Leaving the bedroom, Benjamin quickly descended the stairs and poured himself a glass of water. Meanwhile, Isabella was browsing her phone and checking the news in the living room. She hurried towards him as soon as she saw him, limping slightly.
"By the way, my father is coming home for dinner tonight. So, we need to act affectionately towards each other and not give him any reason to suspect anything. You understand, right?"
With a warning gaze, Isabella's demeanor seemed odd.
Indeed, Benjamin found this whole situation bizarre. Usually, his wife never shows kindness to him. Even in front of his mother-in-law and sister-in-law, she still acts cold and contemptuous toward him. However, whenever her father was mentioned, whom he had only met once at their wedding, Isabella's attitude changed drastically.
Though he felt suspicious, Benjamin did not want to cause conflict with Isabella at this moment, so he calmly nodded in agreement.
At seven o'clock that evening, the doorbell rang. A middle-aged man in a casual shirt and trousers stepped out of a black car and entered the house.
As soon as the man appeared, the atmosphere in the house became eerie, especially for the mother-in-law, who typically wore a frown as if nothing could please her. Yet, upon seeing the man, her face broke into a sweet smile.
Furthermore, the sister-in-law's behavior was remarkably well-behaved, contrasting her usual lazy and careless demeanor.
"Honey, you're finally home!"
Raelynn greeted the middle-aged man with a radiant smile and adjusted his collar before gently taking her beside him at the prepared dining table.
The dinner party passed by smoothly. After everyone finished eating, Bahjat turned to Benjamin.
"Benjamin, come to the room. I have something private to discuss with you!"
With no reason to refuse his father-in-law's request, Benjamin complied. However, as he walked past Isabella, he saw her warning glare, accompanied by an apparent mouth gesture.
'You better not say anything foolish to my father!'
Of course, Benjamin dared not ignore Isabella's warning and sincerely nodded in response.
But things didn't go as Benjamin had imagined. Aside from asking about some trivial household matters, his father-in-law didn't pry into his and Isabella's private lives.
After a relatively long conversation with his son-in-law, Bahjat finally left. Despite the earnest invitations from Raelynn and her family to stay, Bahjat remained unwavering in his decision.
Until Bahjat's figure disappeared and the black car vanished into the night, Raelynn sat on the couch, leaning against the armrest. Her face became angry and hurt as she spoke.
"That vixen again. He must be going to her place now. If not for that vixen seducing him, he wouldn't have abandoned us like this and refused to stay..."
At this point, Benjamin learned the reason Bahjat seldom came home. It turned out that he had a mistress outside their home. However, considering Raelynn's usual unpleasant attitude, Benjamin could easily understand why his father-in-law did not want to stay at the house.
...
After a restful night's sleep, Benjamin woke up just after six in the morning. Although his work at the new job started at eight, he wanted to avoid lingering too long at the Taylor family residence. As soon as he woke up, he quickly had breakfast and headed to work.
At this time, the restaurant was already bustling with busy employees. However, Benjamin's tasks were personally arranged by the restaurant owner. When he arrived at work, she sat inside the cashier's booth, greeting him warmly.
Benjamin knew that the restaurant owner was named Olivia and was nearly thirty years old. Yet, looking at her, it was hard for anyone to realize that this woman was approaching middle age.
"Boss, I'm here!"
"Great, follow me!"
As Benjamin followed Olivia upstairs, they suddenly heard an argument inside a room. For a moment, both of them had to stop.
Then, Olivia turned to him with a gentle voice.
"Please wait a moment while I go inside and handle this!"
Upon hearing this, Benjamin intended to follow Olivia into the room. However, she lightly patted his hand, saying: "No need!"
A soft, smooth sensation suddenly struck him, stirring some peculiar thoughts. But by then, Olivia's figure had already disappeared into the room. Benjamin could only stand outside and wait.
"Aaa…"
Not long after Olivia entered the room, a piercing scream echoed inside. Benjamin's expression changed slightly, for he recognized it as Olivia's voice.
Bang!
"Ma'am, are you okay?"
Kicking the door open, Benjamin quickly rushed into the room. He saw Olivia surrounded by a group of men reeking of alcohol. Her clothes were torn in several places, revealing quite a bit of her fair skin.
