She Sent Me to Prison , Now I Own the World She Lost

Five years ago, at my own engagement banquet, I broke my fiance's little assistant's nose with a single punch.

To avenge her precious assistant, my fiance had me thrown in prison with her own hands.

The day I walked out,

it happened to be Fay Galloway and Toby Weiss's wedding.

Everyone expected me to go on a rampage.

But I didn't crash their ceremony the way they all assumed I would.

Instead, I boarded a flight to another city and vanished without a trace.

Five years later.

I came back to the country with my wife, and it happened to fall on my birthday.

We'd made plans to celebrate together.

What I didn't expect was that when I arrived at the restaurant we'd agreed on, I'd run straight into Toby Weiss, surrounded by a fawning entourage.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is."

"If it isn't the great Mr. Gilbert himself."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. A few years go by and our mighty CEO can't even afford a decent set of clothes? What happened to you?"

Toby's voice carried across the room, dripping with mockery.

The entire lobby fell silent in an instant. Every pair of eyes turned toward us.

I glanced down at what I was wearing.

The clothes looked simple enough, no designer logos anywhere.

But every piece had been handcrafted by Italian artisans, each one starting at seven figures.

Not that I owed Toby Weiss an explanation.

I ignored him and picked up the menu from the table.

My indifference only made him angrier.

He snatched the menu right out of my hand, his voice jumping an octave:

"What's the matter? Two years working the sewing machines in lockup and you went deaf? I'm talking to you. Did you not hear me?"

The words hadn't even settled before the whole restaurant erupted in murmurs.

"An ex-convict?"

"He looks respectable enough. Never would've guessed he'd done time."

"God, how did someone like that even get in here?"

I tuned out the whispers and the pointed stares.

Slowly, I lifted my gaze and looked at Toby, my expression blank:

"Do I know you?"

Toby blinked, then his face twisted with rage:

"Duke Gilbert, who the hell are you pretending for? You actually think you're still that hotshot CEO from back in the day?"

"Prison must've fried whatever brains you had left."

"Do you even know where you are? This is The Amethyst Grand. The most exclusive restaurant on the south side. A single cup of coffee here costs hundreds of dollars."

"Take a good look in the mirror before you embarrass yourself. You think a broke nobody like you can afford to eat here? Get out. Go on, get lost before you make an even bigger fool of yourself."

Contempt twisted every line of Toby's face as he kicked the table in front of me.

A deafening crash.

The coffee cup rattled violently, brown liquid sloshing over the rim.

I stared at the dark stain spreading across the white cuff of my shirt, and my expression hardened.

This shirt was a birthday gift from my wife. Today was the first time I'd worn it.

I fixed Toby with a cold stare:

"Apologize."

Toby let out a scoff:

"You want me to apologize?"

"Duke Gilbert, you must be out of your damn mind."

"If anyone's apologizing, it's you. Breathing the same air as a lowlife like you is already killing my appetite."

With that, Toby turned toward the entrance and barked:

"Security!"

"Where the hell is security? You people letting any stray off the street walk in now? Do you all want to lose your jobs?"

Two security guards approached, hesitation written across their faces.

Right then, the restaurant manager came rushing over.

One look at Toby's expression and the manager broke into a jog to reach him.

"Mr. Weiss, what seems to be the problem? Whatever it is, just tell me and I'll take care of it right away."

Toby let out a cold snort.

"What's the holdup here?"

"The service standards in this place are really going downhill. Can't you see there's a broke nobody here ruining the atmosphere?"

The manager froze, then followed Toby's gaze toward me.

"So sorry, so sorry. I'll take care of it right away."

He bowed and scraped before Toby, his voice dripping with flattery.

Then he turned to me, his expression hardening.

"Sir, this is a fine dining establishment, not a homeless shelter. I'm going to have to ask you to leave immediately."

He gestured toward the door with an open palm.

"You hear that?"

Toby slapped me lightly across the cheek, grinning with satisfaction.

"Broke losers need to know their place. If you can't afford it, don't come in here pretending you can!"

I didn't move.

Toby took my stillness for fear, and it only made him bolder.

His hand came down harder the next time.

"Tsk, tsk. Should've made sure you rotted in that cell a few more years. At least then you wouldn't be out here embarrassing yourself."

I smiled. It was the kind of smile that carried no warmth at all.

"Toby, I think those words suit you a lot better than they suit me."

"Or have the good times lasted so long that you've forgotten what it was like, crawling through garbage heaps looking for scraps?"

Toby had grown up in the slums.

He was thirteen when I found him.

Dressed in rags, hunched over a pile of trash, picking through it for something to eat.

I handed him the rest of my bread.

He snatched it and crammed it into his mouth in two bites, barely chewing.

I turned to leave.

But Toby dropped to his knees and grabbed the leg of my pants, clinging to it with both hands.

I felt sorry for him. So I took him home.

I paid for everything, all the way through college.

After he graduated, I got him a position at the company as Fay's personal assistant.

I never imagined that one moment of compassion would be the very thing that dragged me into hell.

A wolf is a wolf. No amount of kindness will tame it.

