Chapter 3: The Setup

The doorbell rang, and Ronald hastened to open the door with enthusiasm. It was as if he had been expecting guests.

An immaculately dressed man stepped in with two guards accompanying him. He wore an expensive Armani suit, and a gold Piaget watch jingled on his wrist.

"James?" Carol exclaimed, recognizing the stranger. "What are you doing here? You look… different."

The billionaire put on a charming smile. "Hi, Carol. I'm so glad you haven't forgotten me. I came to this locality to sign a three-million-dollar housing project and decided to visit you while I am here."

Ronald and Martha's eyes lit up. The billionaire talked about five million dollars so casually, which meant his net worth was several billion.

James was heir to the Colberts, the fifth most wealthy family in Springfield city. Recently, he was made CEO of the company and now exerted much influence. In fact, they had invited him to their house that day to meet Carol.

"You are always welcome here, Mr. Colbert," Martha and Ronald blurted cheerfully in unison.

"It's so nice of you to visit," Carol said. Her troubled expressions had vanished, replaced by a warm smile.

Ronald eyed Victor from the corner of his eyes. The man was apparently seeking clarification on the uninvited visitor's presence.

James completely ignored Victor's existence and took a seat opposite Carol. "I've brought a few gifts," he said, gesturing to his guard, who placed three attractively-packed objects on the living room table.

Martha rushed to open the gifts. "Oh, my God! Is that a platinum bracelet?" she exclaimed, holding up a jewelry item. "You are so generous, Mr. Colbert!"

"Yes, its price is $20,000," he said, pleased by the praise.

Ronald and Josh unpacked their gifts to find expensive Rolex watches, each with their respective names embossed on the bands. "Thank you, Mr. Colbert," Ronald said. "This is really special." Josh flashed a two-thumbs-up at the billionaire.

James nodded to them absent-mindedly and turned to Carol. He reached into his suit and retrieved a small-sized gift, handing it to her.

Carol opened the packet to find a diamond-studded ring. "It cost $50,000," he said with pride. "I had it specially ordered from London."

"Oh, James, you shouldn't have!" Carol exclaimed with an animated expression. She had never seen a larger diamond in her hands, which made her jubilant. Victor had brought her some cheap silver jewelry after their wedding and never bothered to get her anything else. Then she paused to process the implication. "But why a ring….?" she asked curiously.

James put on a charming smile and said, "You turned down my offer of marriage four months back, remember? Now I have returned as CEO of Colbert Group. I own two mansions and have three expensive cars. All the luxuries that you have dreamt of will be yours. I can give you the life of a queen. What do you say to my offer of marriage now?"

The beauty blushed at first; then, her expression turned solemn. "I'm married, James…"

"I know," the billionaire said unabashedly. "But that's not an issue for me. You can always get a divorce." Roland, Martha, and Josh nodded their agreement as if it were natural for Carol to get a divorce from her husband and marry James.

Victor's eyes widened. Was that man trying to steal his wife right in front of him?

Things started making sense to him. His in-laws' must have planned to sabotage their marriage. It was well staged. First, they showed him in a poor light before his wife as a penniless and desperate man. Then, immediately they presented James, a wealthy and eligible bachelor. The expected result was that Carol would leave Victor and get hitched to the billionaire.

He flew off the handle. "Who the heck do you think you are?" he hollered at James Colbert. "Carol is married to me! How dare you barge into the house and talk to my wife with such liberty?"

The guards stepped forward towards Victor, but James stopped them with a gesture. "No need to bother with this peasant. Everybody knows here about his impotence. He can't even get his wife a proper house, car, or jewelry. Neither will he let her escape his prison. Such a pathetic man he is."

"Get out!" Victor barked, trembling with anger.

James got to his feet and buttoned his suit. "Carol, you deserve better," he urged while leaving. "You have my number. Call me if you change your mind."

James Colbert left with his guards. Martha and Ronald followed him to the porch, looking longingly at his Ferraris. James would be the perfect match for Carol. The gifts he had brought were worth almost $100,000! He had spent the amount as if it were spare change.

Not only would the billionaire keep Carol in luxury, but he had also promised to rescue the drowning Atelier company if they let Carol marry him. They held hands and daydreamed about him being their son-in-law.

Initially, they had planned to marry their daughter to James when he proposed to her three months back. However, Reginald Atelier disapproved of the match and chose Victor Damone instead.

Ronald and Martha considered him the worst mistake of Carol's life. Victor owned no land, had barely any savings, and struggled to purchase a decent house for his wife. Moreover, right now, he was losing his mind over a few hundred thousand dollars taken from his account.

Compared to James, he was practically a beggar.

Victor took a deep breath to calm himself down. He was already tensed about his grandfather's health. Now he had to deal with a conspiracy to steal his wife?

"Why are you still here?" Martha snapped at him, walking into the living room. "Aren't you a shameless man? I rue the day I married my daughter to you. Not only are you a low-earning peasant, but you are also petty about your money. Look at James Colbert. He is a real man who deserves a quality woman like Carol."