On National Day, I returned from work and noticed a banner fluttering in the wind, Serenia Residences were on sale. It was the best development in the city and since my parents refused to move away, I decided to buy the finest apartment there for their retirement.
I was just about to sign the contract when the door slammed open. Henry, my ex-wife’s younger brother, walked in with a smirk that froze my hand mid-signature.
“Wait.” He snatched the contract and the pen from my grasp, his voice dripping false warmth. “Let me sign the contract.”
Before I could react, he wrote his name across the page. Then, looking up, he said with a grin that made my stomach turn. “Since you’ve bought me the best apartment, I’ll tell my sister to remarry you when I get home.”
I stared at him. Was he insane? Did he really think I’d buy him an eleven-million-dollar apartment out of affection?
I didn’t bother to pay attention to my ex-brother-in-law and looked at the sales manager. I said, “Prepare another contract.”
But Henry leaned back, arrogance radiating from every word. “No need. I’ve already signed it. And don’t think I don’t know the law; the apartment’s mine now.”
The sales manager hesitated, then spoke softly. “Mr. Madron, Mr. Rowse has already signed the contract. The apartment legally belongs to him.”
For a second, I thought I’d misheard. “What the hell did you just say?”
——
The manager lowered his gaze, avoiding my stare. Something wasn’t right. “You know each other, don’t you?” I demanded.
He didn’t answer, but his silence said everything. How the hell did Henry even know I was here?
“I’m calling the police,” I said flatly.
Henry snorted. “Go ahead. You owe me this, anyway. When you were with my sister, she said you’d help me prepare a wedding gift. I’m getting married now, so this is it.”
I looked at him, disbelief curdling into fury. Some people had no shame. Then the sales manager, no, his accomplice, stepped in smoothly.
“I can prove it,” he said. “Mr. Madron voluntarily bought the house for Mr. Rowse. I don’t understand why you’re calling the police.”
My jaw clenched. “Eleven million dollars. What do you get out of this?”
The man smiled coldly, confidently. “Well, it’s my job to prepare a wedding house for my brother-in-law.”
He extended his hand, that smug look never leaving his face. “Allow me to reintroduce myself. I’m Roy, Henry’s current brother-in-law and Shannon’s current husband.”
For a moment, the world tilted. Shannon, my ex-wife. Roy’s hand hovered in the air, then dropped when I refused to shake it.
“There’s no surveillance here,” he continued smoothly. “I’m the only witness. So, on behalf of Henry, thank you for the wonderful wedding gift. How about we discuss this over a drink?”
He paused, eyes narrowing. “If you really want the prime apartment, Henry’s not fit to keep it anyway. You hurt Shannon deeply back then and your ‘compensation’ was pathetic. So here’s my offer: pay fourteen million dollars and we’ll transfer the property back to you. Secure location, notarized, your choice.”
He smiled faintly. “You’ve made your fortune, haven’t you? Consider it… an apology for the past.”
No wonder I divorced Shannon. Her family was a mirror of her, shameless, filthy to the core. How the hell did Roy end up as the sales manager and Shannon’s husband?
People like them were easy to read and easier to expose. I fixed them with a cold look, unlocked my phone and dialed the police right in front of their faces.
Henry’s smile froze. He leaned in, eyes hard as steel. “You really going to call them?” he scoffed. “Do that and you’ll be paying over a hundred million. Guess I’ll have to leave this to my sister.”
He shouted toward the door, voice dangerous, “Shannon!”
The door opened and a voice I knew too well slid into the room. Shannon stepped in, a hand curled around my phone. “Jerome,” she said, amusement curling at the edges of her words.
“So you’ve learned to call the police.” Her gaze cut to me, cold and precise. “Don’t forget, half your assets are mine. I hear you’re worth over a billion now. I won’t be greedy. Seven hundred million and I’ll sign whatever you want.”
