Chapter 3 · The Wife Who Stopped Playing Nice

At seven o'clock, the beachfront restaurant was buzzing.

The sea breeze was cool, and the long table was loaded with lobsters, king crabs, and bottles of pricey champagne.

Alex sat at the head of the table, with Sophie on his right, dressed in a backless gown and looking flawless.

I was stuck at the very end of the table in my plain T-shirt, sandwiched between two fresh-faced interns.

"Alright, everyone, glasses up." Alex rose to his feet, face glowing with excitement. "To our company smashing records again this quarter. And to Ms. White, huge thanks for landing that six-million deal. This one's for you, Sophie."

"To Sophie," echoed around the table.

Everyone got to their feet, the sound of glasses clinking filling the air. And not a single person spared me a glance.

I quietly cut into my steak, feeling like I didn't belong there at all.

Sophie took a sip of champagne, her cheeks turning pink as she shot Alex that coy, delicate look. "Mr. Carter, with all this spending on the team-building trip, won't Olivia be worried about the expenses?"

Alex waved his hand, his voice booming. "Company money is company money. I'm the CEO, so I call the shots. She just needs to stick to groceries and bills at home. She wouldn't understand this kind of stuff anyway."

Laughter broke out all around.

"Yeah, Olivia's always so frugal. She won't even treat herself to a Starbucks coffee," someone snickered.

"Of course, Mr. Carter's the one bringing in the real money," another person chimed in.

I listened to all their mocking, totally unbothered. I waved over a waiter.

"Bring me a bottle of Romanée-Conti, and charge it to," I paused, shooting a look at Alex across the room. "The gentleman in the white suit."

The waiter blinked in surprise, but my cool attitude convinced him, so he went ahead.

It didn't take long before the wine arrived.

I poured myself a glass, drinking alone, completely unfazed by the crowd around me.

Alex was definitely tipsy, totally ignoring me. He was busy holding Sophie's hand, reading her palm like some fortune teller.

"Mr. Carter, what do you think of my career after you checked my palm?" Sophie cooed.

"Amazing. Absolutely amazing. This is the lifeline of our company from now on," Alex replied.

I watched them, my eyes icy and indifferent.

Lifeline? It would break soon.

After a few rounds of drinks, Alex pulled out his black card with a flourish and handed it to the waiter. "Check, please."

That move was pure swagger, making all the girls nearby go starry-eyed.

But three minutes later, the waiter came back, looking a little awkward.

"Sir, I'm sorry, but your card was declined," the waiter said, looking a bit awkward.

Alex's smile froze. "Impossible. This is a black card. There's no limit."

"I'm afraid it's been frozen. Would you like to try another card?" the waiter suggested.

Alex frowned and pulled out a gold card. "Here, try this one."

After another two minutes, the waiter returned.

"Sir, this card shows insufficient funds," the waiter said.

The alcohol haze cleared instantly for Alex.

He frantically searched his pockets, pulling out every card he had. "This one. This one has to work."

The waiter went through each card, finally shaking his head in defeat. "Sir, none of your credit or debit cards are working. They're all either frozen or flagged."

The restaurant, which had been buzzing with noise, suddenly went dead silent.

Dozens of eyes turned to stare at Alex.

Sophie's look of admiration froze, and she whispered, "Mr. Carter, maybe the bank's just doing maintenance?"

Sweat started to bead on Alex's forehead.

This meal cost about thirty thousand dollars. If he couldn't pay, he would lose face big time.

He whipped his head around, his eyes locking onto me from across the table. "Olivia."

He stormed over, his voice tight with barely contained anger. "Did you mess with my authorized cards? All these are under your name. Did you freeze them?"

I deliberately swirled the red wine in my glass, then looked up at him. "Alex, did you forget? These cards belong to me, always have. Why would I need your approval to freeze my own accounts?"

Chapter 3

At seven o'clock, the beachfront restaurant was buzzing.

The sea breeze was cool, and the long table was loaded with lobsters, king crabs, and bottles of pricey champagne.

Alex sat at the head of the table, with Sophie on his right, dressed in a backless gown and looking flawless.

I was stuck at the very end of the table in my plain T-shirt, sandwiched between two fresh-faced interns.

"To Sophie," echoed around the table.

Everyone got to their feet, the sound of glasses clinking filling the air. And not a single person spared me a glance.

I quietly cut into my steak, feeling like I didn't belong there at all.

Laughter broke out all around.

"Yeah, Olivia's always so frugal. She won't even treat herself to a Starbucks coffee," someone snickered.

"Of course, Mr. Carter's the one bringing in the real money," another person chimed in.

I listened to all their mocking, totally unbothered. I waved over a waiter.

"Bring me a bottle of Romanée-Conti, and charge it to," I paused, shooting a look at Alex across the room. "The gentleman in the white suit."

The waiter blinked in surprise, but my cool attitude convinced him, so he went ahead.

It didn't take long before the wine arrived.

I poured myself a glass, drinking alone, completely unfazed by the crowd around me.

Alex was definitely tipsy, totally ignoring me. He was busy holding Sophie's hand, reading her palm like some fortune teller.

"Mr. Carter, what do you think of my career after you checked my palm?" Sophie cooed.

"Amazing. Absolutely amazing. This is the lifeline of our company from now on," Alex replied.

I watched them, my eyes icy and indifferent.

Lifeline? It would break soon.

After a few rounds of drinks, Alex pulled out his black card with a flourish and handed it to the waiter. "Check, please."

That move was pure swagger, making all the girls nearby go starry-eyed.

But three minutes later, the waiter came back, looking a little awkward.

"Sir, I'm sorry, but your card was declined," the waiter said, looking a bit awkward.

Alex's smile froze. "Impossible. This is a black card. There's no limit."

"I'm afraid it's been frozen. Would you like to try another card?" the waiter suggested.

Alex frowned and pulled out a gold card. "Here, try this one."

After another two minutes, the waiter returned.

"Sir, this card shows insufficient funds," the waiter said.

The alcohol haze cleared instantly for Alex.

He frantically searched his pockets, pulling out every card he had. "This one. This one has to work."

The waiter went through each card, finally shaking his head in defeat. "Sir, none of your credit or debit cards are working. They're all either frozen or flagged."

The restaurant, which had been buzzing with noise, suddenly went dead silent.

Dozens of eyes turned to stare at Alex.

Sophie's look of admiration froze, and she whispered, "Mr. Carter, maybe the bank's just doing maintenance?"

Sweat started to bead on Alex's forehead.

This meal cost about thirty thousand dollars. If he couldn't pay, he would lose face big time.

He whipped his head around, his eyes locking onto me from across the table. "Olivia."

He stormed over, his voice tight with barely contained anger. "Did you mess with my authorized cards? All these are under your name. Did you freeze them?"

I deliberately swirled the red wine in my glass, then looked up at him. "Alex, did you forget? These cards belong to me, always have. Why would I need your approval to freeze my own accounts?"