"You guys…"
With anger, Benjamin swiftly moved to shield Olivia behind him.
"What happened here?"
Benjamin didn't know what had transpired in the room as he had been outside, and the situation had arisen so unexpectedly.
At this point, seeing Benjamin protect her, a warm feeling welled up inside Olivia, making her heart feel incredibly cozy. But after a moment's thought, she shook her head and said,
"Nothing happened. Mr. Corbin just wanted me to have a drink with him. But his men got a bit carried away, and I can't drink."
Upon hearing Olivia's explanation, Benjamin's eyebrows raised. His gaze fixed on the middle-aged man sitting opposite.
"Are you Corbin? May I have a drink on her behalf?"
As soon as Benjamin said this, the entire room was filled with murmurs of discontent.
"Who are you to drink with our master?"
"Get lost; you're not welcome here!"
"…"
The commotion by his ears irritated Corbin, making his face slightly unnatural.
"Who are you?"
At this moment, the entire room fell silent, and everyone's eyes were once again focused on Benjamin.
"Mr. Corbin, this is our new security staff member!"
Seeing everyone's gaze on Benjamin, Olivia couldn't help but step in to explain. However, as Olivia finished speaking, Corbin's expression grew even more displeased.
"Miss, I simply wanted to invite you to drink with me. Was it necessary to call security to disturb us?"
Of course, this was just an excuse. In reality, from the beginning, Corbin had intentions toward Olivia. He wanted to use the opportunity to get Olivia drunk and then take advantage of her. However, he hadn't anticipated Benjamin's appearance ruined his plans.
Thus, he felt very annoyed and irritated deep down. Nevertheless, he tried to maintain some decorum in front of Olivia. Therefore, his gaze stayed on Olivia, and his voice remained remarkably calm.
However, Olivia felt incredibly anxious. This man was an essential business partner of the restaurant. If she inadvertently angered him, it could jeopardize their collaboration. When her superiors questioned her, she didn't know how to explain.
"Mr. Corbin, it was just a misunderstanding. My employee truly didn't mean any harm. Please forgive him."
Aware of Corbin's powerful influence, Olivia feared he would vent his anger on Benjamin. Thus, she hastily pleaded on his behalf.
But at that moment, a young man suddenly emerged from behind Corbin. It was Edwyn who had attempted to assault Isabella the day before. Seeing him, Benjamin couldn't help but furrow his brows.
The young man took the lead before Corbin spoke.
"Mr. Corbin, there's something ambiguous between this new employee and she. Otherwise, they wouldn't be covering for each other like this."
Although Edwyn didn't spell out his entire thought, everyone present could understand his implication. Instantly, Corbin's face turned crimson with rage. He slammed his hand on the table and shouted.
"Damn it, are you trying to deceive me? Fine, very well! If you want to drink, I'll let you drink!"
The moment Benjamin saw Edwyn in the room, he felt terrible. As expected, after being provoked by Edwyn, Corbin became furious. He poured three shots of strong liquor and placed them before Benjamin.
Bang!
"Finish these three shots, and then we can continue our conversation!"
Slamming the bottle on the table, Corbin glared fiercely at Benjamin. However, Benjamin remained utterly calm. Only Olivia seemed a bit flustered as she hurriedly interjected.
"Mr. Corbin..."
"Hmph!"
But as she started speaking, Corbin's cold voice cut her off. Immediately after, Benjamin gently patted her hand, whispering.
"Miss, don't worry. I can handle this situation. You go outside for now, and I'll come out later."
However, Olivia stubbornly shook her head.
She said: "No, I want to stay here with you!"
Seeing the two of them standing close together, Corbin's expression became even darker. As Benjamin realized he couldn't persuade Olivia to leave, he could only nod and approach the three shots of liquor.
"Sir, if I can finish these three shots, will you let my hostess off?"
However, this time Corbin hadn't even gotten a chance to respond when Edwyn, sitting nearby, couldn't hold back any longer and spoke up first.
"What the hell do you think you are? You're nothing but a lowly security guard in a restaurant, and you dare to set conditions for Mr. Corbin? Do you really think Mr. Corbin is on the same level as you?"
