The Incompetent Husband's Hidden Empire

“I’ll sign.”

The words left Ethan Ashford’s lips like a death sentence.

For the first time that evening, Vanessa Laurent smiled.

Not the warm smile that had once made him believe she would spend the rest of her life with him.

This one was cold and victorious.

She slid the agreement across the table and uncapped a fountain pen.

“I knew you’d make the right decision.”

Ethan lowered his eyes to the document.

Sixty percent of NovaRise Technologies.

The shares he had paid for by selling his late father’s house.

The shares that had grown from a one-million-dollar investment into a fortune worth twenty million.

Now he was about to give them away.

Not because he wanted to.

Because his mother was dying.

His fingers tightened around the pen.

Images flashed through his mind.

His father smiled as he handed him the keys to their old family home.

His mother quietly sold the last of her jewelry so Vanessa’s company wouldn’t collapse.

The endless nights working delivery jobs.

Every sacrifice.

Every dream.

Everything was ending with a single signature.

A drop of ink touched the paper.

Then another.

Slowly,he signed his name.

Vanessa picked up the agreement almost immediately, as if afraid he would change his mind.

She glanced over the signature before handing the documents to her lawyer.

“Begin the transfer immediately.”

“Yes, Ms. Laurent.”

The lawyer nodded respectfully before leaving the room.

Vanessa closed her suitcase.

“I’ll also have Obsidian Capital Holdings transferred to your name today.”

Ethan gave a bitter laugh.

A company drowning in debt.

That was her compensation.

He no longer cared.

There was only one thing left.

“My mother’s surgery.”

Vanessa paused at the bedroom door.

Without turning around, she asked, “What about it?”

“You promised.”

“I signed.”

“I gave up everything.”

“When will the hospital receive the money?”

Vanessa slowly looked back at him.

Her expression remained perfectly calm.

“I never promised to pay.”

Ethan froze.

“You said you’d consider it.”

A faint smile curved her lips.

“I’ve considered it. My answer is no.”

The room fell silent.

For several seconds, Ethan simply stared at her, unable to process what he had heard.

“You tricked me.”

“So what if I did?” Vanessa replied.

Vanessa adjusted the sleeve of her designer jacket.

“You’ve already signed the agreement.”

“The shares are no longer yours.”

“There is nothing you can do about it.”

Rage surged through Ethan.

“You used my mother’s life to force me into signing!”

“And?” Vanessa snapped.

Vanessa’s voice remained emotionless.

“You’re a live-in husband.”

“You can’t even come up with ten thousand dollars.”

“So where exactly were you planning to find one million for the surgery?”

She looked him up and down with open contempt.

“If I were you…”

“I’d stop wasting my time.”

“Take your dying mother home.”

The words struck Ethan harder than a slap.

His breathing became ragged.

For a moment, he wanted to ask her why.

Why had she become this person?

Where had the woman he loved disappeared to?

But when he looked into her eyes…

He found nothing.

No guilt.

No sympathy.

No love.

Only indifference.

Vanessa picked up her handbag.

“Oh, one more thing.”

“I’m attending the Starlight Charity Gala tonight.”

“The final auction item is rumored to be a mysterious ring connected to an enormous secret.”

“It seems the chairman of Zenith Innovations will also be there.”

She smiled faintly.

“I can’t afford to miss an opportunity like that.”

Then she walked past Ethan without another glance.

A moment later.

The front door closed.

Ethan remained standing alone in the silent house.

Everything he had once called home had disappeared.

Then his phone rang.

The hospital.

His heart skipped a beat.

He answered immediately.

“Mr. Ashford,” the doctor said urgently. “Your mother’s condition has worsened. You need to come to the hospital right away.”

Ethan grabbed his jacket and rushed out the door, praying he wasn’t already too late.

Ethan raced out of the villa without looking back.

The cool night air slapped against his face as he hailed the first taxi he saw.

“St. Mary’s Hospital,” he said hoarsely. “Please, as fast as you can.”

The driver glanced at him through the rearview mirror. Seeing the panic on Ethan’s face, he stepped on the accelerator without another question.

The journey felt endless.

Every passing traffic light seemed determined to steal another precious second from his mother’s life.

The moment the taxi stopped outside the hospital, Ethan threw several bills onto the dashboard and rushed toward the entrance.

He needed one million dollars.

Somehow.

Standing outside the emergency building, he took a shaky breath before scrolling through his contacts.

There was only one thing left to do.

And that’s to beg.

He pressed the first number.

The phone rang three times before someone answered.

A mocking laugh came from the other end.

“Well, well… if it isn’t the famous live-in son-in-law of the Laurent family.”

It was his uncle, Victor Hayes.

Ethan swallowed his pride.

“Uncle… I need your help.”

“Oh?” Victor sneered. “What happened this time?”

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

There was silence.

For a brief moment, Ethan thought his uncle might actually agree.

Instead, laughter erupted through the speaker.

“You called me to borrow money?”

“Please.”

Ethan’s voice cracked.

“Mom is your younger sister.”

Victor’s tone instantly turned cold.

“My sister?”

“The woman who disgraced the Hayes family?”

