My Trophy Wife Life: Taming Three Heirs

0-000,000 a month tax-free allowance, plus a limitless Amex Black Card. Job description: Play the trophy wife to a Wall Street billionaire.

I stared at the peeling cracks in the ceiling. Deal.

The prenup was as thick as a cinderblock. The rules were simple: keep my hands off the family fortune and stay out of the kids' business. I snatched the pen and scrawled my name across the dotted line. "I only care if the mattress is king-sized."

Then came the reality check.

Hunter kicked my bedroom door open, his rebellious platinum-blonde hair a mess.

He shattered my brand-new, maxed-out MacBook on the floor, stomped his mud-caked biker boots all over my pristine Persian rug, and ordered me down to the cellar to haul heavy crates of Bordeaux wine.

Nathaniel strolled in wearing a custom Armani suit. Swirling a glass of whiskey, he flashed a smooth smile and slid an offshore company agreement across my deska shady contract riddled with massive tax loopholes, designed to trick me into taking the fall for his financial crimes.

And Seth. The youngest played the innocent little puppy. But at his elite Manhattan private school's annual charity gala, he shoved me into the glaring spotlight, emotionally blackmailing me in front of New York's entire high-society circle.

I scoffed. I nearly worked myself into an early grave to score this ultimate free ride. Want to cut off my cash flow?

In their dreams.

Chapter 1

My name is Jade. Everyone says coasting through life is a sin. But I think they just haven't been worked to the absolute bone like I have.

At my last job at a Silicon Valley startup, I pulled all-nighters for a solid week writing code. I ended up with heart palpitations, collapsing on the freezing linoleum floor of the breakroom.

I almost dropped dead right there.

The very first thing I did when I came to? I groped for my phone to check the project group chat. The manager had texted, "Jade, did you finish tweaking that presentation?"

I ripped the IV out of my arm.

I slammed my resignation letter right in his face.

My bank account hovered at a miserable three hundred and twenty dollars. In New York, that wouldn't even cover the utility bills. I spent twenty-nine days doing absolutely nothing.

On the night of the twenty-ninth day. The landlord pounded frantically on my door, roaring through the wood, "Jade! If you don't have the rent by tomorrow, I'm throwing all your crap out onto the Brooklyn streets!"

I stared at the ceiling. I traced the peeling cracks with my eyes, counting them. My phone screen lit up the dark room. Unknown number.

"Miss Jade? I am the executive assistant to Mr. Conrad. You may call me Richard."

"I have a position for you. A hundred thousand dollars a month, room and board included, starting immediately."

"What's the job?"

"Conrad's wife."

I stayed silent. "And Conrad is?"

"The head of the Conrad Group. Conrad."

I gripped the phone tighter. "Me?"

"Yes. Mr. Conrad believes you are a perfect fit."

"A fit for what?"

"A fit to be his wife."

I let out a breath.

"The contract and prenuptial agreement have already been drafted. I will email them to you shortly." Richard's voice was crisp.

"Tomorrow morning at ten o'clock, at the Conrad estate. We need your signature."

"What if I refuse?"

"You don't seem to be in a position to refuse, Miss Jade. Your landlord is an employee of a subsidiary under the Conrad Group."

My eyes locked onto the ceiling. The last crack. I tallied them up. Seventeen in total.

"Deal."

Just like that. I married Conrad. A forty-two-year-old billionaire who controlled the lifeblood of Wall Street. A widower with three impossible sons and an intimidating, model-like physique packed sharply into custom suits.

The wedding was simple. We picked up a marriage license at City Hall. Signed the papers in front of a judge.

The prenuptial agreement was as thick as a cinderblock. The core message boiled down to one thing: Jade, as the legal wife of Conrad, was forbidden from laying a finger on the core assets. Forbidden from interfering in any corporate decisions. And forbidden from sticking her nose into the personal lives of Conrad and his three kids.

One hundred thousand dollars a month. Pocket money. Plus a limitless supplementary Amex Black Card. All to "maintain the dignity of Conrad's wife."

I signed it. I scrawled my name so fast Richard blinked in surprise. "Miss Jade aren't you going to read the rest of the clauses?"

"No need."

"Why not?"

"I only care if the mattress is king-sized."

Richard went dead silent.

