John's POV
I was having some tea in my office when Stefan stormed in. His greeting was, "You bloody bastard, what have you done?"
I placed my mug on my table and smiled. "Stefan, you finally honored my invitation. Please have a sit," I invited.
Stefan wiped his nose with his right hand, shook his head, and said, "You're such a devil."
I raised my eyebrows and asked, "Since you don't want to have a seat. Let's talk. What do you want?" I placed my head on the headrest.
"Hannah? Seriously? I thought you hated her with every modicum of blood in you?"
I laid my hands on the handrest and formed a triangle with my fingers. "You finally found out. Took you long enough."
"What happened to you, John? What made you get married to a daughter of the same family you hated with passion?"
"Circumstances happen, and I'm not obliged to discuss any with you."
Stefan slapped his forehead and moved restlessly around the room.
"Who in the world gave you the right to barge into my office anyway?"
He halted and said, "If you knew what I mean to this company, you'd be on your knees begging for mercy."
"I'd be drunk and foolish to do that. You still haven't let go of your pride? No wonder Hannah never loved you. Aren't you ashamed of yourself though? Going after someone's wife? The rejection you sustained in college wasn't enough for you? Or you came back for another one?"
"You don't love that girl. You're just using her to while away time. What are you? Are you that emotionally hardened?"
"Stefan, I'm going to excuse you out of my office now."
He slammed my table and gazed at my eyes. "I didn't come back for another rejection, John. I'm here to make you suffer."
I licked my lips and said, "You know what you said to me when I met you in that hallway? You said you'd be a fool to spend a minute with me." I checked my clock and said, "You've spent seven minutes with me now."
He shook his head slightly and said, "You're a psychopath." He stormed out of my office.
Stefan had always competed with me. He was always trying to catch up even when I wasn't interested in any contest. Maybe he thinks his return would cause fear to course through my veins. I'd be a coward to fear such a loser like him.
Moments later, my sister walked into my office. She was wearing a black Louis Vuitton shirt, covered with a black jacket. Her legs were covered in black trousers, and her feet were adorned with white trainers. She sat opposite me and asked, "Was that Stefan?"
"It's him, alright," I answered. "He said he came to make me suffer."
Elizabeth licked her lips and said, "Something is up, John. Something not cool."
"What is it?"
She retrieved her phone from her pocket, scrolled to the gallery, and showed me a photo. It was a photo of Hannah and Stefan having a date in a restaurant.
"How did you get this?" I placed the phone on the table.
"A paparazzi took it. She sent it to my Instagram."
"Did she post it?"
"Nope. I settled her."
"What?" I leaned forward. "Why would you do that? What if she asks for more or tries to blackmail us?"
"She can't do that. She's a high school friend," Elizabeth answered. She placed her hands on the table and said, "John, this isn't good. It's not good for the company. What will our investors and customers think if they find out that there's a scandal going on in the family?"
A wave of fear coursed through my spine. I swallowed and leaned backward.
"You need to do something about this, John. Quickly."
"Send me the photo."
When I reached home in the evening, I met Hannah, who was having some sandwiches in the dining area. I sat in the opposite direction, retrieved my phone from my pocket, and dropped it on the table. "Pick up the phone and take a look," I instructed.
"What is it?" Hannah asked.
"Just pick up the phone."
She took the phone and looked at the photo. "How did you get this? Are you monitoring me?" She questioned.
"I have better things to do than monitor a restless soul like you," I answered. "A paparazzi took that photo. Luckily, she didn't post it. Do you know how much damage this could have caused? Do you even think at all?"
Hannah flipped the phone on the table and said, "Leave me alone, John. I didn't work all day just to have a meaningless conversation with my stupid husband."
"At least, your meaningless husband doesn't take foolish steps that could ruin the family's image and impoverish the family's wealth. Imagine a situation where these photos get leaked and people believe there's a scandal going on in the family?"
"John, will it be an abomination if my husband takes me out on a date for once? Or is it forbidden to you?"
I scoffed.
"I didn't think so. Let people think whatever they want to. Stefan is an old friend who is way more nice than my husband. What scandal exactly? There's no love in this marriage, yet I'm faithful to you. I find it foolish that you're threatened with a photo. Or how long do you think this facade will last? One day, the whole world will find out about what we did, and trust me, there will be no remedy then. Even this photo won't matter," Hannah yelled, standing to her feet. "You know what? I'm not hungry anymore."
"Hannah, I don't want to see you around Stefan."
"Are you insane? What did you just say to me? Who in the world do you think you are? I could dissolve this marriage in a twinkle of an eye and guess what? I won't be the one to suffer. You will! Stay out of my business, John!" Hannah hissed and stormed out of my presence.
I leaned backward, sighed, and stroked my beard.