Chapter 3

A young, handsome man with golden hair  dressed in a white shirt and a black jacket. Holding a food trolley, he walked through the hallway of the exquisite hotel.

The floor beneath his feet boasted pure marble, while the walls were adorned with a vibrant coat of red paint.

*Beep!*

Alexander Starius pressed the doorbell of room 345, preparing to deliver the food that had been ordered.

Within moments, the door swung open, revealing a man of similar age to Alexander, wrapped in a white towel.

"Good morning, sir. You ordered room service," Alexander greeted the young man.

"Come in," the man replied, granting Alexander entry. As he stepped into the room, he was met with a sight that left him stunned—lying on the bed, partially undressed, was none other than his wife, Tracy.

"Tracy! What's going on?" Alexander exclaimed, shocked to find his wife in such a compromising position.

Alexander Starius, a man who had no knowledge of his family's complicated history was unaware of the hatred from Mr. Harrington and his father.

Mr. Harrington Tracy's father who was a long rival of Alexander's father saw this as an opportunity to manipulate and humiliate his rival's son. 

By forcibly binding Alexander to the Harrington family through marriage, he believed he could exert control over Alexander. 

If not for the fact that Alexander's mother, on her sickbed, had expressed a dying wish for her son to be married before the age of twenty-six. Determined to fulfill his mother's last wish and provide her with some solace, Alexander reluctantly agreed to the arranged marriage with Tracy, orchestrated by the powerful Harrington family.

Mr. Harrington believed that Alexander's lack of success was due to his failure to inherit his father's wealth. However, as time passed, he realized that Alexander was still unsuccessful and considered him worthless. 

Eventually, Mr. Harrington encouraged his daughter to find someone better and get a divorce from Alexander.

Throughout their marriage, Tracy never visited Alexander's sick mother and showed no care or affection. Alexander endured three years of emotional abuse and neglect, not just from Tracy but also from the Harrington family, who looked down on him and believed he was not worthy of their social status.

Now, witnessing her partially undressed form in the bed shattered his heart into pieces. "Tracy, what are you doing here?" he confronted her, his gaze fixed upon her.

Tracy remained silent, staring back at him as if he were a complete stranger. "Honey, do you know this guy?" the young man, wrapped in a towel, questioned Tracy.

"James! I have no idea who this guy is. I'm just as surprised as you are that he even knows my name," Tracy responded, feigning ignorance of Alexander.

"Me!" Alexander exclaimed, clutching his chest in disbelief. The person he regarded as second only to his mother was now doing this to him. It was beyond comprehension.

"Tracy, enough with the jokes. Just tell me that he forced you into bed, and I'll try to move past it. We can move on," Alexander attempted to console himself, thinking that Tracy might have been coerced into a difficult situation.

"Young man! How dare you insinuate that I'm a rapist. You better watch yourself," James approached Alexander aggressively, attempting to grab his shoulders.

Without looking, Alexander swiftly caught James' wrist and slowly twisted it. "Ahhhhhhh!" James screamed in pain.

During his school days, Alexander had dedicated himself to studying martial arts, earning countless awards for his skills. Hence, he was a seasoned martial artist.

"Hey! That's enough! Alexander, leave him alone!" Tracy lashed out, witnessing the harm Alexander was inflicting on James.

"Oh, now you remember my name," Alexander retorted, infuriated by Tracy's actions.

"Who do you think you are? I wasn't forced into anything. James is my boyfriend, and I couldn't care less about you. Go to hell, you worthless piece of trash," Tracy finally admitted that she knew him.

Tracy's words struck his heart like a flaming arrow. "Tracy! After everything I've done for you? Fine, let's put this behind us. My mom is in the hospital, and since we got married, you haven't visited her. She's been worried sick. 

Let's go see her, and then you can file for divorce immediately," Alexander attempted to negotiate with her.

"I refuse to visit your mentally challenged mother, and I have no interest in any pointless divorce. After all, our marriage wasn't even legitimate," Tracy callously disregarded his feelings, insulting his mother and acting as if nothing had occurred.

Alexander couldn't bear it. The person he cherished most in the world, his own mother, had been insulted by Tracy, the very person whose life he had saved.

Overwhelmed with anger, Alexander couldn't contain himself any longer. He felt the urge to strangle Tracy when, out of nowhere, the door swung open, revealing Mr. Harrington and his wife.

"Alexander, my dear boy! What a pleasant surprise to find you here," Mr. Harrington exclaimed, with a warm 

smile.

Alexander turned towards the Harrington's, his eyes widening in shock. The sight of the very people who had orchestrated this twisted arrangement filled him with dread.

"Mr. Harrington, Mrs. Harrington," he was equally surprised at what was playing out before him.

 

"We were just about to head to the Grand Ballroom for a private dinner," Mrs. Harrington chimed in, a coy smile playing on her lips. "We were hoping you would join us. It would be such a shame if you were to miss it."

Alexander's heart raced as he realized the Harrington's had planned this entire scenario. The invitation, the presence of Tracy and her lover – it was all a carefully crafted trap.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded, his gaze shifting between the Harrington's and his so-called wife.

"Why, my dear boy, this is simply a family gathering," Mr. Harrington replied "We've been looking forward to this for quite some time, haven't we, Tracy?"

Tracy's lips curled into a wicked smile as she nodded in agreement.