Chapter 0002

Bryan beamed with joy, smile appeared on his face as Amelia's appreciation replayed in his mind.

He never doubted that the man his wife referred to was not him.

As he cleaned up the room, he hummed and thought to himself, “I know I made a good decision marrying Amelia and supporting her career.”

After that, Bryan planned to prepare a candlelight dinner and celebrate with his wife when she returned home.

Fortunately, Mrs. Hailey had gone out for something urgent.

Bryan rummaged through the pantry and refrigerator, gathering ingredients for his special dishes. With practiced hands, he began chopping vegetables, humming a tune as he worked. Bryan decided to cook Amelia’s favorite food.

He set the table, beautifully decorating it with a bouquet of fresh flowers, adding a touch of elegance. Expensive wine and candles were lit, casting a warm glow over the room.

After all things were ready, he looked over the transfer agreement he had prepared for the entertainment company's shares.

Bryan intended to transfer the shares of Imperial Legacy Entertainment, one of the state's leading entertainment companies, worth billions of dollars, to give Amelia a big surprise.

He couldn't wait for his wife's reaction when she saw it; she must be ecstatic!

He sat impatiently waiting for her. All this while, all he could do was help her from the shadows. Now, he could fully support her openly.

He watched the time slip by as Amelia was yet to return home. He felt worried and nervous. Normally, even if Amelia didn’t come back home, she would have given him a call or a message.

He called her in anxiety. It rang the first time but no one picked up. He tried it again, but she hung up immediately. On the third call, she finally answered and Bryan felt relieved.

“Hi babe! Congratulations on your success today!” He said eagerly.

“Thanks.” She replied simply.

“You looked very, very beautiful on TV. I can't believe you are my wife,” He complimented her.

“Yeah, I know.” She answered coldly again.

Bryan was surprised because the wife he knew would have screamed and called him sweet names.

“Are you coming home soon? There are a lot of surprises for you!” He said excitedly.

“No!” She answered in the same indifferent tone.

Bryan frowned, he immediately knew something was off. “Is everything okay, Amelia? You should open up to me.” He probed gently.

“Yeah, everything’s fine. I won’t be coming home until tomorrow morning,” She said, her voice lacking any warmth.

Bryan felt disappointed. He had prepared all those dishes for her, and now it was going to waste. “Okay, tomorrow then!” he said, and as he was about to hang up, he heard a thick voice vibrate in the background asking, “Who is that?”

Bryan immediately asked, “Amelia, where are you and who is that talking?”

Amelia answered, now with a sweet tone, “Babe, I am in the bar with my colleagues. They are throwing a party for me. I'm sorry I won't be coming home.”

Bryan smiled and nodded, “Okay then, bye, love you.”

The phone hung up when he was expecting a “love you too.”

He pondered what was going wrong because that wasn't the usual Amelia. Then he shrugged it off, thinking, “She is just tired and busy.”

He consoled himself and felt disappointed for the food he cooked. He went to clear the table.

He was still on it when his phone vibrated. He checked it to see it was an incoming message. He clicked on it.

His heart skipped a beat as his grip on the plates in his hand loosened. The plates shattered on the floor as he stumbled backward, his eyes wide with shock. He felt like throwing up.

"No, this must not be real!" he uttered, his voice shaking, staring at the picture on the screen.

The message contained an image showing a man kissing his wife, Amelia, passionately in front of a bar.

Bryan's face contorted in denial, his eyes scanning the picture frantically.

He gripped the table tightly, his knuckles white with tension.

His head spun with confusion, "No, no... someone is trying to frame my sweet wife," he muttered to himself, "I know my Amelia will never do this, never, never."

With a determined look on his face, he gathered himself up and immediately called Amelia, but she didn't answer. He tried repeatedly, but her phone went straight to voicemail, each time displaying the same automatic response.

"Oh no! It can't be, it can't be my wife," he uttered nervously. He didn't know what to do, and again, he tried her number, and the response was the same.

He checked the image again and nodded as he sat down somberly on the chair in the dining hall.

"No, it can't be, Amelia won’t do this!" he muttered again.

... ...

In a presidential suite, a luxury hotel, the light was dim, the only sound was the soft hum of the air conditioning and the gentle crackle of the fireplace.

A handsome young man, dressed in a tailored suit, stood tall, his eyes locked on the woman in front of him. She was stunning, her red gown hugging her curves in all the right places.

As they moved closer, their lips met in a passionate kiss. The man's hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her in tight, while hers grasped his shoulders, deepening the embrace. The woman's eyes fluttered closed, her head tilting back as the man's lips traced a path down her neck. His hands roamed, caressing her skin, then he stopped and gazed at her.

“Is that your lowlife, servant husband that called you earlier?” He asked her.

Amelia nodded slowly, “Yeah, it's that worthless jerk. I'm fed up with him.”

“Sure, then… why haven't you divorced him then? When are you doing that? I can't wait any longer.” He said.

Amelia hesitated for a moment before finally speaking, “I will divorce him soon. The agreement is ready, just give me some time.”

“Okay, I can't wait to live with you together, babe.” The man, Xander, said.

Amelia smiled and kissed him. “I will, soon.”

Although Amelia had been married to Bryan for three years, her heart belonged to Xander. He was the man she was praising during the speech. Her first love, the man of her dreams since adolescence.