The Billionaire Husband She Never Knew

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1.

At the dinner table, the exchange student my wife had brought home suddenly spoke up in French:

Polly Pruitt, whatever you do, don't let it slip that I'm pregnant. If Joseph Dickerson found out, he'd probably kill me.

Polly set a piece of braised pork belly on his plate and let out a soft laugh.

"Relax, I won't tell him. Once I start to show, I'll find some excuse and go on another business trip to France with you."

"We'll come back once the baby's born."

The student grinned.

"Perfect. Then I'll just stay here for now and watch our baby grow."

Then Polly switched to English and turned to me.

"Joseph, Caleb Henson just started in the foreign trade department. I'm going to have him stay with us for a while."

"He's been in France all this time and doesn't know his way around here. You're the head of the foreign trade department. Look after him."

Caleb lifted his glass to me with a smile.

"Joseph, Polly tells me your English is excellent. From now on we'll be building up her company together. Here's to you!"

Excellent English?

Fair enough. I'd never told my wife I speak eight languages.

Since they were this brazen about it, there was no reason for me to be polite either.

1.

If it weren't for the faint mockery in Caleb's smile, I might have doubted my own ears.

I kept my eyes fixed on him.

He hid it well.

Polly assumed I simply didn't want to drink with him.

Her face went cold.

"Joseph, can you have a little courtesy? Can't you see Caleb is toasting you?"

I let out a short laugh.

"He toasts me, so I have to drink?"

"And you brought someone home to live here without asking me. Do I mean that little to you?"

Caleb suddenly looked wounded.

"Joseph, I know you mind me staying here, and you mind that Polly looks after me so much."

"But I just got back from studying abroad. My hometown's too far away, and I don't know a soul here."

"Don't worry. Polly just feels sorry for me. Once I get my bearings, I'll move out on my own."

"Move out, nothing!"

"You can stay as long as you like."

Polly shielded him, then rounded on me.

"Joseph, when are you going to stop being so petty? Every time I mention you to people, I'm embarrassed!"

I gripped my glass and stared at her coldly.

"Then tell me. What were the two of you just saying?"

"We were"

Guilt flickered in Polly's eyes, but she found her explanation at once.

"Caleb's going to handle all the French correspondence for the company from now on. I was just running through some practice with him, so he wouldn't get rusty."

"Joseph, you're letting your imagination run wild again. And here Caleb was just praising you."

Caleb smiled.

"That's right, Joseph. I was just saying how experienced you are, and how much I have to learn from you."

I listened to the lie, my gaze icy.

But I didn't expose them then and there.

The price for betraying me shouldn't come that cheap.

Once before, Polly had brought him home too. Back then there was only a hint of something between them.

If I hadn't understood French, I'd never have known how far it had already gone.

Six years ago.

Polly was still clawing her way up, building the business.

Domestic accounts were tight, and it was my fluent English that landed her a string of major overseas clients.

I also brought in an investment from Huasheng Group, the biggest company in the city.

The thing is, English is the international language, so even though I speak eight languages, English was the only one I ever used in front of her.

And what she knew even less was this.

The former chairman of Huasheng Group was my grandfather.

Before he died, he left instructions that I couldn't take over until I turned thirty.

By now, I'm already thirty-two.

To help Polly, I never went back.

Huasheng's investment in her company runs deep.

It holds forty percent of the shares.

So on paper I'm the head of the foreign trade department at Polly's company.

But in reality.

Polly has been working for me all along.

Right now, I forced myself to stay calm.

I spoke evenly.

"If it's practice, then go ahead and continue."

At that, Caleb smiled at Polly.

"Polly, see, I told you Joseph isn't that petty."

Then he switched back to French.

"Polly, has he always been this easy to fool?"

Polly glanced at me and gave a slight smile.

"Hasn't he ever."

"Back before you graduated, when I brought you home for your internship, he was always making a fuss because we were getting close."

"And a couple of sweet words later, he was fine."

"Remember that one time we got a hotel room, and ran right into him coming out?"

"I told him I was booking a room for a client. He believed it instantly."

"When it comes down to it, he just can't live without me."

Caleb heard her out, then looked at me with real amusement and went on in French:

"Polly, that time we were in bed at your place, I was scared he'd suddenly come home."

"But the way you tell it, even if he really did catch us, would he just take some excuse and believe it?"

"Probably."

"Then once our kid is a little older, I'm going to tell him the story of the cuckold turtle every single day."

The two of them exchanged a look and laughed, watching me the way you'd watch a clown.

After that they kept flirting back and forth for a long while.

I pretended not to understand a word.

Eventually, they must have run out of interest.

Polly switched back to English.

"Caleb, this afternoon let me take you to see the company. It's been a while since you were there."

Then she said to me:

"Joseph, go to the supermarket this afternoon and pick up some Western everyday things. Caleb isn't used to what we have at home."

Then the two of them left.

I quietly brought up the phone I'd left under the table and stopped the recording.

Then I called a number I hadn't dialed in a long time.

"Cole, I'm coming back to Huasheng."

2.

The person on the other end of the line could barely contain himself.

