Chapter 1

"Mr. Blackwood, here's all the evidence you requested." Aaron Blackwood's heart went cold as he accepted the USB drive from the private investigator. In the video, Esther Butterfield was being held in the arms of a charming man as they walked into a hotel room, laughing and chatting with one another. That man was Russell Stringer, the man Esther was having an affair with. In fact, this wasn't the first instance of their affair. According to the private investigator, Esther seemed to never get enough. Each time, she and Russell would stay in the room for an extended amount of time. Sometimes, they even did it in her SUV. In the middle of the night, sounds of desire and pleasure would come from the back seat of the car, through the windows that were not shut tight. An image formed in Aaron's mind. His stomach churned, but he held it in. Having been in the business industry for years, his rational mind told him that he could not afford to collapse at a time like this. Even so, his heart ached uncontrollably. Esther had once called themselves young, devoted lovers and said that she would be faithful. At the end of the day, those were just superficial words uttered by a woman who had fallen into promiscuity. She had probably gotten sick of him after toying with him, huh? Aaron pulled out a stack of documents from his drawer and walked straight into Esther's office. The smell of red wine in the air was so strong that it was rather choking. Esther had drunk again. Glancing at the articles of clothing on the floor, Aaron quickly spotted Esther leaning against the couch, looking half-conscious. He pushed a document toward her. "Esther, this is the latest tender document. I need you to sign it." Esther opened her eyes just a crack. Upon seeing Aaron, a beautiful yet weary smile spread across her face. She had probably overexerted herself with Russell last night. "Just get the assistant to do this. Why did you have to come here personally?" While she said that, she grabbed a pen and signed the document. Aaron continued flipping through the pages. "There are a few more spaces behind that require your signature." As such, Esther heeded and continued signing on the relevant pages. The moment Aaron closed the file for the tender document, Esther grabbed onto his wrist coquettishly. "Darling, do you know what day it is today?" Aaron caught a whiff of a rosy fragrance blended with the scent of alcohol. Staring at the red mark underneath Esther's collarbone, he was reminded of the report submitted by the finance director last week that indicated that Butterfield Group had given up 3% of their profits to Stringer Group. The vibration of his phone snapped him back to his senses. A text message from his mother-in-law, Dolores Patel, popped up on the screen. "Thirty million dollars is the maximum. But only on the condition that you delete all photos and videos of Esther's affair. Also, you're not allowed to reveal your secret marriage to Esther to the public. If you agree, we'll treat it as if your marriage to Esther never happened." Aaron pried Esther's fingers off him. In an emotionless tone, he said, "You're drunk. I'll get someone to make some hot tea for you." When he walked past her lounge, he noticed that eye-catching, custom-made, Incarian blue suit through the gap in the door. It was the exact same suit that he had discovered in the wardrobe half a month before. Aaron's heart went completely cold. He hurried out of Esther's office and back to his desk, where he retrieved the divorce agreement from within the tender document. Then, he sent a photo of Esther's signature to Dolores. All of a sudden, there was a rainstorm. After having a cup of hot tea, Esther fell into a deep sleep. There was an important meeting that required her personal attendance, but her assistants did not dare to wake her up. In the end, they sought Aaron out for help. Expressionlessly, he stared at the woman who was fast asleep. Memories of their past flashed through his mind, but he just felt insulted and despondent. Suddenly, a groan of dissatisfaction escaped Esther's lips as she turned on the couch. Shocked, her male assistant opened his mouth to defend her. But right at that moment, he saw Aaron taking a blanket and laying it over Esther. Then, he turned around and left without looking back. Not long after leaving work, Aaron rushed to an appointment that he had with the CEO of Wringer Group. "Mr. Blackwood, I heard that you've been having discussions about the land at Dewsbury East. Is that so?" asked Blair Wringer while swirling a glass of whiskey. "But Butterfield Group's focus this year is on investing in the film and television industry, isn't it?" While the ice in Blair's glass clinked, a burst of laughter came from the private room next door. The sound of a few men and women chatting light-heartedly with one another came from the said room. "Oh, did you realize that Esther no longer brings Aaron with her whenever she comes to have fun with us?" Aaron recognized that voice. It was someone from Esther's circle of friends. They were a bunch of bad apples who didn't even engage in proper work. He had once advised Esther not to hang out with these people so often. She voiced her agreement, but she continued meeting them for drinks and enjoyment as usual. "Of course. Russell is young, handsome, and from a family on par with hers. Why should she bring Aaron, who's always pulling a long face, along instead of Russell?" "Exactly. No matter how good-looking Aaron is, she's probably already sick of sleeping with him after seven years." "I heard that Aaron has been giving his all and working hard for her company all these years. It's such a pity that it's all for nothing. I've been eyeing that face of his, though. If Esther no longer wants him, she should give him to me so that I can have some fun." "What the hell? How could you stomach someone who used to be someone else's toy?" Another bout of laughter sounded. The glass in Aaron's hand cracked. What did these people think he was? He got to his feet, then walked over and kicked the door to the private room open. The men and women in the room jumped in fright. They turned their heads toward him simultaneously. At the same time, Russell was lazing on a leather couch, swirling the glass of red wine in his hands. Looking at Aaron with a condescending glint in his eyes, he said, "Right on time, Mr. Blackwood." Russell raised his phone. His lock screen wallpaper was actually a photo of Esther's side profile from when they were at a charity dinner. He mocked, "We were discussing the new film company that Butterfield Group set up. What do you think of 'Upmarket Plaything' as a project name?" Aaron grabbed a bucket of ice and flung it at the stone table. Crushed ice flew up in the air. At that moment, he could vaguely see his 20-year-old self standing on the steps to the city clerk's office and the blissful smile on Esther's face as she shoved their wedding certificate into his arms. "You're so hot-tempered, Mr. Blackwood." Suddenly, Esther's voice came from the door. The fragrance of her Chanel No. 5 perfume filled the room in an instant. Strutting in her heels across the mess on the floor, she positioned her lace gloved hand on Russell's necktie, which was stained from the wine that splattered. "Russell, how could you tease Ronny like this?" Aaron stared at Esther's hand, on which she wore their wedding ring. With that hand, Esther was tidying the shirt collar of the man she was having an affair with in a well-practiced manner. Esther turned her face toward Russell, her expression intimidating and frigid. Instantly, everyone in the room sensed her fury. "Sorry, Aaron. We were just blabbering earlier." "Aaron, there's nothing between Esther and Russell. I swear." "Aaron, don't take it personally." Taking Aaron by the hand, Esther led him outside. In the car, Aaron's expression looked extremely gloomy. He recognized this to be the SUV in the videos. As he sat in the passenger seat, he could almost smell the revolting scent from the back seat. After a long silence, Esther spoke up. "Aaron, they're my friends. You'll put me in a tight spot if you make a big fuss like that. Others will feel like I found an unrefined man who gets jealous easily." Unrefined and easily jealous? Aaron scoffed on the inside. Esther finally revealed the deepest thoughts of her heart. "So?" he responded calmly. "If you want to continue being with me, be like a real man. Be broad-minded. Don't speculate unnecessarily. Doing that will really annoy me." Aaron remained silent. The next moment, he got out of the car. Disregarding Esther's calls to him from behind, he got into his car and drove off speedily. Soon, she would no longer have to feel annoyed.