Heiress' Househusband is a Secret Billionaire

"Shit! Who's that redhead?!"

Cursing under his breath, Damien kept glancing at the main entrance of the private hospital. He eagerly waited for the strange man claiming to be Lariette's husband to come out.

Damien tried to plead with the security guards but, they still kicked him out. He could only linger outside the hospital building because the entrance guards were already alerted about him.

"Damn! Who does he think he is? How dares he mess with me!"

Damien's face contorted in anger. The humiliation caused by the crimson-haired man earlier left a stinging pain in his heart more than to the back of his knees.

"Ouch..."

Feeling the ache again, Damien crouched slightly to touch the back of his knees. He resorted to sitting at a bench nearby instead of continuing to loiter. He believed the redhead would appear sooner or later anyway.

Damien stared straight at the main entrance, afraid he would miss Ruediger's appearance. Gritting his teeth, the crimson-haired guy's words from earlier irked him.

"I don't believe it. It's all bullshit!"

Clenching his right hand, Damien slammed his fist to his thigh. He didn't believe in Ruediger's claim about being Lariette's husband. He also knew she wasn't even associated with the strange guy.

In their two years of relationship, Damien had learned that Lariette was not as pushover and a doormat as most people believed. She only suppressed that side of her due to her thirst for the Elsher family's acknowledgment.

If Lariette showed her decisiveness and fought back against their mistreatment, the Elsher family would certainly think she acted like that because she was jealous of the demure Stephanie.

Damien seized that chance to brainwash Lariette into becoming more submissive than ever. He didn't expect his plan to be ruined just because she caught him cheating on her once.

Just caught him once and she blew off the top!

"Screw this!"

Damien knew he had no chance against Matthias Silvera, Stephanie's fiance thus, he hinted at getting to know Lariette when he approached Stephanie more than two years ago.

The majority in high society was aware that the fake heiress Stephanie was treated like a princess by the Elsher family, compared to the returned real heiress Lariette. 

But!

They also knew how much Chairman Delaney doted on his missing-before-returning granddaughter. The elderly man treated his grandchildren equally, unlike what Jonathan and Samantha did.

Damien love-bombed Lariette during the beginning of their acquaintance, betting on the fact that she was eager for someone's acknowledgment. It didn't take him long to make her fall for him.

His plan was the greatest!

Once they got married soon, Damien would get Lariette to persuade Chairman Delaney into investing in the Schuman Group. His family's company was still far below Silvera Logistics and Elsher Group.

"...?!"

Damien abruptly stood up once his eyes spotted Ruediger walking out of the hospital lobby. Ignoring the pain of the back of his knees, he hurriedly yet quietly followed the crimson-haired man from behind.

The time had reached the evening yet, the day was long in summer.

Damien quietly trailed Ruediger from a distance. The latter walked toward the back of the main building, most likely to the parking lot.

Ruediger's relaxed posture was reflected through the elongated shadows on the paved walkway, striding forward with his calm and measured steps.

Not many people were around as he got closer to the parking further deeper into the hospital compound.

Damien quietly lurked from behind, already clenching his hands into fists. He was eager to strike a punch to the back of the red-haired man's head, to regain his loss of control earlier.

Oh! It would be super satisfying to watch this bastard writhe in pain!

"...where did he go?"

Damien couldn't believe his eyes! He swore he still saw the crimson-haired man a few feet away from him.

Where did he go?

There were no traces left!

"Where is he?"

Unwilling to retreat even after the guy disappeared, Damien marched forward, hoping to spot him back. He believed the redhead hadn't gone too far. 

"Which way did he go?"

Damien halted in his tracks further down the hallway. Sweeping his gaze across the parking lot, he didn't realize he was standing near the back alley between two buildings.

A figure quietly emerged from the narrow alley, creeping closer to Damien akin to a predator. The summer breeze brushed past his crimson strands.

Ruediger smirked seeing how oblivious Damien was with his lurking presence. He had already noticed the latter trying to sneak on him from the moment he walked to the parking lot.

Moving silently with fluid precision, Ruediger's calculated steps close in onto Damien's unsuspecting figure. The upcoming twilight was reflected in his cold green eyes. 

Then...

"Argh! Umph! Umph!"

Ruediger swiftly headlocked Damien from behind before dragging him to the back alley. He firmly latched the latter's head in the crook of his elbow, leaving no room for Damien to flee.

"Y-you! Let go! Argh!"

BAM!

Ruediger slammed Damien's front to the cold brick wall, sending the man gasping and jolting. The dull thud broke the heavy tension in the air.

The force of the impact flared an onslaught of intense pain in Damien's body. His entire face and abdomen hurt from the crash. The rough surface left small cuts on his exposed skin.

"W-what are you doing?"

Grunting painfully, Damien tried to look at the assailant, only to find out the latter was the exact man he tried to find. Ruediger's eerie smirk was reflected in his horrified gaze.

"Tried sneaking on me, huh?" 

"Argh! D-don't!"

Ruediger pressed his forearm against Damien's upper back, pinning the blond heavily against the wall. His other hand twisted the scumbag's hand while pressing his knee into the back of Damien's right leg.

"Leave Lariette alone," uttered Ruediger in a dangerously low tone, his hot breath fanning Damien's back, "Mess with her again? You're dead meat."

"W-who are you? You're not her husband! I don't believe... argh!"

Ruediger struck a punch to the side of Damian's neck. The blond froze before he fell pitifully to the dirty ground, fainting from the former's neck chop.

"Scum."

Ignoring the unconscious Damien, Ruediger turned around to leave. He fished out his phone before calling a number.

As Ruediger walked to where he parked his motorbike, the call was connected. Standing with his back sprinkled by the descending sun, his cool tone reached the end of the line.

"Nate, we have a link to Schuman Group, don't we? Cut our investment from them. Do it slowly first. I'll tell you when to strike hard."