The Incompetent Husband's Hidden Empire

“You’re three seconds late.”

The young woman standing outside the apartment building glanced at the delivery timer on her phone before looking at the man in the blue delivery uniform. Her expression twisted with disgust.

“I… I’m sorry, ma’am,” Ethan Ashford said between ragged breaths. Sweat soaked through his uniform after riding across half the city in the scorching afternoon heat. “There was an accident at the intersection. I came as fast as I could.”

“Do you think I care?”

Without warning, she snatched the carton of milk from the delivery bag, twisted the cap open, and poured the entire contents over his head.

Cold milk ran down Ethan’s hair, soaked his face, and stained his already worn uniform. People passing by slowed their steps, some stopping to watch the humiliating scene unfold.

A few even took out their phones.

The customer threw the empty carton at his feet.

“These delivery dispatch riders always have an excuse. Three seconds late is still late.”

Ethan clenched his fists.

His nails dug into his palms until they hurt, but he forced himself to loosen them.

Anger wouldn’t pay his mother’s hospital bills.

He lowered his head.

“I’m sorry, ma’am. Please, could you still leave me a five-star review?”

The woman looked at him as if he were beneath contempt.

“After what happened, you still care about a review?”

Ethan swallowed the bitterness rising in his throat.

“A good review gives me a bonus.”

It wasn’t much.

Only a few cents.

But after hundreds of deliveries, those few cents added up. Every dollar brought him one step closer to paying for his mother’s treatment.

The woman scoffed.

“You really are pathetic.”

She turned around and slammed the apartment door in his face.

Ethan stood there silently for several seconds before bending down to pick up the empty carton.

He wiped the milk from his face with his sleeve, climbed back onto his electric bike, and rode toward his next delivery.

He couldn’t afford to stop working.

Not when every passing minute meant another medical bill waiting for him at the hospital.

By the time Ethan returned to the Sterling family villa that evening, darkness had already settled over the city.

He quietly removed his shoes and stepped inside.

The scent of expensive perfume instantly clashed with the smell of sweat clinging to his uniform.

Vanessa Laurent looked up from the living room.

The moment she saw him, she frowned.

“You’re filthy.”

Ethan lowered his eyes.

“I came straight home after work.”

Vanessa pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Go take a shower. The smell is unbearable.”

Before Ethan could answer, an elderly voice rang out from the dining room.

“Shower? Who said he could rest first?”

Margaret Laurent, Vanessa’s mother, walked over with a cold expression.

“The guests will be here soon. Go prepare dinner.”

Without waiting for a response, she shoved an apron into Ethan’s hands.

“And make something decent this time.”

Ethan quietly accepted the apron.

“Yes, Mother.”

He headed toward the kitchen.

An hour later, six dishes were neatly arranged on the dining table.

Margaret tasted one bite.

Her face darkened immediately.

“This is awful.”

She slammed her chopsticks onto the table.

“Can you do anything right?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?”

Margaret snorted.

“If apologies could solve everything, why would anyone need competence?”

She pointed toward the bathroom.

“I’m going to soak my feet. Go prepare the water.”

Ethan silently carried a bucket into the bathroom, carefully adjusting the temperature before placing it beside her chair.

Margaret dipped one foot into the water.

Her face twisted.

“It’s too hot!”

She kicked the bucket over.

Warm water splashed across the marble floor.

The bucket rolled across the room before coming to a stop against the wall.

Margaret stood up in disgust.

“Clean it.”

Without saying a word, Ethan grabbed a towel and knelt on the floor.

His soaked sleeves dragged across the cold tiles as he wiped away the water.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

“The guests are here,” Margaret said. “Go buy some fruit.”

Ethan stood.

“I… I don’t have any money with me.”

Margaret laughed mockingly.

“What kind of man doesn’t even have money to buy fruit?”

At that moment, the front door opened.

Vanessa walked inside after finishing a business call.

She happened to hear Ethan’s words.

“You don’t even have money for fruit?”

Her lips curled into a faint smile.

“That’s embarrassing.”

Ethan looked at her quietly.

After a long moment, he finally spoke.

“After we got married, I cooked meals for you every day because of your health issues.”

“I paid for the groceries.”

“I paid the household expenses.”

“I never asked you for a single cent.”

His voice remained calm, but there was unmistakable hurt in his eyes.

“So tell me, have you ever spent even one dollar on me?”

“In other families,” she said, folding her arms across her chest, “the husband is the one who works hard to support his wife. You should be grateful I don’t ask you for money every month. And yet you expect me to spend my money on you?”

Her words struck Ethan harder than any insult Margaret had thrown at him.

For a long moment, he simply stood there, unable to believe what he had just heard.

Not once in the five years of their marriage had he ever asked Vanessa to support him.

Every meal she ate had been prepared by his hands. Every grocery bill had come from the money he earned delivering food, unloading trucks, and taking whatever part-time work he could find. Even after exhausting shifts, he had rushed home to cook because Vanessa’s stomach had always been delicate.

Yet in her eyes, he had somehow become a burden.

Without waiting for his response, Vanessa picked up her handbag and walked upstairs.

Ethan remained rooted to the spot.