Conrad's bed. It was definitely big enough. Ridiculously massive. Sinking into it felt like sleeping on a cloud.

But Conrad barely came home to sleep. He was too busy. Busy raking in money. Busy flying across the globe.

Busy aggressively expanding his corporate empire.

My sole purpose was for those rare occasions when he needed arm candy for a high-society gala. I hooked my hand through his arm. I smiled. I nodded.

I said "Hello." I said "Thank you." I said "Goodbye."

The rest of the time, I lounged in the glass-domed sunroom at the top of the penthouse. Read books. Binge-watched shows. Snacked on fresh fruit.

Watched the clouds drift past. Watched the city stars blink into existence.

A hundred grand a month. Room and board covered. Job description: coasting. I could do this job until the day I died.

If. Only if there weren't those three stepsons.

Hunter. The eldest. Twenty-two years old. Fresh out of college.

Rocking that rebellious platinum-blonde hair. He had at least ten piercings in his ears. The way he looked at me? Like I was a piece of chewed-up gum stuck to the bottom of his biker boots.

Chapter 2

Nathaniel. The second son. Twenty years old. A figurehead VP at one of Conrad's tech firms.

Gold-rimmed glasses. Tailored suit. He looked at me like I was a toxic asset about to be liquidated.

Seth. The youngest. Sixteen. A high schooler at an elite Manhattan prep school.

He looked the most like Conrad. Big, wet eyes. Like a harmless puppy. The first time we met, he shyly called me "Auntie Jade."

Handed me a cookie he baked himself. It was so sickly sweet I nearly choked.

But beneath all three of their stares, I saw the exact same thing. Paranoia. Probing. Calculating.

I knew the score. In this multi-million-dollar estate, I was the ultimate outsider. The "Miss Jade" pulling a hundred grand a month, who could be thrown out on the street at a moment's notice.

Whatever. They could play their games. I would just coast. We stay in our own lanes.

Until that night.

Hunter threw a "small" party. Small meant about a hundred people. The deafening bass practically tore the roof off the mansion. Alcohol splashed everywhere.

I was up in the penthouse, wearing noise-canceling headphones, bingeing a K-drama and bawling my eyes out.

The door slammed open.

Hunter barged in, reeking of alcohol. "Hey! Old woman!"

I paused the screen. Wiped my eyes.

"The party downstairs is out of ice and tequila! Go down to the cellar and haul two crates up for me!" He smashed an empty glass onto my desk, sending shards flying across the Persian rug.

"Move," I said.

"What?"

"You're blocking my light."

He squared his shoulders like an enraged bull. "Who the hell do you think you are? Talking to me like that?"

"I'm the woman your dad pays to do absolutely nothing." I pointed at the door. "Manual labor isn't in my contract. Go find the butler."

He snatched my brand-new MacBook off the desk.

Smashed it onto the floor. The screen shattered.

"Go! Haul! The! Tequila!"

"Now!"

I stared at him. The platinum hair. The flared nostrils. All that aggressive frat-boy energy.

Like a puffed-up fighting rooster. I stood up. A full head shorter than him. "Hunter."

"What?"

"MacBook. Top of the line. Twenty grand."

""

"You broke it."

""

"Cash or transfer?"

He froze. He clearly hadn't expected that. "What the actual hell?"

"Pay up."

"I'm not paying you sh"

"Or, I call your dad right now." I pulled out my phone. "I'll tell him his son is throwing an illegal gathering. Noise violations off the charts.

Destroying private property. And while I have him on the line, I'll ask if that lockdown boarding school in Switzerland is still taking applications."

The color drained from Hunter's face. Then it flushed bright red. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Try me." I unlocked the screen. "A hundred grand a month doesn't cover getting my stuff smashed and being yelled at. Calling your dad is just overtime.

I might even get a bonus."

He glared at me. His eyes looked like they wanted to swallow me alive. The music still thumped from downstairs. "You bitch!"

He yanked out his phone, his thumb jabbing viciously at the screen.

[ Ding "You received twenty thousand dollars on Venmo." ]

The crisp notification tone chimed in the quiet room.

"Happy?" he ground out through his teeth.

"It'll do." I picked up the shattered MacBook. "About the tequila Third shelf of the right cabinet in the downstairs utility room. You'll find the butler's spare keys.