Edwyn's words only fueled the fire, and Corbin's immediately turned angrily. He stood up, glared at Olivia, and angrily said,
"Damn it, what kind of person do you think I am? Just a pathetic security guard trying to set conditions with me? Get lost!"
Then, he poured another glass of wine, staring intently at Olivia.
"Drink! If you don't, you won't leave this place today!"
Seeing the glass of wine in front of her, Olivia's face turned pale.
"Mr. Corbin, everything that happened was my fault. Please, let us off this time. I really can't drink this wine!"
"Who the hell are you looking down on?"
Enraged, Corbin could no longer hold back. He lunged forward, grabbing Olivia's wrist tightly. With pain in her eyes, her expression turned to fear.
"Please, let me go!"
Olivia pleaded with a desperate tone, hoping he would let her go. However, the weaker she appeared, the more resolute Corbin became.
At this point, Benjamin couldn't stand to see his boss bullied anymore. He rushed over, grabbing hold of Olivia's wrist.
"This has nothing to do with her. If you want to drink, I'll drink with you."
With Olivia's wrist held by Benjamin, Corbin seemed to lose patience. He tried to pull Olivia towards him, but she remained in place, and Benjamin looked at him with a hint of a smile.
Realizing that he couldn't do anything to Olivia, Corbin's expression changed slightly. He then sat back down and poured the wine. Next, he looked at Benjamin with a challenging word.
"Alright, if you can finish all the wine on the table, I promise not to make her drink with me anymore!"
Looking at the eight full glasses of wine, Benjamin's expression remained unchanged. He was resolute, walking over and pouring the entire glass of wine on the table into his mouth.Seeing this, everyone in the room was filled with fear. Especially Olivia, who never expected Benjamin to do such a thing for her. After all, even someone with a high alcohol tolerance could only handle a few glasses of this type of wine at most. Moreover, this was the first time anyone else had ever downed eight drinks in one go as he did."Good, the wine has been finished. Can we leave now?"Although the eight glasses of wine weren't a big problem for Benjamin, drinking that much at once left him feeling dizzy. At this moment, Olivia felt incredibly guilty. Meanwhile, seeing her wrist still held tightly by Benjamin, her face flushed with embarrassment."Corbin, we'd like to take our leave now."Olivia's body leaned slightly forward. She then took Benjamin's hand and quickly led him out of the room."Wait!
“No, I genuinely had no idea that it was your restaurant. If I had known, I wouldn’t have gotten into a fight there. Besides, he was bullying people too much, and I just wanted to stand up for justice!”After a moment of shock, Benjamin finally began to explain himself. However, Isabella seemed as if she didn’t hear him at all. She stared at him with a highly disdainful look.“Do you... do you think I’m that despicable? That I would damage your restaurant’s reputation to get revenge on you?”Feeling frustrated and unable to explain, Benjamin angrily stormed out of the car. But at that moment, Isabella suddenly spoke up.“Where are you going?”“If you don’t believe me, why do you want me to drive you home?”As he spoke, Benjamin opened the door to get out.“Suit yourself, but if you dare leave, I’ll go to the hospital to visit your sister.”This time, Benjamin’s movement faltered.“What do you plan to do?”“I won’t do anything. I’ll tell your sister and father about the fight and how y
Upon seeing Benjamin walk into the hotel with his letter of introduction, the hotel manager couldn't help but cast a sidelong glance at him. Afterward, the manager flashed a smile and spoke."A new employee, huh? The hotel only has a little work at the moment. You can help me clean, and once there's more work, I'll hand it over to you later."As he spoke, the manager discreetly handed Benjamin a broom. Benjamin was no stranger to such situations, as the old ones often hazed new employees.However, Benjamin was not like the others. He didn't accept the broom offered by the manager but calmly shook his head and responded."Sorry, I'm here to work as a driver, not to do janitorial work for the hotel."Hearing this, the manager's eyes widened in surprise. It was the first time he had encountered such an assertive new employee. Just as he was about to lose his temper and teach Benjamin a lesson, he was interrupted by a call from a subordinate, saying that there was an issue that required h