"Sir, you're finally coming back? When will you be here?"

"It'll be a few more days."

"First, do something for me. Pull every one of my wife Polly's travel records from her business trips to France."

"Of course, sir. Huasheng holds a large stake in her company. It's practically your subsidiary. Getting her itinerary is easy."

Not long after, Cole Whitney sent me a document.

"Sir, these are all of Polly's records from her trips to France over the past two years."

I opened it and looked, my brow tightening.

I'd expected it, but the extent of what she and Caleb had gotten up to still surprised me.

In the last six months alone, they'd booked hotel rooms more than a hundred times.

Which meant that more than half the time, they were sleeping together.

There was also a list of everything Polly had bought for Caleb.

Luxury watches. A sports car. And more.

Together it came to over two million.

For reference, her company's total annual revenue barely cleared ten million.

"Sir, shall I draw up a divorce agreement?"

"In her situation, you could force her out with nothing, and from Huasheng's position, make her pay back every loss on top of that."

I closed the document.

I shook my head slowly, my eyes cold.

"No rush. Let them play a little longer first."

That afternoon I went to the supermarket.

Then I went home.

I'd just finished cooking when I heard the door.

I started the recorder at the right moment.

Polly and Caleb walked in laughing, looking at some medical report, chatting in French.

"Polly, our baby is so tiny right now. The doctor said he's only about the size of a soybean."

Polly smiled gently.

"Then we'll just wait for him to grow, slowly."

"Let's eat first. We can look at it later."

They'd barely sat down when Polly noticed a chopstick set was missing.

She frowned and looked over at me in the kitchen.

"Joseph, there are three of us. Why did you only bring out two sets of chopsticks?"

"Bring another set for Caleb!"

I said flatly,

"I'm not obligated to wait on outsiders."

At that, Polly slapped her chopsticks down on the table.

"Joseph, how many times have I told you? Caleb is not an outsider!"

I gave a cold laugh.

"Fair enough. You two are glued together all day. For all I know, you're already husband and wife."

That only made Polly angrier.

"Enough! When are you going to rein in this jealousy of yours?"

"When are you going to learn from Caleb what it means to be tolerant?"

I took off the apron and tossed it onto a chair.

"Sorry. I can't learn it, and I don't want to."

Polly shot to her feet.

She was about to speak when the report slipped out of her hand.

It drifted down and landed right on the dining table.

At the bottom, the words "eight weeks pregnant" were plain to see.

And Polly had only just spent six months on a business trip in France.

There was no way it was mine.

Polly snatched it up.

Guilt flashed across her face. She thought I hadn't seen the patient's name.

"Joseph, don't read into it. I went in to get my cramps checked. That report is someone else's. I picked up the wrong one."

I laughed coldly inside and said mildly,

"Oh, is that so?"

"Then how is it I remember your period came half a month ago?"

She frowned.

"That's because things have been busy at the company lately, and because you keep picking fights with me!"

Seeing my cold expression, she said icily,

"What, you don't believe me? Caleb can vouch for it!"

Caleb quickly spoke up. "Joseph, Polly has never once betrayed you. I can guarantee that!"

I let out a faint laugh.

"You?"

"Uh, yes, me."

"And who the hell are you?"

Caleb's face went ugly at that.

Polly flew into a rage, grabbed a chopstick, and hurled it at me.

"Joseph, don't push your luck!"

"Don't forget, everything you eat and drink comes from my company!"

"Apologize to Caleb, or you can forget about this month's bonus!"

Behind her, Caleb wore a smug little smile, though his mouth said,

"Polly, don't be upset. I won't hold it against Joseph."

I wiped a bit of broth off my temple and gave a scornful smile.

"I don't want it."

With that, ignoring her cursing, I walked into the second bedroom.

I opened my phone.

"Cole, back up a copy of Polly's hospital exam records from today for me."

In just a few minutes, he sent it over.

The report read:

Polly.

Two months pregnant. Fetus healthy.

3.

The next morning, I came into the office.

I'd barely reached the break room when Caleb walked over, all smiles.

"Joseph, things got a little heated yesterday. Let me pour you a cup of tea instead of a drink, as a peace offering."

"After all, from here on out we'll both be working hard for Polly's company."

Smiling, he lifted the cup toward me.

Just then someone passed by.

"Caleb knows his manners. Fresh at the company and already toasting his boss first."

"Joseph, one of your people is honoring you. It'd be rude not to drink."

I frowned and reached to take it.

But before my hand touched the cup, Caleb let go.

Scalding tea poured down the front of my shirt.

The burn spread across my skin.

I looked at Caleb, cold.

"You did that on purpose?"

Right then, Polly walked over.

Caleb put on a wounded face.

"Joseph, if you've got a problem with me, just tell me and I'll fix it."

"But you shouldn't go hurting yourself just to make trouble for me."

"I know you don't want me getting close to Polly. Fine, from now on I'll stay far away from her."

Hearing that, Polly flew into a rage.

"Joseph Dickerson, isn't giving me that face at home enough for you?!"

"You come to the office and start harassing Caleb too. Do you even want this job anymore?!"

I looked at her.

"He let go on purpose. He burned me."

