A Heart Given Wrong

Married in secret for five years, Yvonne Singer always thought I was just a washed-up nobody from a fallen family. What she didn't know was that I was the sole successor to Guzman Group, the world's largest venture capital firm.

She tricked me into attending a cocktail party for the sake of her male best friend, Francis Yorke, and forced me to toast my sworn rival.

Furious, I shattered the wineglass in my hand and snapped, "Yvonne, don't push me! Believe it or not, with a single word from me, your company can disappear from the stock market by tomorrow!"

Panic flickered in her eyes. The next second, she threw herself into my arms. "Honey, I just needed your help. I didn't mean to hurt you." She then personally fed me a hangover pill and gently escorted me to a private room.

When I woke up, I was hanging upside down from a drop tower. Francis slammed the switch. I was sent flying dozens of feet into the air, then plummeting straight down into the water.

As my consciousness began to waver, I forced myself to make an emergency call. "Mr. Chance, contact global media outlets. Before nightfall, I want headlines showing them begging on the streets!"

Chapter 1

The moment I hung up, icy pool water swallowed me whole again.

Francis covered his mouth, laughing so hard he almost fell over. Beside him, Yvonne wore a smug smile on her face.

"Yvonne, did you hear that? William says he's going to make you beg on the streets. Who does he think he is?"

My sworn enemy, Zoey Malcom, chimed in with a mocking laugh. She pointed at me and asked, "Yvonne, is your husband's brain damaged or something? Calling global media outlets? Does he think he's the UN Secretary-General?"

The surrounding guests erupted into grating laughter. They looked at me as if looking at a clown making a fool of himself.

Yvonne's expression darkened. She felt I had humiliated her in public. Turning to Francis, she said coldly, "Fran, help him sober up. He's talking nonsense."

"Got it, Yvonne!"

Francis excitedly slammed his palm down on the red button at the control panel. The drop tower's seat jolted violently, hurling me back into the air at a terrifying speed.

The weightlessness made my stomach churn. The alcohol from the party mixed with the hangover pill I took, making me feel nauseous. I screamed, but my voice was drowned out by the wind.

Then, the seat dove downward even faster, crashing violently into the pool. Water exploded everywhere. The sharp scent of clorine filled my nose as the water engulfed me, making me cough violently.

I was strapped tightly to the seat and couldn't move. All I could do was watch as I was repeatedly flung upward and slammed down. Every ascent and plunge was suffocating torture.

I stared at Yvonne on the shore. She was the woman I had loved for five years.

Five years ago, my family's business faced a major crisis. To protect me, my father announced publicly that our family had fallen and sent me abroad. That was where I met Yvonne, back when she was still a poor student.

I hid my identity from her, eating the cheapest meals with her, living in a rundown apartment, and supporting her as she started her business. I thought what we had was true love built through hardship.

When she returned home to build her company, I followed, willingly standing behind her. To keep her from feeling pressured, I never mentioned my background. I rarely even called my parents.

She once held me and said, "Will, once my company goes public, I'll give you the grandest wedding in the world. I'll make you the happiest man alive."

The promise still echoed in my ears. But now, she was personally dragging me into hell.

On shore, Francis took out his phone and filmed me relentlessly. "Everyone, look! A drowning rat! This angle makes him look so ugly! Yvonne, look at William's face! This is hilarious!"

Yvonne didn't stop him. Instead, she handed Zoey a bottle of champagne, smiling ingratiatingly. "Ms. Malcolm, are you satisfied with this show? As long as it makes you happy, I'll make my husband do anything."

Zoey swirled her glass, her gaze sweeping over my soaked body with disdain. "Not bad. You know how to have fun. Yvonne, if you can make your husband kneel and beg me today, I'll have my father consider investing in your project."

Yvonne's eyes lit up immediately. "No problem! Just watch, Ms. Malcolm!"

She turned toward me, struggling in the water, and shouted coldly, "William Guzman! Did you hear that? Hurry up and beg Ms. Malcolm! Kneel down before her!"

The icy water and piercing wind were nothing compared to the coldness I felt at her words.

Looking at her, I suddenly smiled. "Yvonne Singer, you're going to regret this. I guarantee that you're going to pay for this. And your punishment will be far worse than death!"

Chapter 2

My words seemed to have hurt Yvonne's pride.

"Regret? William, the only one who'll regret anything is you!" She jabbed my nose, her voice full of contempt. "Do you think you're still the Guzman family's golden child from five years ago? Your family went bankrupt ages ago! Right now, you're just a nobody who leeches off me.

"I feed you. I put clothes on your back. Asking you to kneel is just a small favor!"

Beside her, Francis chimed in, "Exactly! William, don't be so ungrateful. Yvonne is the CEO of Singer Tech now. Plenty of men are lining up for a chance to marry her. If she weren't sentimental, you wouldn't even be worthy of tying her shoes."

The guests around us began gossiping.

"So, his family is bankrupt. No wonder he's so humble."

"I thought Yvonne married into a wealthy family. Turns out she picked up deadweight."

"Serves him right. He's a loser but still acts arrogant. He deserves what he's getting."

Every cruel word stabbed into my ears like tiny daggers. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. There was no point arguing with people who were about to die.

