Chapter 404
Isaac rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed.
“You guys are such hypocrites. Why pretend to be these upstanding gentlemen? Life’s short-if you want to have fun, just go for it. What’s the point of acting so uptight?”
He leaned in and kissed the woman on his left, then gave the one on his right a playful slap. “Alright, ladies, seems these gentlemen aren’t interested tonight. Why don’t you find someone more fun to hang out with?”
Isaac raised his glass, taking a long drink before continuing.
“Since everyone’s here, I’ve been dying to ask-what’s with the long faces? McNeil’s divorced, you two got dumped, and now you’re all suddenly heartbroken? Come on, none of you are exactly known for your deep, undying love affairs. So why the melodrama?”
Marcus shot him a lazy glare. “Guys like you, who can’t stay out of trouble, wouldn’t get it.”
Isaac scoffed. “Curtis, I’ve got to say, I’m starting to have my doubts about you. Remember that night Marcus and I went out for a drink? That woman Marcus liked-she ordered a bunch of male dancers. I’ve never seen Marcus look that defeated. Honestly, I get it if you two are the brooding, self-restrained type, but Marcus is one thing. Then Mr. Langford himself decides to join the fun, calls in a raid and gets the whole hotel busted. I saw him literally carry that woman Marcus liked out to his car. McNeil, it’s no wonder your marriage fell apart. I’m honestly curious-just how many women do you have? One wife tucked away at home, a girlfriend on the side, and some mystery woman none of us have ever met?”
Isaac was only half-serious, but the jab landed. The other three men instantly realized what he was getting at. Marcus and Curtis paused, glasses halfway to their lips.
“So, Fannie—is she that Ms. Turner from your company? The one you’re into?”
Marcus didn’t bother playing coy with Curtis anymore.
Curtis’s face turned cold. “I don’t know anyone named Fannie. But that model car hanging on your wall-Victoria’s the one I gave it to.”
The glass in McNeil’s hand shattered, shards digging into his palm. All three men stared at him.
Marcus spoke up, voice low and deliberate. “Don’t tell me you know this Victoria Curtis is talking about.”
Curtis looked as if he’d been struck. He remembered the rumors about McNeil and Victoria at The Langford Group’s offices. Back then, he’d never believed it.
But now…
Curtis stared at McNeil, suspicion flaring. Could McNeil’s secret wife really be Victoria? That had to be impossible-what were the odds? But if it were true, McNeil’s composure was unreal. All those months he’d let Violet bully Victoria without lifting a finger.
Curtis’s hands clenched into fists as the realization settled in.
McNeil’s voice was flat. “We’re divorced. Does it really matter now?”
Blood dripped from his palm, but none of them offered sympathy.
Curtis and Marcus both looked stricken. The truth had dawned on them: McNeil’s wife had been right under their noses the entire time, and even as she’d become a frequent presence in their lives, none of them had pieced it together. Worse, recent events had only made things more complicated-somewhere along the line, feelings had gotten involved.
But the most infuriating thing was that McNeil had known everything and said nothing.
“McNeil, you bastard. So you were Victoria’s husband all along. No wonder that car looked so damn familiar.”
Curtis stood up and swung at McNeil, landing his fist squarely on his jaw. McNeil didn’t even try to defend himself.
Marcus made no move to stop him. He just sat back on the couch, watching Curtis use McNeil as a punching bag.
Isaac was left dumbfounded, spilling his drink all over the floor.
“Hey, what the hell-why are you guys fighting?”
He turned to Marcus, bewildered. “Aren’t you going to do something? Go break it
up!”