Chapter 1

Everyone in our social circle envied me for marrying Hudson Rivers.

He was the only son of the Rivers family, cool, distinguished, and never caught up in any drama.

I used to think I had great taste.

But at our wedding, Hudson brushed right past me, stepped in front of his first crush, Naomi Carter, and took her glass without a second thought.

His face cold as ice, he stood firmly up for her. "Naomi can't handle alcohol. I'll take this for her."

I kept my smile right and went through the motions with him.

That night, after the wedding, I had three cases of Whisky delivered to our bridal suite.

I turned to Hudson, "Go on, drink up. You seemed pretty good at holding your liquor when you were drinking for Naomi earlier.

"Since we're married, let me get a taste of just how good you really are."

*****

"Naomi, Hudson's getting married today. Do you really think that outfit is appropriate?" someone called out.

On the wedding day, I wore a ceremonial dress worth ten million dollars, linking arms with Hudson as we made our rounds, toasting friends and family at each table.

Everything was going smoothly at first.

But everything changed when we reached the table of Hudson's longtime friends.

The vibe was off.

All eyes were on the petite girl sitting in the middle.

It was odd. She wasn't the bride, but she showed up in a white cocktail dress.

When I walked over, the others at the table pushed a few drinks in front of her.

Everyone started teasing her, urging her to raise a glass to Hudson and me.

But as everyone egged her on, her eyes grew misty and she nervously bit her lip. "Hudson, I wish you happiness."

I kept my cool and responded to everyone else's well-wishes.

At the same time, I could feel Hudson tense up beside me.

After Naomi finished speaking, she almost seemed touched by her own words. "Ms. Jordan, I wish you both..."

She got choked up, and it took her nearly a minute to finish the sentence.

By now, a lot of people were watching us.

But in the end, she never actually said any of the usual wedding blessings.

Naomi's eyes were misty as she looked me up and down. "Ms. Jordan, Hudson has a sensitive stomach. Now that you're his wife, you'll have to keep an eye on his diet from now on.

"And he doesn't sleep well either. You should make sure to..."

Her lips parted and closed as she went on, carefully and thoughtfully giving me tips on how to look after my newlywed husband.

I couldn't help but laugh to myself.

The people nearby were looking at Naomi like she was an idiot, and started edging away from her.

"Naomi, Hudson's wife is the new head of Jordan Enterprises. She's young, but in less than two years, she's multiplied the company's worth several times over."

"The Jordan and Rivers families are a powerhouse alliance. Ms. Jordan makes a few million dollars a minute. She's running a company. I don't think she has time to fuss over things like that."

"Yeah, Victoria isn't some housewife."

"She didn't marry beneath her station, you know. Hudson's a man. Shouldn't he be the one taking care of his wife?"

"If his stomach's bad, he can go see a doctor. If he can't sleep, there are always sleeping pills. Hudson's a grown man. He's not some helpless kid."

I gave Hudson a long, meaningful look.

He caught my eye, smirked like it was nothing, and cut Naomi off, "Naomi, I get that you care, but Vicky and I are married now."

"We'll look out for each other. Next time, maybe save those comments for a more private moment."

Naomi bit her lip, looking at me like she'd been wronged." "Ms. Jordan, I'm sorry. Hudson is a very good friend of mine, and I guess my concern got the better of me."

I could see the resentment in her expression.

She practically emphasized that they were very good friends.

I didn't say a word. I lifted my glass to the crowd, inviting everyone to join in. "Thank you for all your blessings. Hudson's friends are my friends too. Let's drink."

The mood eased up a bit, and everyone joined in, raising their glasses.

But Naomi kept her head down.

I arched a brow. "Ms. Carter, what's this? Not feeling very sincere, are you?"

"No, I..." Naomi looked like a startled fawn, her eyes wide and her hands fluttering nervously.

She shot Hudson a look.

Then, like she was marching to her execution, she raised her glass.

But as she was about to take a sip, Hudson pulled his hand away from mine.

He snatched the glass from Naomi.

He kept his distance, but stepped in at exactly the right moment.

He looked completely unfazed, though his face was icy. "Naomi can't handle alcohol. I'll take this for her."

He downed the drink in one gulp, then polished off his own glass right after.

I kept my smile perfectly composed.

But the guests were clearly unsettled.

They started giving Naomi a hard time.

"If you can't drink, why are you here?"

"Ms. Jordan and Hudson are getting married, and you're over here putting on a show."

The crowd's murmurs and whispers washed over me.

Hudson set his glass down, didn't glance at Naomi, and reached for my hand. "She's my friend. If something happened to her, it'd turn into a mess."

I couldn't argue with that.

I gave him an understanding smile.

I slipped my arm through his and continued with the formalities.

But after the toasts, I had my assistant bring three cases of Whisky to our bridal suite.

By the time the wedding party was over, my cheeks were tinged with a drunken blush.

Once we got in the car, Hudson thoughtfully massaged my temples.

The mood between us was surprisingly peaceful.

But when we got home, Hudson stopped in his tracks, stunned by the row of premium Whisky bottles lined up across the living room.

My assistant had bought cases, each packed with six bottles.

Hudson looked at me, a bit taken aback. "Vicky, what's all this?"

I brushed my hand across Hudson's cheek, grinning as I did. "Go on, drink up. Aren't you the one who loves his booze? You looked pretty impressive earlier, knocking back drinks for Naomi.

"Well, we're married now. Let's see if you can show me what you've got."

With that, I turned and headed upstairs.

But after a couple of steps, I doubled back and reminded him, "I remember everything Ms. Carter said, you know.

"I've never had to take care of anyone before. You're the first. Drink it all, honey, or else our families' deal can't go through."

My wedding gift included thirty million dollars and company shares. I had never entered this marriage beneath him.