Memories surfaced in my mind. That winter, when Yvonne's company ran out of cash and she faced countless setbacks, she got drunk and collapsed in the snow. I was the one who carried her home on my back. I paid her rent and bought her meals with the money I had secretly earned from odd jobs.

She clung to me and cried like a child. "Will, I promise I will never let you suffer in this lifetime."

What a joke! Now, for a mere investment deal, she treated me like a toy, trampling on me.

The drop tower kept running. My strength was draining slowly, my consciousness starting to fade. Every time I slammed into the water, my head felt like it was going to split open.

During the struggle, my phone slipped from my pocket and sank to the bottom of the pool. But it didn't matter. Oswald Chance had already gotten the message.

"Yvonne, he looks like he can't hang on much longer," Francis said nervously, watching my lifeless body.

"So what?" Yvonne snorted coldly. "Men like him are stubbornly hard to kill. If we don't teach him a lesson, he'll never learn his place."

She then turned to Zoey with a smile. "Ms. Malcolm, how about we make things more exciting?"

Zoey's interest was piqued. "Oh? I'm listening."

Yvonne pointed toward the waterslide in the distance. "Let's make him go down the tallest slide. Without a life jacket. Doesn't that sound exciting?"

My gaze instinctively followed where she pointed, and my heart dropped to my stomach. That slide was about three thousand feet tall. It was a new attraction that had yet to officially open because it hadn't even passed safety testing yet.

Zoey clapped excitedly. "That's a great idea! I love watching hot guys get soaked!"

Francis squealed, "Yvonne, you're a genius!"

With that, they unstrapped me from the drop tower and dragged me up to the top of the slide. Staring down that nearly vertical slide, fear gripped me tightly.

Yvonne didn't know I was afraid of heights. Going down this slide could very well kill me.

She walked up and grabbed the rope binding me. I looked at her, eyes full of desperation. "Yvonne, please. Don't let go."

She glanced at me with disgust. Then, without hesitation, she released her grip.

I sped down the slide. Without any safety gear, I barely made it halfway before my body lost contact with the slide entirely. I was thrown into the air, tumbling frantically.

Amid my scream, I crashed straight into the pool below, causing a huge explosion of water around me.

This time, it felt like my internal organs had shattered into pieces.

Chapter 3

On shore, Francis' triumphant laughter rang out as he filmed the whole thing. "Yvonne, look! William's expression is priceless!"

Zoey smirked. "Yvonne, your husband is quite entertaining. He talks so tough, but look at how his body danced in the air! I wonder if he's this flexible in bed too?"

Crude laughter erupted from the crowd. Yvonne showed no anger. "Ms. Malcom, don't bother with him. He's just an immature man. I apologize on his behalf. As long as you're happy, the project"

"Projects are easy," Zoey cut her off. "But I'm still not quite satisfied. If you want to please me, it's simple Make him drink this entire pool of water. Then, I'll accept your apology."

Yvonne froze.

Zoey pointed at the pool, smiling maliciously. "For each cup he drinks, I'll have my dad invest 100 thousand dollars into your company!"

The crowd burst into laughter. Yvonne's eyes shone with ecstasy. "Ms. Malcom, are you serious?"

"Of course. My word is final."

"Deal!" Yvonne agreed instantly, as though afraid that Zoey would go back on her word. Then, she turned to me, struggling in the water, and shouted with authority, "William! Did you hear that? Hurry up and drink all the water in this pool. That's your apology to Ms. Malcom."

I felt like I was suffocating. For a moment, I even stopped struggling.

Francis fanned the flames. "Yvonne, he's not listening. This won't do. Ms. Malcom needs a good show to watch."

Yvonne snapped. She jumped into the pool and dragged me up, signaling two of her men to hold me despite my complete lack of strength.

"William Guzman! Are you deaf? Drink!" she roared, then filled a champagne glass with pool water and forced it toward my mouth. "It's just water. It won't kill you. One cup equals 100 thousand dollars. You should be happy about it! You're going to drink this entire pool right now!"

Looking at her furious face, I laughed coldly.

But that only enraged her further. "What are you laughing about? You eat my food and live in my house. Why can't you sacrifice a little for me now? Are you still dreaming of being a rich heir? Listen to me. I'm not raising you for free. You owe me, and you're going to pay today!"

She shoved the glass toward my mouth again. Just then, the amusement park manager rushed over with a few security guards, drenched in sweat.

"Ms. Singer! Ms. Malcom! What are you doing? Stop this right now before someone gets hurt!" the manager, Steve Kroll, yelled. His face was deathly pale.

Yvonne waved him off impatiently. "What are you panicking for? I'm just playing a game with my husband. If anything happens, it's on me!"

Steve looked like he was about to cry. "Ms. Singer, this isn't a joke! We received an urgent notice that a distinguished guest of Guzman Group is here. We've been ordered to ensure his safety at all costs."

"Guzman Group?" Yvonne paused briefly, then scoffed. "You must be mistaken! There's no distinguished guest here."

Zoey sneered as well. "Guzman Group? The world's top venture capital firm? Why would a distinguished guest from Guzman Group come here? Don't make me laugh!"

Steve was sweating buckets, while I was barely hanging on. He pointed at me, trembling. "There's no mistake. They said the person is your husband!"

In an instant, everyone froze.

"No! That's impossible!" Yvonne muttered under her breath. "Didn't his family go bankrupt ages ago?"