Saintess's Worthless Husband Turned Dragon Commander novel Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17 PART 1

Quinn sat rigid in her chair, her spine straight, her Saintess aura carefully dimmed to appear calm and in control. But beneath the polished surface, her mind raced with calculations and damage control.

The whispers had already started. She could hear them even through the ambient music and polite dinner conversation-speculation about her marriage, questions about the “arrangement” Tessa had screamed about, doubts about whether the perfect Saintess was as perfect as everyone believed.

Marcus returned to his seat beside her, his movements fluid and controlled. For a moment, their eyes

met across the small space between them.

“Thank you,” Quinn said quietly, the words almost physically painful to force out. “For… maintaining the agreement.”

“That’s what you hired me for, isn’t it?” Marcus replied coolly, his voice carrying no warmth whatsoever.” To play the good husband when it’s convenient for your career.”

The word hired stung more than Quinn expected. It reduced their entire relationship-past, present, and future-to a business transaction. A service rendered for compensation.

But she had no right to feel hurt. This arrangement had been her idea. Her terms. Her cold calculation that keeping Marcus as a contractual husband was better than the scandal of immediate divorce.

“Marcus, I-” she began, uncertain what she even wanted to say.

But he’d already turned away, engaging in polite conversation with Robert Chen about market trends and investment opportunities, as if nothing had happened. As if his wife sitting beside him was just another piece of furniture in the Imperial Hall.

Quinn sat there, surrounded by employees praising their “beautiful partnership” and “inspiring marriage,” and felt more alone than she had in years.

The shift was undeniable. Marcus Steel was no longer the man who could be humiliated and discarded. He was someone with resources, connections, and strength that Quinn was only beginning to

understand.

And she’d agreed to keep him as her “husband” for one year.

What will he become in that time?

The thought sent a chill down her spine that had nothing to do with the hall’s temperature.

The tension in the Imperial Hall spiked when Blair Ryan stood abruptly, her face pale with fear.

“I… I should go apologize,” Blair stammered, wringing her hands. “To Tessa. Before she calls someone. Before this gets worse.”

“Worse?” Quinn asked, though she knew exactly what Blair meant.

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“Oliver Hartford,” Blair said quietly. “He’s Tessa’s ally. If she complains to him about what happened, he could have me fired. I can’t… I can’t lose this job. My mother’s medical bills, my sister’s tuition-I need this position.”

Quinn’s jaw clenched. She wanted to assure Blair that wouldn’t happen, but the truth was more complicated. Oliver did have influence. He could make Blair’s life difficult. And Quinn herself had been worried about exactly that kind of retaliation.

“Maybe… maybe I should go too,” Quinn said, standing. “Apologize on behalf of the company. Smooth things over before-”

“Sit down.”

Marcus’s voice wasn’t loud, but it carried absolute authority that made Quinn freeze mid-movement.

“Both of you,” Marcus continued calmly, not even looking at them as he cut his steak with precise movements. “Sit down and stop acting like you’re powerless.”

“Marcus, you don’t understand,” Quinn said, frustration bleeding into her voice. “Tessa will complain to Oliver, and Oliver has enough influence to-”

“To what?” Marcus interrupted, finally turning to look at her. His eyes held that strange gleam again, something that wasn’t quite human. “Quinn, you’re not a junior employee anymore. You’re the project leader for the Titan Group cooperation. Do you understand what that means?”

“I understand the position, but-”

“Do you understand that if you’re removed from that role, Titan Group will immediately cancel their cooperation?” Marcus’s voice remained calm, but the words landed like hammer blows. “Do you understand that the Hartford Group stands to lose over fifty million dollars if that partnership falls through?”

Quinn stared at him, her mind catching up to the implications.

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CHAPTER 17 PART 2

“Oliver Hartford might have influence,” Marcus continued, “but he’s not stupid enough to damage a fifty- million-dollar deal just to punish Blair Ryan for being shoved by Tessa. And he’s certainly not stupid enough to come after you when you hold that kind of leverage.”

Blair looked between them, hope flickering on her face. “But… but Tessa-”

“Is Bradford Hartford’s daughter, not his heir,” Marcus said simply. “And right now, she’s the one who got thrown out of Azure Pierce’s Imperial Hall for causing a scene. Who do you think looks worse in this situation? You, who defended your seat? Or her, who got physically removed by hotel staff?”

The logic was undeniable. Quinn slowly sank back into her chair, her Saintess training warring with the uncomfortable realization that Marcus was right.

“I won’t apologize to someone who assaulted me,” Blair said quietly, her voice gaining strength. “If that costs me my job… at least I kept my dignity.”

“Good,” Marcus said with approval. “That’s the correct decision.”

But the other employees weren’t as impressed.

“Unbelievable,” someone muttered from a nearby table-loud enough to be heard, quiet enough to maintain plausible deniability. “Blair’s going to get herself fired over pride.”

“More like Quinn’s going to get her fired,” another voice added. “This whole situation is Quinn’s fault for not controlling her family. And her husband.”

Jessica leaned toward her tablemates, her voice carrying with calculated precision. “You know what I heard? Quinn only got the project leader position because she’s been very friendly with Skyler Reed. If you know what I mean.”

“Oh, I know exactly what you mean,” someone replied with a nasty laugh. “The Saintess who sleeps her way to promotions. Quite a fall from grace, isn’t it?”

“And that husband of hers-Marcus Steel-what a joke. Living off her success, pretending he has influence because he borrowed someone’s credit card for a night. Worthless kept man playing dress-up.”

“I heard he’s been unemployed for three years. Three years. What kind of man lets his wife support him for that long? No wonder she’s looking elsewhere for… companionship.”

Quinn’s hands clenched in her lap, her Saintess aura flickering with suppressed fury. But she couldn’t respond. Couldn’t defend herself without making things worse. The moment she engaged with the gossip, she gave it legitimacy.

“Honestly, the sacred Saintess bloodline wasted on a nobody husband,” another voice added mockingly. ” Using holy powers to protect a man who contributes nothing. Her ancestors must be rolling in their graves.”

“Maybe that’s why she’s keeping him around,” someone else suggested. “Guilt. She married beneath her

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