The person I'd given everything to was the same person who buried the knife deepest in my back.

Like so many people who forget where they came from once they make it.

Those years in the slums.

For Toby.

They were forbidden territory.

A past he never wanted anyone to mention.

His face twisted in an instant. He looked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, fur standing on end. He jabbed a finger at me and screamed.

"You piece of trash! You want to die?!"

"A broke nobody like you doesn't get to bring up my past!"

"Keep talking and I'll cut your tongue out and feed it to the dogs!"

I watched him lose control, and that cold smile stayed right where it was.

"Cut my tongue out?"

"You really think you have what it takes?"

"Try not to go running back to hide in your woman's arms and cry about it."

"You..."

Toby choked on his own rage, finger still pointed at me, unable to get a single word out.

His face cycled between white and red.

It was the shame and fury of a man whose truth had been ripped wide open.

"Duke Gilbert, you're a dead man today."

Toby locked his eyes on me, and the look in them was pure venom.

The atmosphere in the restaurant shifted in an instant.

The noisy private dining room went dead silent, quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

The way everyone looked at me changed too.

Like they were watching a fool who'd just signed his own death warrant.

Everyone knew Toby Weiss was Fay Galloway's favorite, her most treasured pet.

Galloway Group had been on a meteoric rise these past two years, going from strength to strength.

In this city, nobody dared disrespect Galloway Group.

Crossing Toby was the same as crossing the entire Galloway empire.

Toby whipped around to the security guards behind him and roared.

"What are you standing around for? Get him! Show this lowlife what happens when he pisses me off!"

The words had barely left his mouth before two burly guards surged forward and seized my arms, one on each side.

The security guards had iron grips. My arms burned where they pinned me.

"I'd suggest you let go of me. You'll regret it if you don't."

My voice came out cold, like something dredged from the bottom of a frozen lake.

Toby, though, threw his head back and laughed as if he'd just heard the funniest joke of his life.

"Regret?"

"Who do you think you're threatening?"

"This isn't five years ago, pal. You're a broke ex-con. You're nothing to me. Less than nothing. An insect."

"Forget hitting you. I could put you in the ground and there wouldn't be a damn thing you could do about it."

I narrowed my eyes, watching him close the distance between us.

He stopped one step away and looked down at me, savoring the angle.

A long, deliberate pause.

Then he bent slowly at the waist, seized my chin between his fingers, and tilted my face up. His eyes glittered with provocation.

"Duke Gilbert, you're pathetic."

"I called you a cuckold and you still can't accept it!"

Pathetic.

Cuckold.

His words echoed over and over in my ears, and the restaurant dissolved around me. I was back. Five years ago.

That day was my engagement banquet with Fay.

The ceremony had reached the cake-cutting when Toby stepped forward, cradling an ornate gift box in both hands.

The lid came off. Nestled inside was a cake, and perched on top of it, molded in vivid fondant, sat a bright green tortoise.

The thing was emerald from head to tail, disturbingly lifelike.

Two glossy black eyes stared straight at me, mocking me without a sound.

Laughter erupted around the room.

Every guest was pointing, whispering, sneering. Nobody even tried to hide it.

They were all waiting to see what I'd do. Waiting for the show.

But Toby wasn't done.

He leaned in close, dropping his voice to a murmur only the two of us could hear.

"So what if you run a company? You're still marrying a tramp I already had my fun with!"

"You're pathetic. A cuckold. That's all you'll ever be."

Before the last syllable left his mouth, he flipped his phone around. Fay's photo filled the screen.

She was draped in sheer black lingerie, her gaze heavy-lidded and seductive.

A completely different woman from the cold, untouchable image she showed the world.

Toby's lips curled into a slow, satisfied smirk. His expression was thick with the pleasure of someone reliving a private memory.

My pupils contracted.

Every drop of blood in my body felt like it had reached a boil.

In that moment, composure was no longer an option. Rage incinerated every last shred of reason I had left.

I swung. My fist connected with his face.

That single punch cost me two years in prison.

"Ha ha ha"

The memory shattered. I was back in the restaurant, and Toby was still laughing, still gloating.

The rest of the diners joined in, their laughter bouncing off the walls.

Every single one of them was enjoying the spectacle of my humiliation.

My gaze went ice-cold. I whipped my head sideways, wrenching free of the hand still gripping my chin.

In the split second of stunned silence that followed, I threw my weight forward and broke loose from both guards.

"You never learn, do you."

"Seems like enough time has passed that you've forgotten what it felt like when I shattered your nose. Let me refresh your memory."

My stare was razor-sharp, my voice cold enough to freeze hell over.

For one instant, the sheer force rolling off me locked every person in the room in place. The laughter died.

Toby met my eyes and the color drained from his face.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"You want to go back to prison?!"

A cold smile tugged at my lips. "Try me."

I ignored his threat. Under the horrified, disbelieving stares of everyone in the room, I drove my fist straight into Toby's face.

"AAGH"

He staggered back two steps, both hands flying to his nose, a shrill howl tearing from his throat.

