He Wants An Open Marriage? Done!

"Can you do that, Nick?" Margaret asked, her voice dropping into a deceptive calm.

Nicholas shot a defensive glance at his mother before snapping his gaze down to the table. His hand tightened into a white-knuckled fist against the wood. "No one is checking a damn thing," he declared, his voice tight and final. "You’re asking for permission to invade my privacy. The answer is no."

"Nobody is digging through your private life, Nicholas. We just want to see if Christian’s name is anywhere in your inbox," Richard countered. He leaned forward, locking his gaze onto his brother. "We are giving you a chance to prove your innocence. I’m sure you want that just as badly as we do."

Nicholas stared back at him, the skin around his collar suddenly looking too tight. His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard, and his index finger began to nervously tap against the table.

"My answer remains no."

"Then you are suspended from Vance Enterprises and all corporate operations, effective immediately, until a full investigation clears your name," Richard said. His voice was entirely devoid of emotion. He turned a cold shoulder to Nicholas, addressing the room. "We will need to launch a formal internal audit into—"

"You don’t have the right to do that! You can’t touch my position!" Nicholas spat, his voice cracking as he cut his brother off. He slammed both hands flat on the table, pushing himself up slightly. "This company is my inheritance just as much as it is yours. You’re just a temporary guardian running the show. Father, speak some sense into him!"

Roxanne watched the desperation bleed through his arrogance, imperceptibly shaking her head. He was drowning, and he was too proud to see it.

"Actually, Nick, I am the president of this company," Richard said. He didn’t raise his voice, but the sheer weight of his authority anchored the room. "And with the full backing of the board, your suspension is indefinite." He leaned across the table, his eyes narrowing. "But we can pause the paperwork right now if you slide that phone across the table."

Nicholas scoffed, a bitter sound. "Oh, beautiful. So now we’ve moved on to flat-out intimidation?" He whipped his head toward the end of the table. "Say something, Father! Are you just going to sit there and let this happen? This is entirely wrong!" he yelled, his chest heaving under his suit.

Henry looked at his son, his weathered face completely still. "I stand with Richard’s decision," he said quietly, the calm in his voice cutting deeper than a shout. "Hand over the phone, Nicholas. Prove them wrong."

Nicholas fiercely shook his head, his fingers clamping around the frame of his device like a vice. "Never! I’m not doing it!"

"Does that mean you’re guilty, son?" Henry asked, tilting his head slightly, his eyes sharp.

Across the table, Margaret let out a ragged breath. "I wanted so badly to believe you were innocent," she murmured, her voice suddenly sounding fragile, breaking the fierce facade of Lady Vance.

She looked at Nicholas, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "But looking at you right now, it breaks my heart. Why, Nicholas? Why would you do this to your own brother? To your own family? You know the sweat and sacrifice it took to keep the Vance name clean in this industry, and you threw it all into the gutter. Why?"

Nicholas stared at her tears, his jaw tightening as he looked away. "I didn’t do anything."

"Stop lying, Nick!" Richard shot back, his restraint finally fracturing.

"I am not lying!" Nicholas hissed, glaring right back.

Pamela let out a soft, mocking laugh from her seat, slowly shaking her head. "You did it, Nick. We all know it, and you know it. Did you honestly think that leaking that video would force Richard to step down? Did you think the board would just hand you his crown?"

"Oh, shut the hell up, Pamela!" Nicholas snapped, his face flushing crimson.

"You will not speak to your sister that way!" Margaret erupted, slamming her hand down. "You do not deserve—"

"Margaret," Henry said. His hand gently covered hers on the table, his steady warmth stopping her words.

Margaret snapped her gaze to her husband, her nose twitching as she sniffled, fighting with every ounce of her strength to keep the tears from falling.

Nicholas’s eyes widened slightly, a sudden look of shock crossing his features as he realized his mother was truly ready to disown him.

"Please, Maggie, breathe," Henry murmured softly, an anchor in the middle of the family storm. "You’re operating on pure anger right now. Let’s not make permanent decisions in a split second."

Roxanne kept her eyes trained on Nicholas. There was no pity left in her. If he was malicious enough to orchestrate that video just to ruin Richard, then he deserved every bit of the fallout.

"I will also be cutting all ties with Nicholas," Richard added, his voice dropping. "For intentionally dragging my name through the mud, and for proving he doesn’t care about the legacy we vowed to protect, all for his own selfish greed."

Roxanne leaned slightly forward, the cool air of the air conditioning hitting her face as she broke her silence. "Nicholas, I think you’re forgetting something. We are in 2026. Refusing access won’t help you. Digital evidence doesn’t disappear."

Nicholas’s eyes flashed with pure venom as he locked onto her. "I dare any of you to touch my property! I will slap this entire family with a lawsuit so fast your heads will spin!"

Richard’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "Then I will gladly tell my legal team to look out for your paperwork." He didn’t hesitate. He looked directly past Nicholas toward the door. "Security! In here, right now!"

A confused murmur rippled through the board members. Roxanne’s brow furrowed, a sudden knot of anxiety tightening in her stomach as she looked at Richard. What is he doing?

Nicholas looked between his brother and the door, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps. "What the hell do you think you’re doing, Richard?"

Richard didn’t offer a single word of explanation. He kept his eyes locked on the entryway as the two massive security guards stepped back into the dining room. Only then did he shift his gaze to his brother. "Escort him out. He is not welcome here any longer."

Nicholas stumbled backward, his chair scraping violently against the floor. "Don’t you dare lay a single finger on me!" he threatened, his voice rising in panic.

He took one step backward, then another, and his thumb began flying across his screen.

Pamela frowned, her eyes widening. "He’s deleting something!"

"Don’t let him! Stop him!" Richard ordered, standing up.

"Richard, wait. What are you doing?" Roxanne asked, her heart jumping into her throat. She instinctively reached out, her fingers wrapping around his wrist as he stood up. His skin was burning hot, his pulse racing.

He paused, looking down at her. His eyes softened for just a fraction of a second. "Don’t stop me, Roxanne. Please," he murmured quietly.

Seeing the absolute certainty in his eyes, Roxanne slowly let go of his hand, her own heart hammering against her ribs as she watched him step forward.

"Let him leave, Richard. This isn’t the way to handle this," Henry warned, his voice tense but steady.

Margaret’s chest heaved as she watched her two sons face each other like enemies, but she remained completely silent, refusing to intervene.

Richard didn’t hesitate. He strode toward Nicholas with terrifying purpose, his chest heaving.

Before Nicholas could swing, the two guards lunged forward, grabbed his upper arms, and pinned his back securely against the wall. Richard didn’t waste a single second. He stepped into Nicholas’s space, forcefully prying the phone out of his iron grip.

The screen was on the messaging app with the question, Are you sure you want to delete? Yes or No, on the screen.

"Give that back!" Nicholas roared, his face twisting with a mixture of rage and humiliation as he struggled against the guards. "You will regret this! I swear to God, you will pay for this, Richard!"

Richard’s eyes flicked to the glowing screen. "Deleting messages?" He tapped No. "You really should have done this the easy way, Nick," he murmured, his eyes scanning the glowing screen as he began to scroll through it. "Now, let’s see exactly what you’re hiding."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!