I checked the time, I was late again for the airport pickup. I thought for a moment and said to Chad, "Thirty thousand, I'll pay you first."
"But this isn't over. I'll have the police investigate. If it's my fault, keep the thirty thousand. If not, you return the money and apologize in public." I took out my phone to transfer the money.
But Patricia reached out and slapped my phone to the floor. She pointed at my nose and said, "Thirty thousand? Do you even have that? Stop pretending to be rich. If you had thirty thousand, would you be here begging me for money today?"
"Nolan, don't tell me you're thinking of using payday loans? I didn't expect you to fall this far." She mocked.
The phone shattered. I tried to leave, but everyone blocked my way.
Even the staff locked the VIP lounge doors, saying the police needed to arrive and resolve the financial dispute before anyone could go.
I knew their fancy words were just an excuse to satisfy the needs of their so-called 'VIPs'. Everyone was accusing me.
I could only sit in the corner and silently wait for the police. Through the crowd, I saw Chad looking at me. His eyes were full of smug satisfaction.
I froze for a moment, did hurting his benefactor really make him that happy? I was Chad's benefactor. He used to say that all the time.
Ever since I funded his college education, he had always shown gratitude. Whenever he had time, he'd come to my house to clean, cook and wash dishes. Even though I had a maid, he insisted on doing everything. He even bowed to me during New Year.
When I tried to stop him, he said it was a culture in his hometown. I thought I was getting good karma, I'd met someone who knew how to be grateful.
But later I learned the truth, a small favor earns gratitude, but a big one breeds resentment. The more I helped Chad, the more jealous he became. The more I gave him, the more entitled he felt, even thinking it wasn't enough.
The more submissive he acted in front of me, the more he wanted to step on me, to reclaim the pride he thought he had lost. He wasn't just an ingrate, he was a venomous snake, full of ambition and schemes.
His frequent visits to my house gave him access to Patricia. I didn't know when they started cheating behind my back. By the time I found out, they had already been at it for a while.
At that time, I was gravely ill and desperately waiting for a kidney transplant. To focus on treatment, I swallowed my pride.
But I never expected that on the day of my surgery, Chad would stage a wrist-slitting drama, forcing Patricia to abandon me on an overpass... Those memories flooded my mind and I couldn't help but sigh.
At some point, Chad squeezed over to me. He whispered in my ear, "Nolan, tables have turned, haven't they? Everything you used to have is mine now. And you, you have nothing."
I nodded calmly, "Even Patricia, that piece of garbage, I don't want her anymore. She's yours. When I used to support you, you liked my secondhand clothes, secondhand shoes. I didn't expect you'd be okay with a secondhand wife too."
Chad's face cracked. He raised his hand to slap me but I blocked it.
He sneered, "Doesn't matter, I've already won. You're divorced from Patricia. Whatever share of her assets you wanted, forget it."
"By the way, Nolan, you probably don't know this," Chad said. "Back when I used to serve you tea and coffee, I was secretly putting small doses of poison in it. How do you think your kidneys failed?"
My mind buzzed loudly. I remembered the excruciating stomach pain day and night after I fell ill.
In an instant, fury exploded inside me. I stood up and slapped Chad hard across the face.
But Patricia rushed over. She shouted, "Nolan, how dare you hit someone?" She kicked me hard in the chest.
I was caught off guard, groaned and fell to the floor.
Patricia's bodyguards rushed over and stomped on me, pinning me down so I couldn't get up. She refused to let me go. She yanked my hair and snarled, "Apologize to Chad."
I clenched my teeth and said nothing.
Patricia said coldly, "Teach him a lesson."
The bodyguards picked me up and shoved me hard, slamming me into the corner wall.
I struggled to get up, but Chad kicked the back of my knee viciously. I lost my balance and stumbled to my knees, sharp pain shooting through them.
The surrounding businessmen all turned a blind eye. Some even looked eager to join in and take a swing at me.
At that moment, the VIP lounge doors burst open. The server exclaimed in an excited and fawning voice, "Miss Alley, you've arrived!"
Tears nearly welled up in my eyes. My wife had arrived.