The cellar passcode is your dad's birthday, backwards."

Chapter 3

I slipped my noise-canceling headphones back on. "Shut the door on your way out."

Hunter stood frozen in the doorway like a glitching NPC. A full beat passed.

Slam.

He stormed out. Peace and quiet restored.

Coasting takes strategy. The second son, Nathaniel. He hid behind a perfectly tailored smile. He was a hundred times more toxic than Hunter.

He was assigned to "oversee" my "well-being."

"Jade." One night at the long dining table. He adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses. "You're looking a bit pale lately.

Are you getting bored? Want to come down to the firm and take on a little project?"

"I'm good." I focused on the white truffle caviar tart on my porcelain plate. "Coasting suits me just fine."

"Dad hasn't been well lately." He let out a calculated sigh. "His doctor says it's chronic stress. If only someone could take a little off his plate" He shot me a pointed look across the table.

"Not my problem." I dropped my silver fork onto the plate with a clink. "The prenup is crystal clear. Hands off the assets.

No interfering in the business. No sticking my nose where it doesn't belong. I'm a rule-follower."

A sharp glint flashed behind his lenses. "You're hilarious, Jade. Tell you what. There's a charity auction gala next month.

Dad is tied up in meetings. How about you represent the Conrad family?"

"Sure." I didn't miss a beat. "What's the catch?"

"It's simple." A sleek smile crept onto his face. "Just bid on the most expensive item. The Conrad family maintains a certain reputation.

We don't lose."

"Right." I nodded slowly. "And how much are we talking for the 'most expensive'?"

"Last year's finale was a seventeenth-century blue diamond necklace passed down from European royalty, known as the 'Heart of the Ocean.' Twenty million dollars."

""

"Jade?"

"Got it."

The night of the gala. Crystal chandeliers overhead. Champagne flutes clinking. I wore the suffocating haute couture gown the Conrad family stylists had zipped me into.

I played the perfect puppet. Smiled. Nodded.

The auction kicked off. Lots came and went. Nathaniel sat perfectly still beside me, his jaw relaxed in a smug smile.

Finally. The grand finale. The auctioneer stepped up to the podium, his voice booming through the mic. "A flawless fifty-carat pink diamond ring!

Starting bid: five million dollars!"

The bidding war erupted. The numbers skyrocketed.

"Six million."

"Eight million."

"Ten million."

Nathaniel leaned in close. His voice dropped to a low whisper. "Jade, it's your turn. Bid fifteen million right now.

Shut them all down."

I picked up my polished bidding paddle. Raised it high. The auctioneer's eyes lit up. "Paddle eighteen!

Mrs. Conrad! Fifteen million dollars!"

All eyes in the ballroom snapped toward our table. Nathaniel's lips curled into a smug smirk.

"Fifteen million going once!"

"Fifteen"

"Sixteen million!" A paddle went up across the room.

Nathaniel's smile froze.

"Seventeen million!" Another voice rang out.

The price quickly drove up to eighteen million dollars. Nathaniel's face darkened. "Jade, go straight to twenty million!"

I lowered my paddle. I picked up my crystal champagne flute. Took a slow sip.

"Jade?"

"It's too expensive," I said.

"What?"

"Spend twenty million dollars on a useless piece of rock?" I frowned. "Do you know how many years I could coast on that kind of money?"

""

"The Conrad family's reputation" He hissed, a rare crack of panic in his smooth voice.

"Reputation is an illusion." I drawled. "Cash is reality. The prenup clearly states the Amex is meant to 'maintain the dignity of Conrad's wife.'

Blowing twenty million on a rock feels incredibly undignified to me. It's reckless spending. It completely ruins my frugal, down-to-earth aesthetic."

Nathaniel's jaw clenched tight, the color draining from his face.

Chapter 4

On stage, the auctioneer practically vibrated with excitement. "Nineteen million going third and final time! Sold! Congratulations to bidder thirty-two!"

Applause erupted across the ballroom.

Nathaniel stared dead at me. I raised my crystal champagne flute to him. Smiled. "Just saved you twenty million dollars.

You're welcome."

The ride back. The air pressure inside the Maybach was so low it could freeze hell over. Nathaniel finally broke the silence. "You really exceeded expectations tonight, Jade."

"I try."

"Aren't you worried Dad will be furious when he finds out?"

