Chapter 3

The doorbell rang.

As expected.

I peered through the peephole. Kelly's mother's face, distorted with fury, was pressed against the lens.

Behind her stood a timid Kelly's father.

"Mason! Open up! I know you're in there! You coward, do you have the guts to do it but not to own up to it?!"

She pounded forcefully on the reinforced door, creating loud thuds.

I didn't open the door.

I leaned against the wall behind it and lit a cigarette.

This was something I had quit three years ago.

Kelly disliked the smell of smoke; she said it was for losers.

Now, I picked it up again.

The smoke billowed, making me cough a bit, but also clearing my head.

The yelling from outside continued.

From "bastard" and "ungrateful wretch" to "freeloader who lives off us."

She seemed to have forgotten that this marital home was purchased by me in full before we married, with only my name on the title.

She also forgot that the red Porsche her daughter drove was my thirtieth birthday gift to her.

She even more conveniently forgot that when "Carter Tech Group" was on the brink of bankruptcy, it was I who took out all my savings and mortgaged my parents' house to give it a fighting chance.

People's memories are always so selective.

After about half an hour of shouting, Kelly's mother's voice grew hoarse, and her strength gave out.

Silence fell outside the door.

I guessed she was brewing her next attack.

Sure enough, my phone rang.

It was Kelly's father.

I put out my cigarette and answered.

"Mason…" Kelly's father's voice sounded tired and conflicted.

"Can you… just open the door and let your mother in to talk? She's outside, and the neighbors are watching…"

"You know what she'll say," I replied.

A silence fell on the other end.

"Mason, I know Kelly was wrong. She… she was spoiled by us," Kelly's father sighed. "But, can you… for my sake, for the sake of your three years of marriage, not make things so big?"

"For old times' sake?"

I laughed.

"Three years ago, I handed the company to her, came home myself, cut off all my business, all my connections. Wasn't that for old times' sake?"

"I took care of all the housework, letting her focus on her career outside, coming home to a hot meal and clean clothes. Wasn't that for old times' sake?"

"Three hundred out of three hundred sixty-five days a year, she was traveling, networking, 'expanding the empire.' I never doubted, never complained. Wasn't that for old times' sake?"

My voice was calm, but Kelly's father's breathing grew heavier on the phone.

"I gave her everything I had. My career, my energy, my trust. What did she give me in return?"

"A photo, and a message saying, 'Your wife is mine now.'"

"You tell me, who's not considering 'old times' sake' now?"

Kelly's father was completely speechless.

After a long pause, he finally spoke in a near-pleading tone: "So… what exactly do you want?"

"What do I want?"

I walked to the peephole, watching Kelly's mother lean against the wall, panting, her face full of resentment.

"It's simple."

I said into the phone, as if speaking to the people outside the door.

"First, a divorce."

"Second, Kelly leaves with nothing."

"Third, 'Carter Tech Group,' I'm taking it back."

A gasp came from the phone, I couldn't tell if it was Kelly's father or mother.

"You're dreaming! Mason, you're crazy!" Kelly's mother's roar erupted again, making my ears ache even through the door.

I ignored her.

"My message has been delivered. You can go home."

"As for the gift I prepared for Kelly…"

I pulled open the curtains, the sunlight blinding.

Downstairs, a black sedan had just pulled up.

Two men in black suits stepped out, carrying briefcases.

My lawyers.

"The gift has arrived."

I hung up the phone and opened the door.

Outside, Kelly's mother was about to lunge forward, but seeing the two serious-faced lawyers behind me, her movements froze.

I stepped aside, making a path.

"Leo Rodriguez, Owen Davis, please come in."

I gave Kelly's mother a smile, the most genuine smile I'd had in three years.

"Care to come in and listen?"