“She refused the marriage our father arranged and ran away with that useless poor man.”

“Do you know how much ridicule our family suffered because of her?”

“As far as I’m concerned, she stopped being my sister years ago.”

His heart sank.

“Uncle…”

“I won’t give either of you a single cent.”

Click.

The call ended.

Ethan stared blankly at the dark screen.

His trembling fingers immediately dialed another number.

His eldest aunt.

But he got rejected.

His cousin.

Rejected.

His mother’s childhood friend.

Rejected.

Each call crushed the little hope he had left.

Some pretended they were busy.

Some claimed they had no money.

Others simply hung up after hearing the word “loan.”

Within minutes, every contact in his phone had become another closed door.

His breathing grew heavier.

There was still one person left.

His delivery station manager.

Ethan dialed the number.

“Manager Lewis.”

Before Ethan could finish speaking, the man interrupted.

“I heard you wanted to borrow fifty thousand dollars.”

“Yes.”

“I don’t have that kind of money.”

“Manager, even ten thousand would help.”

The man laughed.

“You earn nearly ten thousand dollars a month delivering food.”

“My yearly salary isn’t even a hundred thousand.”

“And you think I can casually lend you fifty thousand?”

“Ethan, if I started handing out money every time an employee asked, I’d be bankrupt.”

“I’m sorry.”

The line went dead.

Ethan slowly lowered the phone.

For the first time in years.

He truly understood what it meant to be completely alone.

He walked into the hospital like a man who had lost his soul.

The familiar smell of disinfectant filled the corridor.

When he entered Room 607, his footsteps came to a halt.

His mother lay quietly on the hospital bed.

Her face was pale.

Her breathing was weak.

The oxygen machine beeped steadily beside her.

She looked so fragile that Ethan was afraid even speaking too loudly might wake her.

His vision blurred.

Memories flooded his mind.

His mother scrubbed floors until her hands bled.

His mother worked as a housekeeper for wealthy families after his father’s death.

His mother pretended she had already eaten so he could have the last bowl of rice.

She had sacrificed everything to raise him.

Yet now.

He couldn’t even afford to save her life.

“Ethan.”

The attending physician stepped quietly into the room.

Dr. Harrison looked at him with sympathy.

“I’m sorry, but the payment deadline is approaching.”

“If the hospital doesn’t receive the funds within the next hour…”

“We’ll have no choice but to suspend the surgery.”

Ethan grabbed the doctor’s sleeve.

“Doctor…”

“Please perform the operation first.”

“I swear I’ll find the money.”

“I’ll work for the rest of my life if I have to.”

Dr. Harrison sighed.

“I wish I could help.”

“But hospital policy requires payment before surgery.”

“My hands are tied.”

He hesitated before adding softly,

“You can try speaking with the billing office.”

“Perhaps they’ll help you arrange a medical loan.”

After the doctor left, Ethan leaned heavily against the cold wall.

His entire body felt numb.

Vanessa had taken away shares worth twenty million dollars.

His family had abandoned him.

His relatives had rejected him.

Even his last hope had vanished.

He slowly slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor.

Across the waiting room, the television suddenly switched to a breaking business report.

“Zenith Innovations has officially become the nation’s most valuable technology company after reporting a three-thousand-percent increase in annual profits.”

“The company, once considered a failing investment, has shocked the financial world through its semiconductor division.”

“The market expects another record-breaking dividend this year.”

Ethan watched the report silently.

A bitter smile crossed his face.

“If only I owned shares in a company like that…”

“My mother would already be in surgery.”

He closed his eyes.

He had reached the end of the road.

Just then.

His phone vibrated.

An unfamiliar number appeared on the screen.

Normally, he would have ignored it.

But with nothing left to lose…

He answered.

“Hello?”

A respectful voice came through the speaker.

“Good evening, Mr. Ethan Ashford.”

“My name is Adrian Cole, president of Obsidian Capital Holdings.”

“Congratulations.”

“You have officially become the sole owner of Obsidian Capital Holdings.”

Ethan frowned.

“What?”

“I’m afraid you have the wrong number.”

A soft chuckle came from the other end.

“No, sir.”

“We’ve been waiting for your call.”

“Your ownership transfer was completed just moments ago.”

“Last year’s dividend from Zenith Innovations alone totaled one point five billion dollars.”

“The funds have already been deposited into your bank account.”

“This is only the first payment.”

“The remaining dividends from your other subsidiaries will arrive shortly.”

Ethan’s heartbeat thundered in his ears.

“Is this some kind of scam?”

“Of course not, sir.”

“Your current net worth exceeds ten billion dollars.”

“And your total assets are valued at well over one hundred billion.”

“If you have a moment, please check your bank balance.”

“I’ll personally come to pick you up tomorrow.”

“The Starlight Charity Gala requires your attendance.”

For a long moment…

Ethan couldn’t breathe.

His fingers shook as he opened his banking app.

The screen refreshed.

His eyes widened.

Available Balance: $1,500,000,149.00

He stared at the number.

Again.

And again.

Then, for the first time that night…

Ethan laughed.

From this moment onward.

He was no longer the abandoned live-in husband everyone looked down upon.