LAPDOG HUSBAND IS A TRILLIONAIRE HEIR

CHAPTER 13

The atmosphere inside the Katherine residence was tense and suffocating. Katherine sat stiffly on the couch, her jaw clenched, an ice pack pressed to her still-swollen cheek. How dare he humiliate me like this, she thought, the memory of the restaurant scene replaying in her mind like a nightmare on loop. James paced back and forth like a caged animal.

"I can't believe that bastard," he growled, throwing his arms up. "Everything we built—gone, just like that!" 

"Because of him," Katherine spat, the word like venom on her tongue. "That worthless roach of a man—Yemin." 

James turned sharply. "And the worst part? Everyone at the restaurant… they saw. They all saw us getting slapped, dragged out like trash. How the hell do we come back from that?Our reputation in tatters in front of the exact people we needed to impress.”

Before Katherine could answer, her phone buzzed. It was her mother. Within seconds, her entire family had gathered in the living room after the call. Faces were pale, voices hushed, the gravity of the situation now fully sinking in.

"The partnership with Ravol Company was our biggest leverage," her father muttered, fingers rubbing his temples. "If they really pulled out because of Yemin, we're finished." Everything we've worked for, gone because of one man's influence.

Her younger brother frowned. "But that doesn't make sense. Yemin's just some jobless ex-husband. How could he possibly make Ravol Company cancel on us like that?"

"I told you he's not normal," Katherine snapped, tossing the ice pack aside. "You didn't see the way the CEO looked at him. He stood behind the man like a ghost, said nothing… and still, they followed his every gesture." 

Her mother exhaled shakily. "Then maybe… we should apologize. If he really holds that kind of influence, maybe it's not too late to save the contract." 

That suggestion hung in the air for a few long seconds.

James stopped pacing. "Apologize? To him?" 

The very thought made his skin crawl.

Katherine's lips curled in disgust. "You've lost your mind. I'd rather lose everything than grovel at his feet.”

But then— James's phone buzzed. He glanced at it, read the message—and a slow smirk spread across his face.

"Well, well… Seems we jumped to conclusions." 

Everyone turned to him.

"It's just as I thought," James said with a sneer. "Yemin's nobody. He doesn't have any real power. Just as I suspected all along.”

Katherine blinked. "What do you mean?"

He held up the phone. "A reliable source says the only reason the CEO helped him was because Yemin once saved the CEO's mother. That's it." 

Relief washed over the room.

Katherine leaned back, scoffing. "Of course. He couldn't possibly be something more.So he's just a glorified errand boy being paid back for a past favor?"

"Exactly," James replied. "The CEO probably gave him that moment in the spotlight just out of gratitude. That's why he got to sit at the dinner table. Nothing more.”

Her father exhaled, visibly relaxing. "Then we don't need to worry. There's no way the CEO will keep helping someone like that. He's already repaid the debt." 

Katherine's eyes narrowed with satisfaction. "I knew there had to be an explanation. That coward Yemin had no backbone when we were married—no way he suddenly turned into some business king. The man I knew could barely speak up for himself, let alone command respect.”

James gave a cruel grin. "And to think we actually considered apologizing to that trash." We almost debased ourselves for nothing.

Katherine snorted. "Let him enjoy his little moment. It won't last." 

And soon enough, he'll go back to being the nobody he truly is.

Katherine sat up suddenly, her eyes brightening with realization. “Also I remember one thing-"

All eyes turned to her.

"The partnership agreement," she continued, tapping her fingers against the armrest. "It was personally approved by the chairman of Ravol Company, remember? The one we've never actually met in person."

James paused, then slowly nodded. "That's... that's right. We've only dealt with their executive team, never the chairman directly."

"So what you're saying is..." her father began, leaning forward.

Katherine's lips curved into a calculating smile. "This whole situation occurred because of the CEO's personal intervention. A favor for Yemin. But the chairman might not even know what happened. The chairman, who already approved our partnership in principle."

The CEO might have influence, but he still answers to someone, she thought.

"I think," she said, standing up and wincing slightly at the pain in her cheek, "that I should pay a visit to Ravol Company headquarters first thing tomorrow morning. Bypass the CEO entirely. Appeal directly to the chairman to honor the agreement they already approved."