My Anniversary Gift Was His Mistress and the Sharks Waiting Below

The attached photo showed an eighty-year-old beggar.

His frail body, now beating with my brother’s heart, was tangled in tubes.

Tears spilled down my cheeks as my skull pounded like it was being split open by an axe.

Aron… how could you?!

Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to stand. Just then, my phone buzzed.

“Laura, I regret it. This time, I want both you and the child!”

The man’s voice on the other end was obsessive, yet laced with desperation.

I didn’t refuse. Wiping away my tears, I whispered, “I’ll be with you. But first, I need a favor…”

Three days slipped by quickly.

After boarding the Dawson Family’s luxury yacht with Aron, he couldn’t stop checking his phone.

Then it rang.

He frowned, irritation darkening his features.

“Laura, I need to take this call. Wait here for me.”

With that, he walked off, leaving me behind.

I stayed rooted to the spot and opened the group chat on my phone.

Inside the chat with Aron’s so-called brothers, the bets were heating up.

The heirs of Los Angeles’ elite—second and third generation rich kids, armed with their family fortunes—treated money and resources like pocket change.

The stakes kept climbing, with mansions and luxury cars tossed into the pile.

They were all betting that when Aron proposed to Melly, I would lose my mind and threaten suicide to keep him from leaving me.

Some even suggested they’d take me for themselves. Make me their mistress.

Silent and anonymous, I lurked in the chat. My only move was placing a one-million-dollars bet.

Today marked our third wedding anniversary.

The wager was about to be settled.

I exited the chat and opened Melly’s X. Her latest post was just three minutes old.

She had boarded a cruise ship and filmed a video in her cabin.

“Mr. Howard, who sponsored my studies abroad, proposed to me today! I’m so nervous—what should I do?”

“Well, of course you need to relax in a special way!”

The comments section was filled with crude questions, all begging to know what “position” she used to relieve stress—eager to see it themselves.

The post was already climbing the trending charts.

I smiled and added fuel to the fire.

[Are mistresses really this brazen nowadays?]

[Funny—my husband’s name is Aron Howard. Strange, I didn’t know he proposed today.]

The moment my comment appeared, her fans pounced like rabid dogs.

[Who the hell are you?!]

[Trying to scam our lovely Melly?!]

[Her boyfriend’s from the Howard Family—one of the wealthiest clans in Los Angeles! Your husband’s probably just some stinking delivery guy!]

[Exactly! This woman’s delusional. She saw Sister Melly with such a perfect man and got jealous. Pathetic!]

The insults poured in, piling up one after another.

I simply smiled and posted a photo of a luxury cruise ship in the comments.

[Do I even need delusions?]

After typing that, I switched off my phone.

Using Melly’s social media posts, I quickly traced her cabin.

Standing outside her door, I dialed Aron’s number.

The familiar ringtone echoed inside.

Seconds later, it stopped. Satisfied, I turned and walked away.

An hour later, Aron returned. Trailing behind him was Melly, her face flushed bright red.

“Sis-in-law, why’s there a woman following Aron?”

“Guess who she is to him?”

Several spoiled brats grinned at me with malicious glee.

I kept my expression unreadable as Aron stepped forward.

“Laura, this is Melly. She’s the student I sponsored to study abroad. She’s graduating this year, so I brought her along to broaden her horizons…”

Before Aron could finish, I rose to my feet with a smile.