Every word she said was being heard by the livestream audience.
When Beth saw that I wasn't reacting at all, she sidled closer to provoke me.
"Jill, why do you look so unhappy? Is it because you mind how close Lewis and I are?"
"Don't worry. We grew up together. If I'd wanted him, do you think you'd have ever had a chance to marry him?"
Lewis glared at me when I didn't respond to Beth.
"Jill, you've been giving attitude ever since you got here. Beth is a guest. What's with the tantrum?"
"If you're going to keep acting like this, get out. You're not welcome in my home."
I let out a cold laugh.
"A kept man thinks he can bark at me? I bought this house. If anyone's leaving, it's you."
Lewis went silent.
Seeing him put in his place, Beth jumped to his defense.
"Jill, how can you talk to him like that? You're husband and wife—your house is his house too!"
"He's a grown man. Where does that leave his dignity when you say things like that?"
Dignity?
Back when I was blinded by love, I would have died to marry Lewis.
But the gap between the Fox family and the Whitney family was significant.
Many people whispered behind his back that Lewis was a kept man, a live-in son-in-law to the Foxes.
To protect his pride, I walked on eggshells around him, terrified that my generosity would make him feel like I was giving him charity.
And what did my self-sacrifice get me? He used my money to keep a mistress, and his whole family played me for a fool.
Lewis patted Beth's shoulder.
"Stop arguing. What do you want to eat? I'll cook for you."
Lewis never set foot in the kitchen at home.
But watching how naturally he moved, it was clear he'd cooked for Beth countless times before.
He knew her preferences and dietary restrictions by heart.
Beth slowly leaned toward me.
"Jill, sure, you have money, but your parents gave you all of it. It's not like you earned it yourself. Aren't you just living off your family too? What right do you have to talk about Lewis like that?"
"His family may not be wealthy, but he became CEO of Stellar Tech on his own. He even arranged jobs for so many of his relatives. What right does a parasite like you have to criticize the pillar of the Whitney family?"
Stellar Tech?
That was the company I'd given Lewis a few years ago.
I'd been wondering why Stellar Tech hadn't shown any progress over the years.
Now it was clear—Lewis had turned the company into a retirement home for his family.
I immediately had my assistant look into it.
What I found was staggering.
For the past few years, Stellar Tech had been nothing but an empty shell.
From management to security, every position was filled with people Lewis had brought in through the back door. The employees spent their days eating and drinking at the office, doing no actual work.
Embezzlement. Misappropriation of funds.
Lewis had dug himself another grave.
He had no idea what was happening. He set down a plate of Beth's favorite dishes in front of her.
Then Beth dropped a bombshell.
"Lewis, I'm scared of the dark. Will you sleep with me tonight?"
"Are you insane? What are you saying?"
The plate slipped from Lewis's hands and shattered on the floor.
"Get out of here right now!"
