Chapter 2
Having firmly regained my company, I felt a huge relief and went home first, planning to pack my things and completely end things with Josephine.
But as soon as I opened the door, a musty smell hit me.
Josephine had been in the hospital for prenatal care, then went straight to the postpartum care center after delivery, and I had been away on business trips. This home hadn’t been tended to for nearly half a year.
I intended to open the windows to air it out, but as I walked into the living room, I tripped over something.
I found a large photo frame on the floor.
Lifting it, I realized it was the wedding photo Josephine and I had taken.
After our engagement, Josephine had insisted we go to the studio for a photo shoot.
She had me try on dozens of suits, never quite satisfied, and it took an entire afternoon to choose a white suit she liked.
Though it wasn’t my style, knowing she had spent the whole afternoon choosing it for me, I accepted it willingly.
Her serious gaze from that time remains vivid in my memory.
Coming back to reality, I dusted off the frame, feeling puzzled.
I had always kept the wedding photo in the bedroom. Why was it thrown in the living room?
Entering the bedroom, I immediately understood the reason.
Above the head of the bed now hung a photo of Josephine and Jasper from their wedding.
In the photo, Josephine, with her pregnant belly, was nestled in Jasper’s arms, smiling like a girl who had just won the world.
Although it wasn’t my style, knowing Josephine spent an entire afternoon choosing it for me made me accept it with a smile. Her earnest look from that day is still vivid in my memory.
Bringing myself back to the present, I wiped dust off the photo frame, feeling puzzled. I always hung our wedding photo in the bedroom, so why was it tossed on the living room floor? It wasn’t until I walked into the bedroom that everything became clear.
Above the headboard was a wedding photo of Josephine and Jasper. In the picture, Josephine, with her pregnant belly, was in Jasper’s arms, smiling like a girl who had the whole world in her grasp. They wore the very same wedding dress and suit Josephine had meticulously chosen that day.
It hit me why Josephine wasn’t satisfied after trying all afternoon and eventually picked a white suit that didn’t suit me at all. It was never meant for me.
Over the years, my skin had tanned due to long business trips outdoors. Josephine chose a pure white suit for me, which naturally looked odd against my complexion. However, Jasper, who always stayed in the company assisting Josephine, was fair-skinned and refined. The white suit made him look like a storybook prince.
I chuckled sarcastically, planning to pack my things and sell the house. This house was originally prepared by my parents as a marital home for me. Since the marriage isn’t happening, there’s no reason to keep it; it might as well be sold to alleviate the company’s financial strain.
But when I opened the wardrobe, my fists clenched. All my belongings were gone, replaced by Jasper’s frequently worn shirts. I immediately messaged Josephine, demanding to know where my clothes were. It wasn’t until half an hour later that Josephine replied:
“Of course, I threw them away. Jasper’s rental is too far from the company, so I let him move in directly.”
“Your stuff doesn’t suit his cleanliness, so I tossed it all.”
“Besides, you used my salary to buy these things, so technically it’s my money. I can do whatever I want with it, and I don’t need your permission, do I?”
I have to admit, Josephine has always been skilled at twisting logic. Seeing that I had no response, Josephine sent another message:
“What, feeling sorry for your junk?”
“I heard about the company situation this morning. If you hand over the project to Jasper, I’ll get you some high-end stuff and even leave you a storage room to rest.”
“No need.”
Before Josephine could finish typing, I blocked her on SnapChat and called a junk removal service to clear everything out of the house. Then I contacted a real estate agency to list the house for sale and went to a hotel to rest.
The next morning, the junk removal service transferred the money to me. Although it was collected at a low rate as scrap, I still made quite a bit of cash. It showed how much Josephine cared about Jasper, eager to give him the world.
Just as I was about to freshen up and get out of bed, Josephine suddenly called.
“Ezra, who allowed you to sell the marital home? Where are Jasper and the baby supposed to live now?!”
“And what about his designer suits and game console? Where did you throw them?”
