Chapter 2 Humiliated

Ruby was shocked. Her eyes went wide and she said, “Fifi, are you crazy?! What nonsense are you saying, huh?!” On the other hand, George was overjoyed. “Good, good, good! Very well! Faye, you’re my darling granddaughter who knows where her loyalties lie!” The rest of the family was elated because they had not expected that Faye would consent so easily. It seemed as though she was quite materialistic and not a faithful wife. Faye continued by saying, “Grandpa, I’m not done speaking yet. I will go and accompany Mr. Wilson for three days but on one condition.” “What condition is that? Go ahead and speak.” George could not bear the anxiety anymore. Faye took a deep breath and said, “I’m taking ten percent of the family’s shares and I’ll transfer it to my parents. Furthermore, I want the family to withdraw 300,000 dollars in cash and transfer it to Zayn’s account.” Upon hearing that, George frowned while the others were taken aback. It made sense for her to take ten percent of their shares and give it to Waine and Ruby, but what was the point of giving 300,000 dollars to Zayn? Zayn was just a good-for-nothing. It was very unfortunate that she married such a man, yet she still wanted to give him money? Just then, the door of the meeting room was aggressively pushed open. A man walked in with long strides and said with a loud, resonant voice, “I object!” It was none other than Zayn. His appearance astounded everyone in the meeting room. They stared at him in bewilderment. No one, including Faye, had expected that he would appear there. In reality, Zayn had been standing outside the door for some time. His ears were sharper than most, so he could hear their earlier discussion clearly. When he heard Faye set her conditions, he could not restrain himself anymore and charged into the room right away. His bloodshot eyes were sharply focused on Faye. He had never expected that there would be a time when she would take him into account. “Zayn?” “This is absurd. Are you even allowed here? Get out now!” “Such impudence. This is a Carter family meeting. Who permitted you to barge into this room, huh?” “What are you gawking at?! Leave now!” Despite the barrage of malicious remarks, Zayn stood on the spot without moving. He walked toward Faye and said in a gentle voice, “I’m sorry, Fifi. I’m late.” Faye could not help being dazed when she saw Zayn’s appearance. She felt that there was something different about him. George slapped the table abruptly and yelled, “You’re a daring rascal, Zayn. Who gave you permission to break in? Do you even know what this place is?” Zayn turned around and said to George, “Sir, I know that I shouldn’t have come to this place, but all of you have forced my hand. Faye is my wife and I object to her sacrificing her body and soul for the so-called interest of the family!” His speech was made with a strong, thunderous voice with a resilience that he never had in the past. It made many people sit up and take notice of him. Was this man the same wastrel that they knew? Zayn was well-aware that he was taking a very dangerous step. If the Carters were to discover his true identity, he would be doomed forever! He was indeed the second son of the Larson family, but he was kicked out four years ago. Furthermore, he was ordered not to speak of his background or he would be beaten to death! In order to live namelessly, he had to hide and pretend to be a hopeless man at all times. He did not dare display even an ounce of ability because he knew if anyone from the Larsons were to learn of it, he would be put to death! Moreover, he would also implicate the entire Carter family! He was not afraid to die, but he did not wish to bring harm to Faye and her family. Because of this, he lived in a state of constant humiliation for four years. He endured such hardship hoping to one day recover and reclaim everything that he had lost. As it turned out, he had no choice but to do so at this moment when he was confronted by Faye’s dilemma. From the side, Howard said dismissively, “You object? What right do you have to object? You’re just some trash that married into the family. You’ve been eating out of our hands for four years and the money you spend is our money. You’d have starved to death without our support! You’re a disgrace to all of us. If I were you, I’d have already drowned myself in my own piss.” Zayn stood upright and said, “I’m capable of giving three million dollars to help the Carters circumvent this crisis!” The group could not help being astounded by his declaration, but soon enough, they burst out laughing as if they had just heard the funniest joke ever. “Hah-hah-hah, I must have misheard. Did this scoundrel actually say that he is capable of giving three million to us? He can do that?” “He’s truly delusional. Do you even understand the concept of three million dollars? You won’t be able to make that much money in ten lifetimes!” “Faye is so beautiful. It’s truly saddening that she married a fool like this.” Everyone mocked Zayn and their remarks sounded particularly harsh to his ears. Ruby could not stop herself from kicking him from behind. She scolded him for embarrassing them and ordered him to leave at once. Meanwhile, Faye looked at him from the back. The truth was, she was entirely unmoved by his actions. On the contrary, she was more disappointed and sickened than she had ever been before! Zayn really was incapable of giving three million dollars. In the past, three million dollars to him was equivalent to 300 dollars for the average person. He would have been able to gather the money with ease. However, that was no longer the case and all he could do now was stall. “Don’t laugh. Give me a week’s time and I guarantee that I’ll gather three million dollars by then!” Zayn could not conceal the guilt he felt when saying that and Faye could hear it in his tone. “That’s enough!” Faye shouted coldly. Zayn turned to her and saw the unconcealed frustration, disgust, and dismay she felt for him in her eyes. “Fifi, I…” Faye interrupted him, “Zayn, you’ve truly let me down this time. Go outside. There’s no need for you to interfere in my affairs.” Zayn said anxiously, “Fifi, listen to me. I’m genuinely capable of getting three million dollars.” “Zayn, I’ve never looked down on you for the past four years regardless of what you did or who you were. That’s because your one strong point was that you would never bluff to keep up appearances. That being said, you’ve truly repulsed me now. I feel sick just looking at your face!” Faye stared at Zayn and he could see the revulsion and disappointment in her gaze. Besides that, there was only distance. Zayn wanted to say something else, but he found that he was incapable of uttering another word. Faye continued, “You should leave now. I will have the lawyer draft up the divorce papers before I leave to accompany Mr. Wilson. After you sign it, I won’t be seen as cheating on you anymore. The corners of her lips bent into a mocking smile. Upon hearing that, Zayn stumbled backward. He felt as if his heart had stopped beating and the pain inside it was suffocating him. After spending the days and nights over four years with Faye, he had fallen in love with her without even realizing. He was so used to her presence every day, he could not imagine how he could live without her! Upon witnessing the scene, the rest of the group delighted in the schadenfreude and made fun of Zayn. “Leave. If you don’t want me to lose the final trace of goodwill I have for you, go now. I don’t want to see you again.” Faye turned around, trying her best to stop the tears from rolling down her face. Just as Zayn was accustomed to her presence, she felt the same about him. It was just that she had no choice but to shoulder the enormous burden placed on her. Zayn was stunned for a few seconds. Then, he replied indifferently, “Yes.” He turned around and left, looking like a dead man. Zayn felt completely numb. He had no idea how he made it downstairs until he heard the sound of his phone. The ringtone grew louder and interrupted his train of thought. He answered the call instinctively and held the phone to his ear. He immediately heard an old man’s voice saying, “Hello, is this Zayn Larson?”