The End of a Fake Marriage

Renee felt her heart sink as if it were dropping into her stomach. She knelt down, met the cat’s eyes, and asked, “What’s wrong? Something happened to you, didn’t it? Did the kittens get hurt?”

The cat let out another long, sorrowful cry, then glanced back repeatedly as if signaling Renee to follow, before turning and heading back to where it had come from.

Renee followed the cat into the hallway without hesitation.

Rumble-rumble-

The heavy rain, which had been falling steadily, now seemed to be accompanied by thunder, drumming fiercely against the ground.

The mother cat, having run ahead, stopped not far away, waiting for Renee. In the dark, empty hallway, the cat’s cries echoed loudly.

The mother cat, having run ahead, stopped not far away, waiting for Renee. In the dark, empty hallway, the cat’s cries echoed loudly.

It was Nina Chambler’s room.

***

“We’ve arrived, sir.”

Michael stopped the car in front of the lobby entrance and glanced at the man in the rearview mirror with a nervous expression.

Alexander Chambler, sitting in the back seat, remained still and silent, his head resting against the headrest.

‘…It’s suffocating.’

Michael felt a tightness in her chest. She had the urge to loosen her tie, which felt like it was choking her, but she barely managed to remain silent and keep her composure.

“…You’re not going to regret it, are you?”

Alexander finally broke the silence. As the sound of rain pounding on the car’s roof grew louder.

Michael made an effort not to show relief as he cautiously asked back, “Regret what, sir?”

“Threatening me today.”

“Ah.”

‘Threaten. Threaten, huh.’

In a way, it was true. Michael awkwardly scratched the thick ridge of his eyebrow and chuckled.

“I don’t do things I’ll regret. That’s one of my rules. So, what I did earlier? Not something I’ll regret. It was just a bold choice, that’s all.”

As Michael was leaving the building to finish her work and leave, he suddenly looked up at the 14th floor where the CEO’s office was.

The Chambler Building was used as offices only up to the 14th floor, with the 15th to 22nd floors being a hotel, and the 23rd floor and the top floor being an observation deck and lounge.

The highest office floor. The only place with its lights still on.

Michael stared up at it for a long while, an odd sense of déjà vu creeping over him. It felt as if he had experienced this exact moment before.

‘Why do I feel so uneasy?’

He felt that he shouldn’t just pass this moment by.

He didn’t know why. However, he had the experience that when he ignored this feeling, he would end up regretting it later.

After hesitating for quite some time, Michel suddenly found himself heading back into the building.

As if possessed by a ghost, he found himself standing in front of Alexander and saying, “If you don’t go home today, I’m going on strike starting now.”

“…What?”

“And it won’t just be me. I’ll bring Luis along too. The strike will last until you go home, get proper rest, and come back. Specifically, until Mrs. Chambler confirms that you’ve slept for at least 10 hours.”

“Did you fall down the stairs or something on your way here?”

“Nope, I’m perfectly fine. I eat well, sleep well, go jogging in the morning, and even enjoy boxing. But you, sir, are not fine. In your current state, it seems like you’ll have trouble with upcoming matters. So, please go home today. Better yet, take a few days off and get some proper rest. All the urgent tasks are already wrapped up anyway.”

“…”

“I’m serious about the strike.”

“Are you insane?”

“No one working under an insane boss stays sane themselves. Even Louis Dumpel is just a well-dressed lunatic in my eyes. So, let’s go. I’ll take you home.”

(Sane is having a healthy mind and being able to think normally.)

And so, Alexander Chambler was forced to return home.

Alexander, who was rubbing his forehead as if he was at a loss for words at this moment, he let out a faint laugh.

“When did you get so good at talking, Michael?”

“I suppose being around you and Louis has sharpened my conversational skills.”

“You were still soft-spoken around Louis.”

“That’s intentional. It’s fun watching him get all riled up.”

Michael grinned as he spoke, baring his teeth in a wide smile. The action revealed a long scar running diagonally beneath his chin.

Louis might have seen Michael Ankès as part of the nobility, but Alexander’s view couldn’t have been more different.

“Nobility? Ridiculous.”

“Michael was a man who lived by suppressing his hunter’s instincts with reason.”