"Terrified." I leaned the side of my head against the tinted window. "That's why I did a little homework."

"What homework?"

"Bidder thirty-two. He's a plant. Hired by your dad."

Nathaniel tensed.

"Your dad never had any intention of blowing twenty million dollars on a useless piece of rock," I continued smoothly. "But he didn't want to disrespect the gala organizers either. So he had you bring me. To be the fall guy.

I win the bid, I swipe the card. The diamond sits in the Conrad vault, and he gets all the glory. The prenup clearly states I have to justify every purchase on the black card. Twenty million for a rock?

When your dad inevitably asks, I'd have to tell the truth. I'd tell him you forced me to bid on it."

I watched the color drain from his face, leaving him a sickening shade of pale. "Who do you think your dad would be mad at?"

Nathaniel shut his mouth. Dead silence for the rest of the ride.

Back at the estate. Right before getting out of the car, he suddenly spoke. "Jade."

"Hmm?"

"Do you really just want to coast?"

"What else?" I pushed the heavy car door open. "Fight with you guys? Sounds exhausting.

Doesn't align with my career goals."

The youngest, Seth. He was the most deeply hidden. Looked the most harmless. Had the highest lethal potential.

He played the "warm and fuzzy" card.

"Auntie Jade!" One Sunday afternoon, he barged into the sunroom clutching his notebook. "I can't figure out this problem!"

I was deep into a thriller novel. Didn't even bother lifting my eyelids. "Go ask your brothers."

"Hunter is out doing whatever he does! Nathaniel is at the office!" He leaned in close. Those doe eyes were wide and wet.

"Please, Auntie, just help me. Please."

"" I let out a heavy sigh. Dropped the book onto the glass table. "Which one?"

"This one! The final question for AP Calculus!"

I glanced at the page. "Calculate the limit of this multivariable function and prove it's continuous at the origin. Use polar coordinates substitution. L'H?pital's rule doesn't apply here."

He blinked rapidly. "Wow, Auntie, you're amazing! What did you do before this?"

"Overtime."

"Huh?"

"Worked myself to death on overtime."

"Oh" He looked like he only half-understood. "Auntie, can you go to the parent-teacher conference for my dad next Friday?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Not in my contract."

""

"My dad is out of the country! Hunter and Nathaniel are too busy! Please, Auntie, I'm begging you!" He tugged at my sleeve, shaking my arm.

"My classmates keep saying saying my mom's gone and no one cares about me The teachers keep asking about my home life"

He dropped his head. His voice cracked with a sob.

I cursed under my breath. This little brat. He deserved an Oscar. "Time and place."

"Next Friday at 7:00 PM! The school's annual parent charity gala at a private club on the Upper East Side of Manhattan!" His head snapped up instantly. His eyes were sparkling.

Not a single damn tear in sight. "Thank you, Auntie!"

Chapter 5

The night of the charity gala. I wore the most inconspicuous black trench coat I could find. Pulled a baseball cap down low and hid behind oversized black sunglasses. I slipped into the very back row of the private club.

My only goal was to be completely invisible.

Of course, things didn't go my way.

Seth, the school's valedictorian, stepped up to the podium for his speech. The spotlight hit him. Tall, composed, radiating that effortless prep-school confidence. He finished his speech.

The applause was deafening. His eyes swept over the crowded room. Locked onto me with terrifying precision. He brought the mic back to his lips.

"Tonight. I want to give a special thank you to one specific person. My" He paused.

The entire room went dead silent. A cold sweat broke out across my back. My stomach dropped.

"My mother. Even though she's sitting quietly in the very back tonight. Not wanting to disturb me. I just want to say"

The spotlight snapped right onto me.

Hundreds of eyes. Swoosh. Every single head turned in my direction.

"Mom, thank you. Thank you for coming. Thank you for being willing to step into my life." His eyes went convincingly red.

He let his voice crack perfectly on the final syllable, and a collective gasp rippled through the crowd. The applause erupted all over again, mixed with loud whispers.

"That's Seth's mother? She looks so young!"

"She doesn't look the part"

"Must be the stepmom, right? I heard Conrad remarried"

"Hey, at least the stepmom showed up, even if she's hiding in the back"

"Seth is such a good kid"

I sat frozen in the blinding white light. Beneath the oversized sunglasses, my face was rigid. Only one thought looped in my brain. You little brat.