But she wasn't hearing any of it.

"Quit playing the victim. Caleb would never do something like that!"

"Get back to your desk. If I catch you going after him again, don't blame me for not being nice about it!"

I had just turned away when I heard Caleb speak again, this time in French.

"Polly, Joseph really seems to have it out for me. Maybe I should just go back to France?"

At that, Polly answered him in French.

"Fine. If you don't want to stay here, I'll go back with you. I'll buy tomorrow's tickets in a bit."

"But what about Joseph? You two are married, after all"

"I stopped loving him a long time ago. If it weren't for his language skills, I'd have divorced him ages ago."

The disappointment went all the way through me.

In that moment, the last shred of feeling I had for Polly was gone too.

I sent Cole a message.

"Tell Polly there's a shareholders' meeting tomorrow."

"Have legal prepare the evidence and bring it in tomorrow. I want her to see exactly how foolish she's been."

4.

If I was going to lay it all on the table, then the assets Polly and I shared had to be split clean too.

That afternoon I walked straight out of the office and went home to pack.

The wedding photos on the wall came down too, straight into the trash.

She came back at the end of the day, Caleb in tow.

The moment she saw the suitcase I'd packed and the bare wall, her brows drew together.

She snapped at me while I was cooking.

"Joseph, what the hell is this?"

I turned around and said it calmly.

"Polly, starting tomorrow, there's nothing between us anymore."

"You can be with him."

"But the price of it, you might not be able to pay."

Polly let out a short, scornful laugh.

"So this whole show was just to say those two lines?"

"Who do you think you are, the head of Huasheng?"

"Don't think I can't see it. You're doing all this to spite Caleb, because you don't want him living here."

"But relax. You won't be seeing him much longer anyway."

"Our biggest shareholder, Huasheng, just handed down a new assignment. I have to go to France on business for a year. I already bought the tickets for tomorrow afternoon. Caleb's French is good, so he's going with me."

"You love being jealous, don't you? Now you'll have plenty of time to stew in it."

"Hurry up and finish cooking. We're hungry."

With that, she sauntered back to the couch and started up her flirty French chatter with Caleb again.

I'd just carried the food out when I heard Caleb say,

"Polly, once our baby's born, are you going to have one for Joseph too?"

"If you do, won't our kid have to share your love with somebody else?"

"He won't get bullied, will he?"

Polly gave a cold snort.

"Him?"

"I'll never have a child with him."

"When I get back from France this time, I'm telling him we're staying child-free."

"These last couple of days have been hard on you. Tonight I'll make it up to you."

"Polly, you're so good to me."

"But, I hear you can't do that when you're pregnant..."

"It's fine. We'll go gently."

Just then Polly saw me come out, her eyes fixing on the food in my hands.

"Joseph, I told you I don't like roast chicken. Are you deaf?"

She glanced at the empty cutting board in the kitchen and the range hood already switched off.

"Why'd you only make one dish today? What are Caleb and I supposed to eat?"

I said flatly, "I already told you last time. I'm not cooking for you anymore."

"If you two want to eat, figure it out yourselves."

At that, Polly shot to her feet.

"Joseph, what exactly are you trying to do?"

I ignored her and went on eating.

She started toward me to curse me out, but Caleb held her back, soothing her in French.

"Polly, don't be angry. Think of our baby."

Polly forced her temper down, then rounded on me again.

"Joseph, why did you leave the office this afternoon without permission?"

"You broke company rules. Your bonus for this month is docked."

"And the company's foreign trade documents go translate the foreign-language sections now. I need them tomorrow."

"Consider it making up for the hours you skipped this afternoon."

Once, Polly had told me I could come and go from the company as I pleased.

Now she was using it against me.

There was no way to finish translating those documents in one night. She was deliberately getting me out of the way.

But I couldn't be bothered to argue.

After all, tomorrow it would all be over.

"Fine."

I rose slowly, took my suitcase, and left the house.

Caleb's worry drifted after me.

"Polly, Joseph isn't going to run away from home, is he?"

Her mockery followed close behind.

"He's just putting on a show. Don't worry, he'll have the translated documents to me first thing tomorrow morning, right on time."

"Not that I have any use for them."

Then she switched to French of her own accord.

"All right, he's gone. Let me order takeout, and then I'll make it up to you."

My steps paused, and I left with cold eyes.

That night, I didn't go back.

Early the next morning, I appeared in the conference room where the shareholders' meeting was held.

Cole stood behind me with the legal team.

Just then, Polly called.

"Joseph, where are you? Where are the documents I told you to translate?"

I didn't pick up.

When she called again, I blocked her outright.

Then a message came through.

"Joseph, you dare not answer my calls? The second this meeting's over, you're fired!"

Not long after, the conference room door opened.

Polly nodded and smiled at the room, until she saw me sitting at the head of the table, and her fury boiled up at once.

"Joseph, no wonder I couldn't find you. So you ran off here!"

"And why are you here? Is this any place for you?"

I looked at her and spoke in French.

"To hear it for myself, of course. What assignment did Huasheng arrange for you?"

"To go over there and have Caleb's baby?"