A bitter smile tugged at his lips.

Years ago, when Vanessa had dreamed of starting her own company, everyone laughed at her ambition. Banks had rejected her loan applications, and investors refused to take the risk.

He had been the only person who believed in her.

To raise one million dollars, he had sold the only house his late father had left him. He had borrowed money from relatives and friends until there was no one left to ask. Every cent he owned had gone into helping Vanessa build her future.

Today, that company generates tens of millions of dollars in annual revenue.

And the man who had made it possible was now mocked for not having enough money to buy fruit.

For the first time in years, Ethan wondered if every sacrifice he had made had been a mistake.

His phone suddenly rang.

The screen displayed the hospital’s number.

A chill crept down his spine.

“Ethan Ashford speaking.”

“Mr. Ashford,” the doctor said gravely. “Your mother’s condition has deteriorated. The medication is no longer working. She needs surgery as soon as possible.”

Ethan’s grip tightened around the phone.

“How much?”

“There is an additional one million dollars required before we can proceed.”

His face turned pale.

“ I’ll find a way.”

“You don’t have much time,” the doctor replied. “Please arrange the payment as soon as possible.”

The call ended.

Ethan stood frozen for several seconds before rushing upstairs.

The bedroom door was open.

Vanessa was packing several designer outfits into a large suitcase.

She didn’t even look up.

“What is it?”

Ethan took a deep breath.

“My mother’s condition has worsened. The hospital needs another million dollars for the surgery.”

Vanessa continued folding her clothes as though she hadn’t heard him.

After a moment, she said indifferently, “I’ve already paid enough toward your mother’s treatment.”

Ethan stared at her.

“I’m not asking for charity.”

She finally looked at him, her eyes filled with impatience.

“If you want medical expenses approved, talk to my assistant. My schedule is full, and I don’t have time for these trivial matters.”

His chest tightened.

“Trivial?”

His voice trembled.

“When your company was on the verge of bankruptcy, my mother sold every piece of jewelry she owned to help you. She treated you like her own daughter.”

He took another step forward.

“Is this really how you repay her?”

Vanessa’s face darkened.

“Your mother sold those things voluntarily.”

Her voice was cold and unwavering.

“I never forced her.”

Those few words shattered the last trace of hope Ethan still held.

He looked at the woman he had loved for years and suddenly felt as though he no longer recognized her.

Vanessa zipped up her suitcase.

“I’m moving out for a while.”

Ethan frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“Damien Cross just returned from overseas,” she replied casually. “I’m taking a few days off to show him around the city.”

Ethan’s jaw clenched.

Whenever he had asked Vanessa to take a walk with him or share a simple meal outside, she always claimed she was too busy.

Yet now she was willing to put aside company affairs to accompany another man.

Vanessa reached into a document folder and pulled out a contract.

She placed it on the table between them.

“There’s one more thing.”

Ethan lowered his eyes to the title printed across the top.

Share Transfer Agreement.

“You still own sixty percent of NovaRise Technologies,” Vanessa said calmly. “Transfer those shares to Damien.”

Ethan looked up in disbelief.

“What?”

“They’ll serve as an incentive for him to work harder.”

His expression hardened.

“On what grounds?”

Vanessa answered without hesitation.

“Damien saved my life.”

She met Ethan’s gaze as though the matter were obvious.

“And since we’re husband and wife, saving me is the same as saving you. Giving him those shares is only fair.”

A laugh escaped Ethan’s lips.

It wasn’t amusing.

It was the laugh of someone whose heart had been broken one time too many times.

“Those shares aren’t yours to give away.”

His voice was steady despite the pain in his eyes.

“I sold my father’s house to invest one million dollars in your company before we got married. I borrowed money from everyone I knew because you insisted you needed that investment.”

He looked directly at Vanessa.

“Today, those shares are worth twenty million dollars.”

“He saved you, not me.”

“My mother sacrificed everything for you, and you wouldn’t even help pay for her surgery.”

“So tell me…”

“Why should I give Damien a single cent?”

Vanessa’s patience finally snapped.

“If you won’t transfer the shares, I’ll compensate you another way.”

She slid another set of documents toward him.

“I’ll transfer Obsidian Capital Holdings to your name.”

Ethan frowned.

He knew the company well.

It had been losing money for years and was widely considered one of the worst investments under Vanessa’s control.

It was nothing more than a financial burden.

“I don’t want it,” he said firmly.

Vanessa’s eyes turned icy.

“Think carefully before refusing.”

She stepped closer, lowering her voice.

“Do you still want your mother’s surgery?”

Ethan’s heart skipped a beat.

“If you agree to my conditions, I’ll consider paying the medical expenses.”

She paused just long enough for hope to flicker across his face before extinguishing it.

“But if you refuse.”

“I’ll stop every payment related to your mother’s treatment.”

Her voice remained terrifyingly calm.

“I’ll have the hospital discharge her immediately.”

Ethan’s face looked pathetic.

“Vanessa…”

He took an involuntary step toward her.

“Please don’t do this.”

She didn’t respond.

Instead, she tapped the agreement with one perfectly manicured finger.

“Take the contract.”

“Read it.”

“And think very carefully about your answer.”