You played me.

The gala ended. A swarm of Upper East Side socialites surrounded me immediately.

"Mrs. Conrad! What is your skincare routine?"

"Mrs. Conrad, you've raised Seth so perfectly!"

"Mrs. Conrad"

Seth squeezed through the crowd of designer dresses. He linked his arm affectionately through mine. "Mom! Ready to go home?"

""

Inside the car. I ripped off the sunglasses and cap. "Seth."

"Yeah?"

"You overdid it."

He blinked those innocent doe eyes. "Auntie, did I say something wrong?"

"Who the hell is your mom?"

"You are. My dad married you. Legally, you are my mother." He leaned in.

Dropped his voice. A sly, venomous smirk curled the edges of his lips. "Look at it this way, Auntie. After tonight, the entire social circle knows you're my 'mom.'

Next gala. Track meets. Graduation You're not getting away from me."

""

I squeezed my eyes shut. Pressed my head against the leather headrest. The exhaustion seeped into my bones. This hundred grand a month.

It was getting harder to earn by the minute.

Three absolute nightmares. Taking turns to wreck my life. The eldest with his physical destruction. The second with his financial death traps.

The youngest with his public emotional blackmail. I was playing heavy defense. Holding desperately onto my baseline of coasting.

Until the bombshell news dropped. Straight to the number one trending spot.

[ SCANDAL! Conrad Group's Eldest Son Hunter Involved in Midnight Brooklyn Dive Bar Brawl & Destroys Limited-Edition Ferrari! ]

[ Hunter Conrad Brawl ]

[ Billionaire Heir Meltdown ]

The attached photos showed Hunter, his platinum blonde hair a mess, wearing a studded leather jacket and throwing a punch in a dimly lit bar. Another blurry shot caught him completely unhinged, smashing a heavy object into the windshield of a sports car. The news exploded instantly. Conrad Group's stock prices took a nosedive right on cue.

Conrad's phone call. It came straight to my private line. The sterile airport intercom chimed in the background. His voice could freeze water.

"Jade. I don't care how you do it. Immediately. Right now.

Drag Hunter back home."

Chapter 6

"Lock him in the house! Until I fly back and handle this! Do not let him step one single foot outside those gates! And the press! Bury it!"

""

"Jade?"

"Got it." I hung up the phone. A sharp throb pulsed at my temples. A hundred grand a month. Now I had to play crisis PR.

And part-time bodyguard. I was severely underpaid for this.

Hunter's bedroom. It looked like a Category 5 hurricane had ripped through it. He had thrown himself onto the king-sized mattress, a heavy down pillow smothered over his head.

"Get the hell out!" His voice was muffled through the feathers.

"Your dad ordered a full lockdown."

"I said, get the hell out!"

"Sure." I turned on my heel. "I'll call him right back. Tell him you're refusing to cooperate. Tell him to go ahead and contact that boarding school in Switzerland. Send the private jet to come collect you."

He violently hurled the pillow across the room. His eyes were bloodshot. "Is snitching the only thing you know how to do?!"

"I also know how to coast." I dragged a velvet accent chair over. Sat down. "Now. Talk. What happened."

He twisted his head away. Jaw clamped shut.

"Not talking?" I tapped the screen of my phone. "I bet the weather in the Swiss Alps is lovely this time of year."

"The band it's mine." His voice was raw.

"No shit."

"And the car"

"Who owns it?"

"Cody."

"Who?"

"The New York State Senator's son. He called my band trash." Hunter's chest heaved. "Said without the Conrad name, I'm absolute garbage."

"I So you smashed his car? With a guitar? A multi-million dollar sports car?"

"Yeah."

"Where is your brain? Did your studded leather jacket cut off the circulation to your head?"

He shot me a vicious glare. "It's none of your business!"

"You think I want to make it my business?" I stood up. "Pack your bags."

"For what?"

"We're going on the run. When your dad gets back, if he doesn't kill you, he'll definitely skin you alive."

"Run where?"

"I have a distant relative with a farm down in Texas. He raises cattle. He's short on hands to shovel manure. Room and board included. It's a perfect fit for you."

Hunter stared at me. Like I had just grown a second head. "Jade! Are you out of your damn mind?!"

