Chapter 2

What does it really mean for your whole world to turn upside down overnight?

I always thought people were just being dramatic when they said that.

That was until the next morning, when I checked my phone and saw the top three trending topics:

[Visionary Holdings stock crashes]

[Nicole's multi-billion-dollar empire evaporates overnight]

[Visionary Holdings under investigation for financial fraud]

I kept scrolling, and the more I read, the more ridiculous it all seemed.

Financial fraud? Nicole was the most straight-laced person I knew. Even if someone tried to claim an extra three dollars, she'd make accounting redo the paperwork.

Someone was definitely pulling strings behind the scenes.

But now, it was too late to do anything about it.

As soon as the news broke, Visionary Holdings' stock crashed and trading was suspended. Suppliers cut ties overnight, and banks called in their loans immediately.

Overnight, Nicole went from being worth over three billion dollars to being over three hundred million dollars in debt.

Nicole didn't come home last night.

She stayed at the office all night.

And early that morning, someone started pounding on my door.

Bang!

I opened the door.

There stood my father-in-law, Richard Summers.

Richard was in his early sixties. He'd built his business from scratch and later handed it all over to Nicole. We barely ever talked, he never liked me, and honestly, I couldn't be bothered with him either.

But today was different.

He looked like he was about to explode, and his hotshot lawyer was right on his heels.

"Ryan!" he barked, jabbing a finger right at my face. "You know what's happened to Visionary Holdings, right?"

"Yeah, I know," I replied.

"Then why are you still standing here?" he snapped, shoving past me into the living room. "Sign the divorce papers! While there's still time to split the assets, take what's yours and get out!"

I was stunned for a second.

Wait, what the hell was this?

"Why should I sign the divorce papers?" I asked.

Richard's eyes went wide, staring at me like I was crazy. "Are you out of your mind? Nicole's over three hundred million dollars in debt! You're not running? You want to get stuck with her debts?"

"Oh," I said, leaning against the doorframe.

Just then, the lawyer behind him handed me a document. "Mr. Lucas, Ms. Summers asked us to prepare this for you, "

"Hold on," I cut him off. "Did Nicole send you guys?"

The lawyer hesitated, then shot a furtive glance at Richard.

That one glance was all I needed.

Richard was acting on his own.

"Mr. Richard." I kept my usual polite but distant tone. "You came all this way so early, have you had anything to eat? I made some breakfast, "

"Like I'd eat breakfast with you!" Richard snapped, his face flushing with anger. "Are you signing or not?"

"No," I replied.

Just one word, crisp and clear.

Richard's face shifted from rage to disbelief, then settled into scorn.

"Ryan, cut the act. Everyone knows your reputation in this circle. You only married Nicole for her money. Now that it's all gone, why are you still here? What are you after?" Richard said.

I paused, then answered seriously, "Mr. Richard, you're right. I did marry her for the money."

Richard was momentarily speechless.

"So," I continued, "that's exactly why I'm sticking around now."

"What do you mean?" Richard asked.

"It took me three years to make Nicole willing to spoil me," I said. "At first, she lectured me for using her card. Now she doesn't blink. How long would it take to find another partner that generous?"

Richard's mouth opened and closed, like a fish that had just been tossed onto dry land.

"You... you..." Richard sputtered, still reeling.

"Don't get so worked up," I said, guiding him to a chair. "Just sit for a bit, I'll grab you a bowl of bacon-and-egg grits. Freshly made this morning."

Richard swatted my hand away. "I'm not eating your grits! Listen up, my daughter's over three hundred million dollars in debt. If you stick around, you won't see a dime! You'd better, "

"Mr. Richard," I said.

My tone was no longer playful.

The joking was gone, I was dead serious now.

"Did you just say she's over three hundred million dollars in debt?" I asked.

"That's right!" Richard shot back.

"Man, she must be going through hell right now, huh?" I muttered, more to myself than to him.

Richard was stunned.

I stared at him. "Your daughter's at her lowest point, and instead of helping her, the first thing you do is show up here and push me to sign divorce papers?"

The living room went dead silent.

Richard looked like he wanted to say something, but just shut his mouth again.

I opened the front door. "I won't keep you for breakfast. If you want to help Nicole, then go do something to help her. If you can't, just don't make things worse for her."

"As for me?" I said, raising an eyebrow.

I just gave him a relaxed grin.

"I'm not going anywhere," I said.