My Wife Cheated 8 Times? Perfect. Her Empire Is MineChapter 2

As soon as he said that, his eyes welled up.

"My sister was wrong back then. Although she's paid the price, I still want to apologize to you on her behalf."

I looked at Serena, puzzled, but she just smiled and said, "It's fine, it's all in the past. You were just a kid ten years ago."

A terrifying suspicion formed in my mind. Before I could ask, Serena pushed me into the examination room.

As soon as I pulled my pants back on, I heard Caleb speaking with a troubled tone to Serena.

"Your husband... he has STDs, including genital warts..."

Serena froze. "That's impossible. He's been faithful for ten years of our marriage, and I'm the only woman he's ever been with..."

"That's not necessarily true. Men have many ways to find mistresses. You don't have a tracking device on him, do you?"

I stared at him coldly, demanding his evidence, but he just looked at Serena, aggrieved.

"I'm a doctor. I have no conflict of interest with you. I'm just telling you his condition as it is. Why would I lie?"

I clearly saw the name on Caleb's ID badge pinned to his chest.

I suddenly remembered the group of people who had harmed me ten years ago. Their leader was named Mara Vance.

Ten years ago, her brother would have been just a teenager! So he escaped involvement.

But Serena had explicitly told me she'd sent all the culprits' families abroad to prevent me from remembering the past trauma. How could I be seeing Caleb at the hospital?

I looked at Serena in disbelief, asking for her explanation.

I wanted her to clarify Caleb's identity and also to know if she believed his nonsense.

But she merely smiled faintly and embraced me.

"Alright, alright. No matter what illness you have, you'll always be my husband."

Facing my shocked expression, Serena pulled me to leave.

"The young boy is inexperienced and probably misdiagnosed. No big deal, don't dwell on it."

From that moment on, my love for Serena abruptly cooled. Even my formerly strong possessiveness vanished.

"Fine."

Thereafter, Serena began taking Caleb to all sorts of events.

She even handed over all medical equipment deals to him.

Even when it resulted in losses of hundreds of millions, she would calmly say, "He's young and too naive. It's normal for him to mess up."

But I discovered that all that lost money had ended up in the account of Vance Industries, the group Caleb was affiliated with.

Caleb was not as naive as Serena claimed.

Originally, I had no intention of dealing with Caleb, but now he was impacting my interests.

In fact, he and I had the same goal.

So, I couldn't allow Caleb to stay.

That was the first time I willingly cleaned up Serena's mess, taking over the projects Caleb had botched and accepting responsibility.

Serena wasn't surprised; in fact, she seemed quite pleased.

"It seems I spoiled you too much before. You're much more agreeable now that you're obedient and sensible."

She leaned in and kissed the tip of my nose.

"I hope you'll always be this obedient. Although you were harmed ten years ago because of me, it was truly humiliating. Losing all your manly dignity... My willingness to let you marry into my family and endure for ten years has already been a privilege."

As if realizing her words were too harsh, she pulled out an aquamarine wristwatch.

"Take it. Caleb is too young for this old-fashioned color, but it suits your age perfectly, making you look more dignified and composed."

Having been in the business world for years, there was no way I couldn't hear Serena's subtle dig, implying I was too old and only fit for an 'old-man's watch.'

Yet, I accepted it with a smile. "Whatever makes you happy."

The old me would have tossed and turned for nights, anxious about whether I was truly getting old, because of Serena's words.

But now, all I cared about was whether this watch could be sold for ten million or twenty million.

Let Serena play. The happier she was, the more she'd forget. And the more she'd forget, the more I would take.

A wise man doesn't chase a straying wife. He secures her assets.

Serena was expendable.

Harding Industries was not.

After all, this was a company built on the blood and sweat of Miller Enterprises.

I took the ten-billion-dollar contract Mr. Harding had given me and knocked on his office door.

"Mr. Harding, since I married into the Harding family, I am a Harding. This contract is compensation for Miller Enterprises, and I don't need it."

His eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't expected me to refuse the contract outright.

"Your Miller family has been on the decline these past few years, with a market value of only a few billion last year. Are you sure you don't want this contract?"

Even though I had been married into Serena's family for so long, Mr. Harding had never truly regarded me as a Harding, always fearing I would betray the family's interests.

I looked at him sincerely.

"It would be a lie to say I'm not tempted. But as I just said, I married into Serena's family, so I am a Harding. How could I take Harding assets to benefit Miller Enterprises? I'm not like those confused fools.."

Mr. Harding's eyes flashed with approval.

"Alright, if that's your position, then you deserve a proper stake."

"A Harding should hold Harding stock. The board convenes at month's end. Be ready. You'll have my vote."