Not wanting to respond to Benjamin, but Isabella eventually couldn't bear it and snapped back."Who are you calling deceitful? You're just someone I bought with money to serve as a stand-in. What right do you have to scold me? Furthermore, look at yourself. If you weren't such a useless waste, would I even need to look for another man?""You..."Being scolded by Isabella to the point of grinding his teeth, Benjamin's fists clenched tightly, making a grinding sound. He felt extremely uncomfortable, but he could not refute Isabella's words.For a moment, the atmosphere in the car became incredibly silent. Neither spoke to the other, each lost in their thoughts. After a while, Isabella's attitude began to cool down. This matter couldn't be entirely blamed on Benjamin. After all, they never had any feelings for each other. They were simply in agreement, a contract."Fine, I don't want to continue arguing with you either. Let's divorce now. After the divorce, I'll give you more money as co
After leaving the hotel, Benjamin's face showed extreme anger. He never thought Isabella would resort to such despicable tactics to divorce him. Just as he was about to drive back to work, his phone suddenly rang.Seeing Isabella's number displayed on the screen, Benjamin's face darkened even more. Without hesitation, he answered the call on speakerphone."What's the meaning of this? If you want to divorce me, you could just talk to me directly. There's no need for these common, shameless tactics. All it does is make me despise you even more!"On the other side of the phone, after hearing Benjamin's furious rant, Isabella's voice paused momentarily. Waiting for him to vent all his anger, her cold voice finally spoke up."Are you done?"At this point, Benjamin's anger hadn't subsided yet. Hearing Isabella's attitude, he became even more infuriated. However, Isabella didn't allow him to continue venting and spoke first."I don't know why you're so angry. But I called you because there's
However, as the saying goes, enemies instantly see red blood when they meet. Thinking of being beaten by Benjamin and having a broken nose that had yet to heal, Corbin's anger flared up."Apologize?! Ha ha ha, if you are sincere, then kneel. Just kneel and bow three times in my direction, and I will forgive you."Hearing Corbin speak like that, Benjamin's eyes momentarily widened. Then, he looked at Corbin and smiled."If Mr. Corbin agrees to sign a contract with our company, I wouldn't mind kneeling and bowing nine or even ten times. However, will you keep your word after you say it? After all, you made many promises last time but didn't fulfill them."In the face of Benjamin's sarcasm, Corbin's face didn't show any anger. On the contrary, he seemed pretty pleased and laughed loudly."Ha ha, if you want to come here to sign a contract, not only will you have to kneel and bow to me three times, but I also want you to come here and lick my shoes. We can discuss the contract later if yo
In the VIP room of the hotel, Winston sat at the center of the banquet table, with Benjamin and Isabella seated opposite each other. However, each of their expressions was completely different at that moment.While Benjamin casually observed the surroundings, occasionally uttering exclamations like a country bumpkin visiting the city for the first time, Isabella remained severe and silent, not uttering a word.Only Winston had a beaming smile but felt incredibly frustrated and uncomfortable inside.He had only made some sarcastic remarks earlier, intending to provoke Benjamin. Yet, he couldn't have imagined that Benjamin would really have no shame and even want to join them for a meal at the hotel.After taking his seat, Winston turned to Isabella with a grin and said, "Isabella, I know you love lobster dishes. So, before coming here, I asked the chef to prepare an Alaskan lobster dish for you. I heard the lobster here is imported by plane within 24 hours, so its taste remains fresh.
"So, this wine's price is quite high, isn't it?"At this moment, Isabella stood up and approached the restaurant's server, asking in a low voice."Yes, this bottle of wine is priced at thirty-five thousand dollars by the restaurant. Including the food you've just ordered, the total cost is over thirty-eight thousand."Hearing the server's response, Isabella's expression turned sour. A dinner that wasted tens of thousands of dollars was highly wasteful, and she couldn't help but stare intently at Benjamin."Hey, why are you all looking at me like that? He clearly said he was treating me to dinner. Plus, he agreed to let me order the wine. This can't be blamed on me. It's what he wanted!"Benjamin feigned innocence, shrugging his shoulders and looking at Isabella and Winston as if none of this had anything to do with him."Winston, if you don't want to drink the wine, why don't we return it? After all, I can't drink this type of wine either."Seeing that the situation was irreparable, I