"Yeah. I'm allergic to being broke. And there's no cure." I grabbed the heavy brass door handle. "Are you coming or not? You have three seconds. Three. Two"

He slammed his fist onto the mattress. "I'm not going anywhere! I smashed the car! I made the mess! I'll take the hit! I don't need your fake pity!"

"Oh." I nodded slowly. "Look at you, taking responsibility. Fine. Then handle it yourself. Cody is pressing charges. Suing you for intentional destruction of private property. The damages are massive. The circumstances are severe. Three years behind bars, minimum. Conrad Group's stock. Tanked seven percent today. Millions in market cap, evaporated"

He pressed his hands hard over his ears. "Shut up!"

"Right now, you have two options." I pried his fingers away from his head, forcing him to look at me. "Option A. You come with me to Cody's house. You apologize, pay up, swallow your pride, and beg for a settlement.

Option B. I book the flight right now, and you get your ass to Switzerland."

He bit down hard on his lower lip. Until a drop of blood beaded on the surface.

"A? Or B?"

Chapter 7

"A." The sound barely scraped past his throat.

"Speak up."

"A!" He slammed his fist into the mattress.

"Good." I pulled out my phone. "Richard. Contact the Senator's family. Hunter and I will be at their door in an hour to apologize. Have my personal check ready. The limit" I glanced at Hunter.

"Ten million dollars. That's enough to cover his wrecked car and the medical bills."

Hunter's head snapped up. "Ten million?! Are you insane?!"

"What else?" I pocketed my phone. "Can you afford it? Or do you want to go to prison? Now." I pointed at his shredded leather jacket and the blue dye job. "Go wash that garbage off yourself. Clean up!"

The Senator's estate. The air in the room was suffocating. Cody had his arm in a sling. Gauze taped across his face. His eyes were pure venom. The Senator's jaw clenched tight enough to snap bone, his wife glaring daggers.

Hunter kept his head down. Stood right next to me. His back was ramrod straight, but his fingers were trembling against his sides.

"Mrs. Conrad." The Senator spoke. "This incident is absolutely despicable! Our Cody"

"Senator." I cut him off. My voice was perfectly flat. "We are here today to apologize. And to solve the problem. Kids get impulsive. They make mistakes. Whatever we owe, we will pay. We won't dodge responsibility. Here is the check." I slid my personal check across the mahogany table. "Fill in the number. Property damage, medical bills, emotional distress. The Conrad family accepts the cost."

The Senator's wife let out a cold laugh. "Mrs. Conrad, we don't lack money. What we lack is an explanation!"

"An explanation?" I raised my eyes. "What kind of explanation are you looking for?"

"Hunter must apologize publicly! Put it in the papers! On national television!"

"Done."

"He must guarantee to stay far away from our Cody!"

"No problem."

"And"

"Mom!" Cody suddenly barked. He pointed his uninjured hand at Hunter. "I want him on his knees! Apologize to me!"

The living room went dead silent. Hunter's head snapped up. His eyes went bloodshot. "In your dreams!"

"Look at him!" The Senator's wife jabbed a manicured finger at us. "Is that an apology?!"

I pressed a hand hard against Hunter's shoulder, pinning him in place. I looked straight at Cody. "Cody. You want him on his knees?"

"Damn right!"

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure!"

"Good." I pulled out my phone. Tapped an audio file. Hit speaker. Loud background noise filtered out.

Cody's arrogant voice cut through the room, crystal clear.

[ "Hunter? Hah, a useless piece of trash riding his daddy's coattails! His band? Absolute dogshit! And that stepmom of his! Heard she was just some corporate drone working herself to death. Slept her way up to become Mrs. Conrad? How damn inspirational! What a freakshow of a family" ]

I killed the audio. The living room fell into a deathly silence. The Senator and his wife? Their faces lost all color.

Cody's mouth hung open. Like someone had him tightly by the throat. Hunter stared at me, pure shock radiating from him.

I slipped my phone back into my pocket. Smiled. "Cody. Severe malicious destruction of property is a Class D felony, carrying a maximum of seven years in prison. Add to that malicious defamation of character, and my legal team has more than enough capital to sue you into absolute bankruptcy. Now. Are you still sure. You want Hunter on his knees?"

Chapter 8