The Revenger's System

2. The Humiliation

“Aaaaaash!”

“Ugh…”

Ryan heard them clearly. His wife, Violet, and an unknown man he has yet to meet doing something unspeakable.

They were fuc–

He banged his head to the bedroom door, right when he heard them giving in to pleasure. Breath ragged, Ryan tried to control himself. He couldn’t do anything, despite the fury that told him to just bust the door and claim Violet for his own.

He couldn’t, no mater how much he begged in the darkness of his own bedroom. Violet viewed him as nothing but a slave, and not as her husband.

Ryan decided to cool down and try to forget what he just heard happened behind his wife’s closed door. Walking to the back side of the Crowne residence, he soon found the simple door of his bedroom. It was supposed to be the housekeepers’ room, but since he married Violet, the Crownes fired all of their employees.

Laying on the bed, he smashed his face to the thin pillow and screamed. He poured all of his fiery rage there, where no one would hear his misery and would mock him for being hurtful human.

Only when he had lost his strength to scream and was left out of breath did he lifted his head. He couldn’t goon like this. Violet was his and his alone. He was the one who married her. Not that unknown man or her fellow actors or lustful fans. It should be him who sleep with her in that bedroom, and not here being separated like a blasted slave that they saw him to be.

If only he could, Ryan would flatten the Earth and claimed Violet in front of every eyes that could see. Violet was his, no one should lay a hand on his wife.  

But, reality often placed him in the corner of the stage, hidden in the dark, away from any happiness.

He was truly powerless, wasn’t he?

After all, he was a mere homeless man Violet’s grandfather found on the street and brought back home to be a slave they could hummiliate for fun.

Almost an hour later, he finally have the energy to get up and confront Violet.

Well, not confront actually. He was just a mere slave that coincidently married to the Crowne’s only daughter.

Heading to the spacious living room where several sets of Italian leather couch was waiting, Ryan saw his beloved wife's blonde strands. She looked just as beautiful, although her hair was not as neat as before.

"Vio–"

He stopped on his track, spotting another presence sitting so close to his beloved wife. They turned their head after hearing his oud footsteps and stifled call.

"My coat," Violet said, holding out her hand. Her nails were manicured and now painted deep purple, almost like her namesake. She was completely oblivious to the anger that started to bubbled again in Ryan’s chest.

So, that was the stranger who dared to sleep with his wife, in her own bedroom which Ryan was forbidden to enter except to clean it. He tried to hard to conceal his ill intention.

Ryan walked closer and handed them the bag, which contained her coat. His eyes couldn't leave the man who sat far too close to his wife. The stranger had one hand thrown over the back of the leather couch, fingers drawing circles on her bare shoulder. He was too focused on the stranger's wicked hand that he failed to notice his frown.

"What, you don't like seeing me with my girlfriend?" the stranger asked harshly.

Ryan was dressed in faded, old jogging pants with holes here and there, paired with his worn, thin grey t-shirt. He was sweaty, with his medium-length hair unkempt and probably smelling like shit; no wonder the stranger spoke to him with no regard whatsoever.

He probably even thought that Ryan was a mere unruly house assistant or something and not the husband of the woman in his arm.

"Girlfriend?" Ryan whispered, finally looking at the stranger in the eye.

Unlike him, the stranger was dressed nicely. He was handsome, to begin with; no wonder Violet would go out with him. He would go out and have fun with her while Ryan cooked dinner for his in-laws.

"What are you still doing here?" Violet snapped at him, "Didn't father and mother ask you for something?"

"Sorry." Ryan averted his gaze, looking down at his feet, further seeing the difference between his worn sandals and the stranger's leather shoes. One pair alone surely cost more than a thousand.

Then the stranger snickered. "Hey, don't get too angry at your housekeeper."

Ryan's heart ached at the prejudice, but he stayed silent. It was the norm – he was nothing more but a housekeeper here. Or not; he was lower, actually. They got paid while he was doing everything like a slave from early morning to late at night without a cent given.

The only thing that differed him from a real slave was that have an official marriage certificate with Violet.

"He's getting on my nerves. I feel like I'm going to kick him." Violet huffed and rose to her feet, wearing her long-awaited fuchsia coat. The color looked nice against her white pants and tank top and complimented her pale skin and blonde strands. The bright pink lipstick and the blue of her eyes sealed her perfection.

"Just fire him then." The stranger said, straightening his ironed suit jacket. "I don't think someone with such high profile like you deserve a lousy assistant. I bet there's many more who dream of serving you."

Ryan knew Violet would do that. There was no way to fire one husband except for a divorce. It would free him from this humiliation. But, it would also mean that Violet and his in-laws wouldn't even get a penny from her grandfather's inheritance.

"No matter," Violet shook her head. "Just forget about him." She looked at the stranger with such adoration. "How do I look, Ashton?"

His name was Ashton.

Now that Ryan remembered, he had seen the stranger in several series and one particular movie with Violet. Ashton Bogart was the antagonist in Violet's latest movie – The Lover's Fool. How could he miss that familiar side bang and dark lips, he would never know.

Ryan's dislike grew tenfold upon learning the stranger's name. Ashton was known as a womanizer and a big gambler in the entertainment industry. His latest scandal, about two months ago, was that he got an underaged actor hooked on a drug and overdosed. He denied it, and the police dismissed it, but the news remained.

Oblivious to Ryan's inner thoughts, Ashton dared to kiss the back of Violet's hand. "Gorgeous, my love. I don't even want to blink and miss out your beauty."

Ryan wanted to get the womanizer off of his wife. A bonus punch to his face also seemed tempting. But, he remembered his place here.

"Let's go. I can't wait to finally meet again with everyone. I miss them, especially Garcia."