“He was astute in practical matters, quick to assess situations, and even had an instinctive ability to sense danger. On top of that, thanks to his fairly high-level education, he was easy to bring around.”

If Louis served as part of Alexander’s brain, Michael was his hands, feet, and shield.

“Michael took charge of things that required his direct intervention. He had an excellent ability to handle things that were rough, dirty, and somewhat undignified tasks with elegance and precision.”

“A man who had roamed countless battlefields carried with him the distinct scent of death, and people instinctively knew not to provoke a mad dog baring its teeth.”

“A crazy owner who was acknowledged by such a mad dog. It was not a pleasant feeling, but it was hard to deny it. Even to him, it seemed that he himself was not in his right mind right now.”

A laugh suddenly burst out of him.

“Yes, that’s right, I’m not in my right mind. But how many times have I been in my right mind?”

Michael glanced back at the sound of his rough laughter, but Alexander didn’t stop laughing.

Then, as the sound of rain hitting the roof grew even more intense, he abruptly stopped laughing and straightened up.

“How does this incompetent CEO know that he can’t do his job without his secretaries and how he’s so good at threatening people?”

Just before stepping out of the car, Alexander glanced up at the sky beyond the window. The relentless rain was growing heavier again, and the movements of the clouds were ominous.

There weren’t enough streetlights on the outskirts of the city, and the roads would be wet, so there was a high chance of an accident.

Alexander opened the car door and added in a nonchalant voice, “You should stay the night too. There are plenty of rooms.”

“Really? I was worried about the roads being slippery,” Michael replied, flashing a cheeky grin, as if he’d been waiting for this suggestion. He promptly drove the car to the garage.

As soon as he arrived, Gabriel appeared as if out of nowhere, quickly approaching to open an umbrella over his head.

“Why are you out here? Shouldn’t you be sleeping, old man?”

“When the master returns, it’s the servant’s duty to greet him.”

“What era is this that you’re being so old-fashioned?”

“Are you heading straight to your room, sir?”

“I am. Make sure Michael is given a room; I told him to stay the night since it’s late.”

“Understood.”

Alexander left Gabriel behind and walked quietly through the main hall of the mansion, soaked in the misty rain. The surroundings were dark, and the air was heavy and damp.

‘…Renee must be sleeping.’

She was a woman with an early sleeping habit. She lived a healthy life, completely opposite to Alexander, who lived a chaotic life.

He was thinking he should go in as quietly as possible so as not to wake Renee when,

“Do you think you can treat me like this just because you’re wearing a wedding ring?!”

Nina’s voice, full of malice, came out sharply from across the empty hallway.

***

“I apologize once again for waking you up at this hour. I’m sorry. If you’d like, I’ll come back to formally apologize later. But for now, please, just let me check if my cat is inside.”

It was certainly rude to knock on the door in the middle of the night without warning.

Even though she believed she had a valid reason, Renee knew full well that it was still just her perspective. That was why she was asking as politely as possible.

However, for some people, being polite was seen as foolish and pointless. In fact, such a humble posture often became the foundation for looking down on that person.

Nina’s lips curled into a crooked smile.

“Spending time in the countryside seems to have robbed you of any sense of propriety. Do you really think this is acceptable behavior over a bunch of stray cats, Renée? Melinda, do you think this makes any sense?”

“No, of course not! It’s madness! Honestly, what kind of person would be so disrespectful? How little must they think of Miss Renee to treat her like this? Unbelievable!”

Fine, Nina might act that way. She was entitled to.

But for her maid—her oversized, insolent maid—to dare behave so boldly?

“……”

Renee stared at the large maid standing behind Nina with cold eyes.

This mansion belonged to Alexander. She was his wife, its mistress.

No matter how close Nina was as Alexander’s sister, she could never outrank Renee in this household.

‘What on earth made her act so recklessly? Or was I so bad at dealing with things that even that maid seemed ridiculous?’

For a brief moment, Renee seriously considered this possibility, her brow furrowing in frustration. If so, then this was her failure.

Even if she was a provincial noble, unfamiliar with the intricate rules and customs of high society—even if she was merely a contract wife forced into the role of a fake spouse—she could not allow herself to be underestimated, not even by this insolent maid who wasn’t even her own servant.

To let them belittle her would be an unforgivable mistake.