The Billionaire Heir She Humiliated,His Real Wife Made Her Pay

On the night of our wedding, friends came over for the traditional party games.

The very first round called for the bride and groom to kiss for three minutes.

But my wife, Lauren Sanchez, grabbed her secretary by the collar and kissed him without a second's hesitation.

The two of them locked lips for a full three minutes. When they finally pulled apart, a thin string of saliva still connected their mouths.

The smiles around the room froze. Every pair of eyes shifted to me, stiff with secondhand embarrassment.

Lauren Sanchez wiped the moisture from the corner of Noel Cobb's mouth with her thumb, utterly unbothered.

"Noel's so shy. He'd never survive a situation like this on his own, so I figured I'd help him get some practice early."

She tossed a stack of cash onto the table in front of me. Twenty thousand dollars.

"That enough? Take the money and settle down. Don't act like you've been gravely wronged."

"It was just a game. I went through with the whole wedding for you. You should be grateful."

Noel blushed and wrapped his arm around her waist, gazing up at her with open adoration.

I nodded calmly, slipped off my wedding ring, and dropped it onto the pile of bills.

"Ms. Sanchez is joking, of course. I'm not upset at all."

"After all, I've been planning to find a new partner to file a marriage certificate with myself."

——

Silence. The kind where you could hear a pin drop.

Lauren smashed the ashtray beside her against the table. Her expression darkened like a storm rolling in.

"Laurence Henson, it was just a game. Do you really have to be this petty about it?"

"Fine. Here's another ten thousand. Take back what you just said and stop ruining the mood for everyone."

She spoke as though scolding a child who didn't know any better.

Looking at that face, the one that once made my heart race, all I felt now was revulsion.

"I think I made myself perfectly clear. We never filed the paperwork anyway. We're done."

"Oh, and consider tonight's wedding my gift to you, Ms. Sanchez. A little practice run for the real thing. No need to thank me."

The temperature in the room plummeted.

Noel suddenly hooked his arm through mine, all smiles.

"Laurence, don't be mad. Lauren was just worried I wouldn't know what to do at my own wedding someday. She was giving me a head start, that's all."

"Tell you what, for the next game, I'll let you have the groom's spot."

I frowned. That word, let, cut deeper than any insult.

Before I could agree or refuse, Noel was already reaching into the game box. He pulled out a slip of paper and read it aloud.

"The groom must kneel before the bride and bark like a dog ten times to demonstrate his absolute loyalty to his wife."

The others exchanged uneasy glances and began whispering among themselves.

"Didn't we agree not to put anything degrading in there? Who wrote this?"

"Not me."

"Me neither."

Noel shot them a reproachful look.

"What are you all going on about? You think it's degrading, but maybe Laurence here would consider it a reward."

"After all, a kept man like him, a pretty face living off a woman's money, loves groveling to keep his meal ticket happy." He let out a theatrical sigh. "Me, I could never. Too much self-respect."

He turned to me, a taunting grin spreading across his face.

"Laurence, didn't you want to play games with Lauren?"

"Then go ahead and bark. Who knows, maybe she'll be so pleased she'll toss you another twenty grand. Opportunity of a lifetime."

Lauren heard every word. She didn't react.

My gaze drifted past her to the crimson wedding quilt beneath her, the one I'd chosen with such care. I hadn't even sat on it yet.

But their kiss had already creased and rumpled it.

Tradition held that the newlyweds should be the first to sit on the wedding quilt, a symbol of a happy marriage.

Just days ago, I'd been looking forward to this night. I'd imagined Lauren and me sitting on that quilt together, planning a future full of promise.

Now there was no need for any of that.

I shoved Noel's arm away, cold and unhurried, and let a mocking smile settle on my lips.

"Mr. Cobb, you're too modest. The way you were flapping that tongue of yours just now, you've got any dog beat when it comes to licking. Doesn't look like you need the practice at all."