On the other end, Josephine was so furious she could barely breathe. I found it ironic. My belongings could be casually thrown away, but Jasper’s things were treasures.
I replied calmly:
“You do realize that was our marital home, right? Since you’re married to Jasper now, what’s wrong with me selling it?”
“As for the stuff in the house, I sold it all as scrap.”
Josephine was speechless with anger, but soon she let out a disdainful laugh.
“Ezra, do you think selling the house is going to stop me?”
“Don’t think I don’t know you’re trying to play hard to get, using these little tricks to get my attention.”
“Know your place. You’re just a tool working for me, don’t delude yourself with thoughts you shouldn’t have!”
With that, Josephine hung up. Almost simultaneously, Jasper updated his Facebook status. It was a photo of him signing a real estate contract with an agency. He even captioned it:
“Finally got my own place in this city.”
Jasper’s position at the company was just an assistant role, and his monthly salary wasn’t much. Plus, he was a big spender, so buying a house was out of the question. Clearly, Josephine paid for it and bought back the house I just listed for sale.
And Jasper intentionally posted on Facebook, obviously to flaunt it to me. But instead of being angry, I almost couldn’t hold back my laughter. Although property prices had dropped over the years, I had bought the place early on, so overall, I still made a profit.
Josephine, on the other hand, basically handed me the money the company made over the past two years for a depreciating house that Jasper now treasures like gold. To celebrate, I treated myself to a rare feast.
The business registration office also sent a message notifying me that the shareholder information update had been approved. I was ready to return to the company and take over. But as soon as I walked through the door, I ran into Josephine.
“What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to…”
Before I could finish, Josephine, with a cold expression, slapped me.
“Ezra, as a senior employee, is this how you set an example?”
“Absent for two days, you’re nothing but a disruptive influence!”
“I didn’t work hard to run this company so you could slack off and draw a salary!”
“Starting tomorrow, your performance for the next year is wiped clean. You’re no longer a director; go assist Jasper and learn how to be a proper person.”
Hearing Josephine’s punishment, my colleagues around me didn’t even try to hide their mockery. After all, the company wasn’t that big, and with Jasper’s embellishments, I had long become the target of ridicule.
However, the absence Josephine mentioned was pure nonsense. I had applied for a week of fieldwork a month ago and didn’t need to clock in. Josephine herself had approved it. It was clear she was just finding excuses to vent Jasper’s anger.
Seeing me remain silent, Josephine frowned:
“Ezra, I’m talking to you. Are you deaf?”
“Don’t you see the baby soiled his diaper? Hurry up and help Jasper clean it, or do you want to stink up the entire company?”
Still, I didn’t move. After all, I’m the owner of this company now.
Before I could speak, Jasper was quick to play the good guy.
“Josephine, don’t be mad. Ezra must be exhausted from running errands the past two days.”
“I’m young and energetic; I can manage work and childcare.”
But before he could do anything, Josephine stopped him with concern:
“No need, you’ve been busy with paternity leave and childcare, and you’ve lost weight.”
“Plus, you just got promoted and the project is yours now. Focus on preparing your speech for the release event.”
“As for him, if he wants to stay in the company, let him do some hard labor. It’ll teach him not to be lazy and help him realize how hard you’ve had it with the baby.”
Watching Josephine’s concern for Jasper, I found it absurd. Jasper was all talk. At work, he’d dump childcare and tasks onto colleagues who fawned over him, while he hid away eating fried chicken and gaming.
Meanwhile, due to poor business performance, I frequently had to go out and hustle. I even prioritized a contract meeting over hospital care after a car accident, impressing clients with my dedication. Yet, in her eyes, I was a lazy freeloader.
Love or the lack thereof was painfully obvious.
Bringing myself back, I looked straight at Josephine, speaking steadily:
“I recall the company’s manual clearly states that infants aren’t allowed to disrupt the office.”
“Moreover, I applied for fieldwork in advance, so I don’t need to clock in. You have no grounds to penalize me.”