"Yes, yes. If I don't fuck you, I'd thought you two are together."

Hearing that, Ryan took a sharp breath. He closed his eyes so that he didn't have to see Ashton put a hand around her hips. There was nothing he could do.

At least, not for now.

But, when the clock had passed, and Violet was not back, he got worried. Walking back and forth near the main door, Ryan waited for his beloved wife's return.

To be exact, he was forbidden from coming inside by his in-laws. It was a punishment because he couldn't serve them dinner at the designated time. The cold and mosquitos soon got on his nerves. The hard floor and his thin clothes were not making it any better.

Then, when he was just dozing off out of exhaustion, he was blinded by a car's headlight. Two drunken people exited it, stumbling to reach the main door, and almost stepped on his person.

"Oops!" Ashton laughed when Ryan scrambled to get out of the way. Violet was giggling, an arm thrown over the actor's muscled shoulder. She was intoxicated but couldn't get her hand from the womanizer's buckled belt.

Ryan dreaded the thought of his wife with another man.

"Open the door, you dumb!" Ashton leaned against the frame, expecting him to obey his order. "Wait, what are you doing, sleeping here?" He laughed out loud, shoulders shaking until Violet was jolted aware. "Violet must pay you really well to make you act like a dog."

Ryan fisted his hands but did as told. The door wasn't locked, but he still wouldn't step his foot inside due to his punishment. If they found out he got inside, his in-laws would further humiliate him.

Once the drunken pair got inside, Ryan closed the door again and leaned his back against it. He didn't like the thought of Violet with another man, let alone seeing it with his own eyes. But, still, there was nothing he could do except lament it silently.

So, when dawn finally came, and Ryan was free to enter the house.

He quickly cleaned the rooms, brushed the toilets, and opened all windows to let the fresh wind in. He preferred to clean the house the first time in the morning so that no one would give nasty comments while he did that. Then, he made breakfast and served it on the table.

As he was washing the dishes – because the Crownes were petty enough that they refused to buy him a dishwasher – his mother-in-law came in.

She didn't bother with a greeting but had no problem protesting him. "Why is there only three plates on the table?"

What a strange question.

"I don't know that Mr. Jared is coming home this morning?" He asked rhetorically. "Or is it Mr. Florent that is here?Violet must be excited to reunited with her younger brother."

"Of course, they're not. Jared is working in England and Jared is studying in France until summer break. Are you dumb?" His mother-in-law grumbled, looking like she was ready to pull his hair.

She did not mean he had to serve Ashton breakfast, right?

"It's for Violet's boyfriend, Ashton."

His guess was confirmed. He indeed was that lost, huh? To be asked – no, order – by his mother-in-law to make breakfast for the man his wife cheated with.

"Hoaaaam…" his father-in-law came and seated himself on the lone chair as the head of the family. "Where's Violet and her boyfriend?"

So they all knew about Ashton and Violet's relationship with the actor. It seemed he was the only one left in the dark, free to find out and watch with his own eyes to maximize the humiliation.

"Hey, scum," his mother-in-law called to grab his attention, "Get Violet and her boyfriend here. And while you're at eat, grab a plate for Ashton too."

Ryan moved like a robot. Suppressing his feeling, shoving it down to the bottom of his heart and stiffly did as told. He tried to smother the rage.

He knew Ashton was not the first man Violet slept with after they married. Violet clearly didn't want him. Hence, Ryan was sleeping in a different room than his wife. She wouldn't even let him touch her, platonically or not.

However, it was the first time she brought a man to their house – to the Crowne family's residence, he meant. He'd easily forget if she was not parading her boyfriend to him. But, to be reminded and forced to see how she was cheating on him with his own eyes, Ryan only felt anger and … sadness.

He couldn't forbid her.

He couldn't take her for himself.

Ryan just couldn't do it, no matter how hard he imagined doing it in his head.

He was a coward. A useless scum of a husband like how they described him.

Someone like Violet – he didn't deserve her. Not now. Not ever. Even despite their old promise–

Ryan chuckled under his breath. What was he talking about?

“Ashton…”

Ryan's brown eyes widened upon hearing that.

The neauseating voice of Violet calling another man in such a needy manner. They were doing it again, and he couldn’t do a damn thing to stop it.

His face is red with embarrassment and rage. He wanted to bust the door so badly that his fists shook. Their bottom lip bit hard, and he tried to keep his emotion in check. It was especially difficult when his heart pumped the blood too fast, causing his lungs to quickly inhale and exhale.

The only thing stopping him was the clear warning given by Violet on the night of their wedding. He could never forbid her from sleeping with another man.

Minutes passed. Ryan finally took control of his ragged breathing. He'd left them to finish their business.

However, before he straightened his back and returned to the kitchen, he heard Ashton say something to his wife. "Try this, it's better than weed. I bet you'll enjoy it."

Ryan couldn't hold it anymore.

Flashes of the news where Ashton Bogart was 'alleged' of getting an underage actor into drugs and he died from overdose swarmed Ryan's head. He didn't want Violet to end up like that.

He wouldn't let Ashton destroy his wife's life. No.

Ryan saw red as he kicked the bedroom door open. He quickly spotted his wife, only wearing Ashton's rumpled shirt with an ecstatic expression on her face. It transformed into a surprise and anger as she saw him.

"What do you think you're doing, barging into my room like this?!"

But his eyes were drawn to where the other man was crouching. Thankfully, Ashton was wearing his pants, albeit unbuttoned. In front of him, and in his hand in particular, were several small pills and white powder in clear plastic packs.

The damned actor tried to get Violet into drugs. That didn't sit very well with Ryan.

So, fueled with fury and accumulating rage, Ryan charged at the actor and gave Ashton a punch in the face.

Sadly, Ryan overstimate himself when the time was not right.