Chapter 8 “A Worthless Husband”

Lea was losing it. “You can’t find him?! What kind of nonsense is that?” she yelled into the phone. “How hard can it be to track down a nobody like Arthur?!”

“I’m really sorry, Ma’am. I checked his workplace, and even the pizza shop boss has no clue where your husband is. It’s like he just vanished,” the voice on the other end replied.

“I didn’t hire you for this! You better search for him anywhere, even if it’s the ends of the earth!”

Lea hung up and let out a frustrated sigh.

It had been two months since her husband had disappeared, and honestly, she wasn’t even sure if she cared about his safety anymore.

“But seriously, he should’ve at least given me what I needed before he went missing. Ugh!” she groaned as she plopped down on the couch.

Lea had no choice but to marry him because of the mansion the Shawn family was living in. The place actually belonged to Arthur Dwight, but after tying the knot with Lea, his in-laws moved in and acted like it was theirs!

Arthur adored Lea and let them stay, while he and his wife lived in a separate apartment. But Lea was craving more.

“Why can’t he just give me the title to the mansion?!” she exclaimed.

Lea and her mom were determined to claim the mansion for themselves. Her grandma promised to pass down her inheritance only if they could convince Arthur to transfer the property into their names.

“Just wait, loser. Once I get that mansion, you’ll be out on the street!” Lea declared.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Thinking it was her husband, she hurried to answer, only to find a delivery boy waiting there.

She sighed and opened the door. The delivery guy couldn't help but blush when he saw the stunning Lea.

“Good morning, ma’am. I have a package for you from Mr. Arthur Dwight.”

Lea's eyes went wide. “Hand it over!” She grabbed the brown envelope from him and quickly tore it open.

When she saw what her husband had sent after two months, she nearly gasped.

“A divorce petition?!” she shouted.

That’s when it hit her—Arthur was dead serious about ending their marriage.

“You vanish for two months and this is what you send me?!”

Lea felt like ripping the paper in half, but then she had a change of heart. Instead, she reached for her phone and called her lover.

“Mr. Chain, can we meet? I have some exciting news to share.”

** **

"Haha! No way!" Harry Chain burst out laughing after hearing Lea's news. "So your useless husband actually sent you divorce papers?"

Lea sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, he really did."

"Well, that's a blessing in disguise! Just sign those papers and ditch that loser."

"I wish it were that easy! My mom and grandma have this deal with me. They want me to convince Arthur to hand over the mansion to our family. If I don’t, they’ll cut me off."

Harry leaned closer, gently stroking Lea's cheek. "What’s so special about that old place? I could easily build you and your family ten new mansions."

"I had no clue," Lea replied, pulling away from his touch. "I don’t get why they’re so fixated on that mansion. All I want is to escape my awful husband."

Harry wrapped his arms around her from behind and whispered, "Don't stress. I’ll help you break free from him. Honestly, you don’t even need to deal with Arthur."

“What do you mean?” she asked, glancing back.

Harry flashed a grin and replied, “We can just force him. A little roughing up, and he’ll give everything.”

“Are you really going to send guys to beat him up?”

“Don’t test me. I can do a lot more than that.”

Lea nearly gasped. She was used to seeing her brother take down Arthur, but with Harry, things could get way more intense.

‘Why hesitate? That jerk sent me divorce papers. He deserves some payback,’ Lea thought to herself.

“For now, let’s not dwell on him,” Harry said, leaning in closer. “I got an invite to your brother’s party. Since your husband won’t be there, how about you take me as your date? I bet everyone will be envious to see you with the richest guy in town.”

Lea smiled widely and gently held Harry's face before saying, “Awesome idea.” Then they shared a kiss.

The party is set to take place at the Shawn family's mansion, celebrating the launch of Andrew Shawn's new architecture firm.

It's bold of Andrew to throw the party at his brother-in-law's place, especially after taking Arthur's money.

The Shawn family clearly has no regard for Arthur. They act like they can do whatever they please, regardless of his feelings.

“Congrats, Andrew! I always knew you’d make it big!” an investor praised the cocky Andrew.

Andrew chuckled arrogantly and responded, “Of course! I’m a Shawn; success runs in our blood.”

“Speaking of family, I heard your sister is stunning and almost made it as an actress. What’s her name again?”

"Ahh, Lea? Of course! I can’t deny she’s attractive. But she’s stuck with the unluckiest dude ever. Seriously, he’s like a bad luck charm for our family. I really don’t get why my parents thought it was a good idea to marry her off to him."

“So, if your sister ever decides to split from her husband, how about you introduce us?” He leaned in and whispered, “I could totally back your business in the future.”

Andrew smirked. He didn’t feel bad at all about the idea of selling his sister off. But…

“Not gonna happen. Someone’s already got dibs.”

Speaking of which, Andrew gestured to a couple strolling by, completely unbothered.

Lea, who was married, strolled alongside her lover, Harry Chain.

“Isn’t that Harry Chain?! The guy behind Cher Investment Company?!” an investor exclaimed.

Andrew chimed in, “Yep. If I play my cards right, that dude could be my brother-in-law. Just think of all the cash that could come my way!”

As they walked, Lea held her head high with Harry by her side. She was bold for a married woman, relishing the envy in the eyes of onlookers.

‘One day, when I’m the Chairwoman of Cher Corporation, everyone will have to bow down. Even my mom and grandma won’t be spared,’ Lea mused.

“Everyone’s staring at us, babe,” Harry said. “Is it because of your stunning looks?”

Lea laughed, feeling pretty pleased with herself. But when she caught sight of her mother’s disapproving glare, she shot back a fierce look.

Andrew walked over with his younger brother, Mark. “Hey, brother! I’m really happy you made it!”

Harry grinned at both of them. “Thanks for having me. And congrats on starting your new business!”

“Appreciate it! If you’re free, you should check out my office. We might be family soon, after all.”

“Family? But our sister is still with Ar… ouch!” Mark stopped short when Andrew elbowed him in the gut.

Lea clenched her jaw, “Quit bothering Mr. Chain.”

“It’s all good, Lea,” Harry said with a smile. “Honestly, Andrew’s got a point. That guy doesn’t deserve to be your husband.” He leaned forward and kissed the back of her hand.

Mark leaned in and whispered, “Arthur.”

“Can you quit mentioning that loser?” Andrew grumbled. “You’re killing the vibe!”

“No! Actually, Arthur is right here,” Mark said, gesturing to a spot in the room.

Lea, Harry, and Andrew turned to see where he was pointing.

And Mark was spot on!

Arthur had shown up to the party.

But they were all taken aback by how much he had transformed!