Two streams of blood surged through the gaps between his fingers.

"You dare hit me?!"

Toby was equal parts stunned and furious.

He never imagined that after everything I'd been through in prison, I'd still have the nerve to lay a hand on him.

The restaurant manager rushed over, letting out a cold scoff:

"Open your damn eyes and take a look at where you are. You think you can start trouble here? You must have a death wish."

Toby had been injured in his restaurant.

If Fay Galloway came asking questions, he'd have no way to explain himself.

"You hit Assistant Weiss? You're begging to die!"

The others snapped out of their daze, staring in horror at the blood streaming down Toby's face.

"He's lost it. Completely lost it!"

"This ex-convict's got a death wish. Hitting Assistant Weiss? Is he insane?"

Every pair of eyes in the room looked at me like I was already a dead man.

I remained calm, my expression unchanged.

Toby's eyes were bloodshot, his face twisted into something savage. The look he gave me could have flayed me alive.

"Duke Gilbert, either you get on your knees and apologize, or you die!"

"Your choice!"

I let out a dry laugh.

"An apology? You're not worth one."

"Good. Good! Good!"

Toby spat the word three times, then yanked several thick bundles of cash from his wallet.

He slammed them onto the table with a sharp crack and turned to the security guards behind him:

"All of you, together. Beat him within an inch of his life. I'll triple this when it's done."

Their eyes lit up, every one of them itching to move.

Fists were already swinging toward me.

Then a woman's voice cut through the air from behind, laced with surprise and uncertainty:

"Duke?!"

I turned slowly, following the sound.

Fay Galloway stood there, watching me with an unreadable expression.

"Where have you been all these years? Why didn't you come find me after you got out?"

Compared to Fay's agitation,

my face was perfectly still. Not a flicker of emotion in my eyes.

Looking at the woman I'd once loved with every fiber of my being, I felt nothing. My heart was as flat and quiet as a dead lake.

"Where I've been is none of your concern, Ms. Galloway."

Ms. Galloway. Distant. Unfamiliar.

Fay's composure crumbled in an instant, her eyes rimming red.

A flash of jealous hatred darted through Toby's gaze.

"Ugh..."

Toby let out a pained groan.

"What's wrong?"

Fay snapped back to the present, turning to Toby with alarm.

The moment she saw the blood on his face, her expression shifted:

"How did you get hurt? Who did this?"

Toby immediately put on a wounded, pitiful look.

"Babe, thank God you're here. I hadn't seen Duke in years, so I invited him to dinner out of the goodness of my heart. He didn't just refuse my kindness, he punched me."

His eyes reddened, brimming with the performance of a man deeply wronged.

A complete transformation from the swaggering bully he'd been seconds ago.

The restaurant manager scrambled forward:

"That's right, that's right! This ex-con barged in here looking for trouble and hurled insults at Assistant Weiss. We were just about to teach him a lesson!"

Fay froze for a beat, then frowned. The excitement that had been in her eyes moments ago was gone, replaced by something cold:

"Did you really hit him?"

I smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. I did."

My frank admission only made Fay angrier.

"Duke Gilbert, I truly underestimated you."

"Two years in prison, and you didn't learn to rein in that violent temper of yours? If anything, you've gotten worse."

"Toby is practically the little brother you raised. How could you bring yourself to do this to him?"

Toby chimed in with a show of false concern:

"Fay, don't be upset. I think Duke is probably still holding a grudge about us sending him to prison back then..."

Fay scoffed:

"Holding a grudge?!"

"When someone does something wrong, they deserve to be punished. Otherwise, everyone would go around committing murder and arson, and the whole world would descend into chaos."

"If you ask me, two years was far too lenient."

With that, Fay pulled out her phone and dialed a number.

"Chief Wang? It's Fay Galloway. There's an ex-convict causing trouble here at The Amethyst Grand. Would you mind sending a few officers over?"

Toby stared at me, gloating.

"Duke, you don't have to go back to prison. There is a way out."

"All you have to do is get on your knees, knock your head on the floor three times, and say 'I was wrong.' Then I'll forgive you."

Sending me back to prison wasn't enough for Toby. What he really craved was the thrill of grinding me into the dirt beneath his heel.

Fay let out a sigh, as if helpless against his kindness.

"You're always so soft-hearted."

Then her gaze cut to me, ice-cold.

"Did you hear that?"

"Kneel and apologize to Toby, and I'll let this go."

Toby was convinced he'd already won. The smugness radiated off him in waves.

"I'd hurry if I were you, Duke. The police will be here any minute."

"Unless you're looking forward to another stint making license plates behind bars."

I smiled. Cold and thin.

"You want me to kneel? Keep dreaming."

Fay's brows shot up, and a sharp scoff escaped her lips.

"You really do have a death wish."

"I gave you a chance. You chose not to take it."

"When the police drag you out of here, don't blame anyone but yourself."

The words had barely left her mouth when the screech of brakes erupted from the restaurant entrance.

Dozens of black Rolls-Royces rolled in from the distance, forming a single gleaming line along the front of the building.

The license plate on the center car ended in "88888."