again, "When we got married, we agreed to uphold the reputations of the Cage and Phoenix families. I wouldn't frequent nightclubs and you wouldn't flirt around. Are you breaking the rules for this boy?"

Sonya's gaze remained calm and resolute. After a long silence, she finally dialed the family driver.

Then, she leaned over to unbuckle my seatbelt, speaking in an even tone, "Cole, you're always so sharp and overbearing. We're a married couple, not just strategic partners. Stop trying to control me like you do your work, it suffocates me."

"Once I'm done handling Keenan's matter, I'll stay at the Cage Family house for the night. We both need some time to cool down," she said.

So that's how it was. She couldn't wait to find ease and pleasure in another man.

Yet, she used to say she admired my decisiveness and boldness in the face of challenges. Now she was tired of it, disgusted by it.

Why bother finding such high-sounding excuses and pinning the blame on me? I sensibly got out of the car and watched as the red Porsche disappeared from view.

I had given her a chance, but she didn't cherish it.

Taking out my phone, I called my closest friend, "Hector, draft me a divorce agreement."