Vengeful Billionaire and His Lovers (Jerome Howard) novel Chapter 1

Skysouth City, Imperial Residences.

As the state capital, this area had sky-high housing prices. Imperial Residences was one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in the city.

Henry Zeigler was 29. Even though he'd graduated from Skysouth University, there was no way he could afford a place here on his own.

The only reason he lived here was because of his CEO wife, Luciana Scott.

After graduation, he worked as a librarian at Skysouth University. The pay was fine, but compared to Luciana, who was worth millions, his salary barely counted.

"Honey, try to come home early tonight."

"I've got to work overtime. I'll stay at my parents' place tonight. You can handle dinner yourself."

"Again? But today is our—"

"Work came up. That's it. I'm hanging up."

Beep ... beep ... beep ...

Hearing the busy tone, Henry shook his head helplessly.

He'd wanted to remind her it was their sixth wedding anniversary. But from the sound of it, she had completely forgotten.

He didn't blame her. Lately, her company was in trouble and needed a huge sum of money. She'd been working nonstop, so skipping dinner at home had become normal.

On the dining table, there were candles and a bottle of wine he'd bought. His romantic dinner plan was now on hold.

Henry took a deep breath, stood up, and started on his chores.

He was tall and good-looking. Even close to 30, his eyes still had that sharp, determined spark.

He looked like the saying went, "May you live half your life and keep a youthful heart."

His past shaped him a lot. When he was ten, his parents drowned while saving someone else. He grew up in an orphanage, buried himself in books, and rarely talked to anyone. Even after graduating, he picked a librarian job to stay away from social interaction.

He was quiet and introverted, but that didn't make him any less impressive.

Not even 30 yet, he already had a PhD in economics.

Still, compared to his wife's success, Henry kept a low profile. He didn't mind being a homemaker. With her money, they were basically set for life.

Luciana was a year younger and the CEO of the Scott Group. Plus, she was stunning, with a figure that turned heads. She was famous in Skysouth.

Back in university, Henry accidentally spilled her juice in the library. He treated her to dinner to make up for it. That one dinner sparked something, and six months later, they were officially dating.

After marriage, they were close and hardly ever argued. The only real tension came from her family.

The Scotts couldn't accept a guy from the countryside, especially an orphan, as their daughter's husband.

After mopping the floor, Henry sat on the couch and picked up his book right where he'd left off.

It was in Anglish, but he had no problem reading it.

Today, though, he couldn't focus. He'd read a line and immediately forget it. His thoughts kept drifting.

Feeling restless, he grabbed his phone, thinking about watching some short videos. But then, he stared at an app.

It was the car tracker he'd installed when he bought his car, just in case it ever got stolen. It showed the car's location in real time.

Since Luciana's car had a small scrape a few days ago and was at the dealership, she had borrowed his car today. On a whim, Henry opened the app.

A map of Skysouth City appeared. His car was parked at the Scott Group building.

Luciana was truly working late.

Henry breathed in relief, feeling a little guilty for doubting her.

But then, the GPS dot moved.

He gritted his teeth so hard it almost hurt. Anger boiled inside him, ready to explode.

Why would she betray me?!

He couldn't handle it.

Thinking that, he called Luciana with trembling hands.

"Sorry, the number you dialed is busy—"

"Damn it! That bitch!"

His eyes were red and bloodshot. He tried to video call her, but she rejected it again.

Taking a deep breath, he lit a cigarette, forcing himself to calm down. A cold glint flashed in his eyes. He climbed off the scooter and marched across the street.

Running away wasn't an option. No matter how painful the truth, he had to face it.

Henry entered the hotel lobby, his face grim as he went straight to the reception.

"Sir, would you like to check in?" the receptionist asked politely, smiling professionally.

He didn't waste time. By now, that cheating pair was probably in the shower. He opened his photo album and showed her a photo. "These two just arrived. I need to know what room they're in."

The receptionist's smile faltered, turning awkward. "I'm sorry, sir, but hotel policy protects our guests' privacy."

Henry's glare was sharp. "She's my wife. I still have a chance to fix this. Just tell me where they are."

His expression made the receptionist shiver. She studied the photo carefully.

After a moment, she let out a sigh of relief and returned to her professional smile.

"Sir, you're mistaken. They didn't check in. They probably went to the restaurant on the second floor."