It was the World Consumer Rights Day summit and my wife insisted I accompany her. At the banquet, my wife arrived arm-in-arm with her assistant, dressed to impress. Meanwhile, she had me sit at a table with the cafeteria lady. Just as I was about to confront her, her assistant sneered at me in front of everyone. "Frederick Larkin, you're just a useless freeloader. What makes you think you deserve to sit next to Mrs. Baker?"
I gave him a slight smile and turned to look at Willa Baker, my wife. "So, you think I don't deserve to sit here either, right?"
——
At that moment, all eyes at the table were on me. Willa hadn't expected me to challenge her in public. Her expression darkened as she glared at me. "Frederick, what the hell are you doing now?" she snapped. "This is a business networking event! If you want to argue, get out and do it somewhere else. Don't embarrass me here!"
I chuckled and looked at her lazily. "Willa, you think sitting next to me is embarrassing, huh?"
The next second, she slammed the table and pointed at me, her voice filled with disgust. "That's right! I feel ashamed to be seen with you! So what? You're my husband in name only. There's no real affection between us. To the Bakers, you're nothing more than a pet we keep around!"
By the time she finished, she had completely lost her temper. She stood up, spitting her words so angrily that I could feel her saliva land on my face. I wiped my face with a napkin, still smiling. "Then I really don't get it. If you hate me so much, why insist on dragging me to this damn summit? Or was your whole plan just to humiliate me?"
I had been wondering about this all evening. Usually, Willa hated having me around and wouldn't even let me step foot in her company. Yet today, at such an important event, she made sure I came. Something was definitely off.
Before I could get an answer, Jacob Walker, her assistant who had taken my seat, stood up with a smug grin. "Fred, you're even dumber than I thought. Can't you figure out something this simple? Of course, it's because … "
Willa quickly cut him off. "Jacob, let's just eat. Why bother with him? Even if you told him, what would it change? He'd still be the same useless layabout, never admitting he's the problem. I should have never agreed to marry him. It's bad luck!"
Her words stunned me. Me, the actual behind-the-scenes boss of the company, useless? Did she expect me to sit in an office all day, sipping coffee like her?
Willa saw me staying silent and assumed she had hit a nerve. A victorious smirk spread across her face. "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue? You don't even have the guts to talk back, do you? Frederick, you better behave yourself, or I swear I'll fire you right now!"
I let out a cold laugh, my eyes locked on hers. "Willa, are you saying I'm redundant at the company?"
I'd hoped to avoid a scene at the annual industry event, especially since the Bakers had barely managed to get an invitation. However, this crazy woman was determined to pick a fight. I could tolerate her insults, but now she was threatening me with my job? That was the last straw. Did she have any idea who was responsible for the Bakers' current position?
