I couldn't help but look up at the people laughing and chatting inside the private room.
Under the dim, seductive lighting, Prudence and Jackson were drinking from a shared glass, lips pressed together.
Jackson pretended to stumble into Prudence's arms, his face flushing red as the others egged them on.
One of her friends teased with a laugh.
"Prudence, you really know how to play the game."
"You got your hands on a gorgeous guy like Solomon without spending a dime, and he's been devoted to you for years."
"But aren't you worried he'll find out and lose it on you?"
Prudence lifted Jackson's hand to her lips and kissed it lightly, then laughed as if it were nothing.
"You know how much Solomon's penalty for breach of contract is?"
"Eight hundred million."
"Without me, he'd never pay that off in his lifetime."
"So no matter what happens, he has no choice but to stay right by my side like a good boy."
She leaned back, smugly sharing her secrets for "keeping a husband in line" with everyone around her.
How she'd bankrupted my family's company, then swooped in like a hero to win my heart.
How she'd used a box of fever medicine to destroy my reputation and career, leaving me no choice but to stay trapped beside her.
As she spoke, her face glowed with pride.
She had no idea that outside the door, tears were streaming down my face.
I remembered when I first met Prudence. I was at the lowest point of my life.
My family's company had gone bankrupt. My father had killed himself out of despair.
My mother, who'd never weathered a single storm, had a heart attack and ended up in the hospital.
To make money, I threw myself into any work I could get—acting jobs, anything.
But I was tangled up in lawsuits back then. Every actor and director who'd once been friendly with me suddenly wanted nothing to do with me.
Only Prudence stepped forward to help.
That day was bright and sunny. She crouched down in front of me and smiled.
"Solomon, I've seen your work."
"You're pure, beautiful—nothing like all those people chasing fame and fortune."
"Give me a chance. Let me do something for you."
Before I could even react, she was already taking action.
She paid off every debt my family owed in one sweep.
She found the best specialists to treat my mother.
Designer jewelry, a mansion, diamond rings—Prudence gave them without hesitation.
When she found out I loved animals, she threw money around like it was nothing.
Right in the heart of Crown City, where land cost a fortune, she built me a sprawling estate that covered several acres.
Everyone said I was lucky to have found a golden goose like Prudence.
She single-handedly lifted me from a nobody to an A-list star.
Back then, I was young and naive.
I didn't understand how quickly things could change, or how cruel people could be.
I fell for her warmth and generosity.
Then came our wedding day, and Prudence said to me:
"Solomon, I've been burned before. The thing I hate most in this world is a gold-digger."
"I want our relationship to be free of any ulterior motives."
For that reason, she'd prepared a special divorce agreement.
The terms were crystal clear.
Prudence would only take a salary of one dollar per year.
If we divorced, the only asset I could claim was that single dollar.
To put her mind at ease, to prove my feelings were real—
I signed my name on that agreement without a second thought.
But after we married, I discovered the truth.
Prudence's scheming ran far deeper than I'd realized.
Every investment she'd made in my family had been structured as a loan.
Every single cent had to be repaid—with interest.
All that jewelry? Registered under Old Mrs. Gillian Delgado's name.
