I'm the Joke of the Elite Circle

There's a saying that circulates within our circle. "Eric Tuttle catches adultery twice as fast as Joanna Lockwood commits it." Whenever anyone's wife cheats, I get dragged out as the undisputed role model. Behind my back, though, they joke, "Eric is nothing but a jealous brute. No husband from a wealthy family has ever fallen this low." But what shocks the entire elite circle this time is that when the paparazzi shove Joanna's intimate photos from her affair right in my face, I just laugh it off. Even Joanna herself pulls up her pants and rushes back at the first moment. She looks at me with confusion, but I just shrug and say, "I'm tired." Joanna's tears turn to laughter. Then, she touches up her makeup smugly. "Eric, are you admitting defeat this time?" she asks. My gaze falls on the scattered explicit photos, then I reply calmly, "Yeah." Because this time, she's fallen for my bone marrow donor, Marcus Kern. Chapter 1 Joanna Lockwood was stunned, her smile frozen in place. She asked, "You're not planning to pull some kind of trick, are you?" I touched the leukemia test report in my pocket and smiled bitterly. "You're overthinking it." I used to be a lunatic who dominated the trending searches every day. I'd stripped a homewrecker naked and paraded him through the streets. I'd single-handedly charged into the hotel with a camera. Then, I climbed onto the bed the two of them were in and snapped away wildly. I naively thought that if I kept acting like a lunatic, there would eventually come a day when Joanna would get tired of it. But in the end, I reached the day when I could no longer keep fighting. The moment I got the diagnosis, I told no one. Even though I left the report on the bedroom table, Joanna never noticed it. I was acting completely out of character. Unable to contain herself anymore, Joanna was on the verge of blowing up when the doorbell suddenly rang. Marcus Kern stood at the door. Joanna was noticeably flustered. After all, never letting her side piece set foot in the house was the last shred of dignity she gave me. Three years ago, I had a complete meltdown in front of the media when Joanna's first scandal came out. I knocked out the homewrecker's tooth with one punch, and for all that, Joanna just said flatly, "I figured you knew what you were getting into when you married me. As my husband, you shouldn't make such an ugly spectacle of yourself." I froze in front of the camera, wanting to cry but unable to. Apparently, the love I gave with all my heart wasn't worth a dime. But after that, Joanna toned things down a bit. Marcus was clearly the first man to break through her defenses. Dressed in a crisp suit, he said helplessly, "Mr. Eric Tuttle, the company's PR department has been driven mad by the trending topics about you. I hope you can show some consideration for Ms. Lockwood. "At the very least, you shouldn't use her money to do things that will damage the company's image." My fingertips trembled slightly. Marcus was an impoverished intern sponsored by the company's charity. He also happened to be the bone marrow donor I had searched high and low for, one who matched my rare blood type. The reason I stopped making a scene was that I realized he probably wouldn't be foolish enough to save me. After all, I was the stumbling block keeping him from marrying into a wealthy family. For the first time, I nodded meekly. "Okay." Joanna shot me a stunned look. Then, she cleared her throat and said, "Since Marcus has already said as much, you will go to the company tomorrow and apologize to everyone." She knew better than anyone that making me apologize in public was next to impossible, but she still did Marcus that favor. I opened my mouth, my expression somewhat grim. Marcus caught the shift in my mood and immediately looked embarrassed. After giving me an apologetic nod, he turned and bolted. "Marcus!" Joanna was about to chase after him when she suddenly stopped in her tracks. "Eric, you must go tomorrow. Also, I'm transferring Marcus to my team to manage finances. Without money at your disposal, you'll have no choice but to behave." I pressed my lips together and said with feigned lightness, "Whatever you say." Joanna frowned, then chased after Marcus without so much as sparing me a backward glance. In fact, she didn't even notice that I had a nosebleed. Looking at the exorbitant medication list my doctor, Claude Galvan, had sent, I declined every single item. Then, I called my personal lawyer, Joshua Burton. "Draw up divorce papers for me." Chapter 2 The next day, Dr. Galvan called me in. "Mr. Tuttle, why did you suddenly decline taking the medication? You still need pre-operative treatment for a bone marrow transplant," he asked in utter disbelief. "I don't have the money," I replied flatly. At that, the nurses around me threw me doubtful looks. After all, as Joanna's husband, if I wanted the moon, she'd find a way to get it for me. Only I knew that my bank card had been frozen, and finding another suitable donor match was unrealistic. When I left the hospital, Joanna's driver, Donny Peterson, opened the car door for me. "Ms. Lockwood says you're to go to the company and apologize right away." When I arrived at the company, the employees behind me were buzzing with gossip. "Even someone who used to throw his weight around got put in his place by Marcus, huh?" "No wonder Mr. Tuttle suddenly stopped kicking up a fuss. Marcus must have something on him, or Ms. Lockwood finally laid down the law." "Mr. Tuttle used to be a real force to be reckoned with, but now he's a total pushover." For someone who used to cling to my pride so fiercely, this kind of backbiting was more agonizing than death itself. Marcus had his men surround me, then, with a pained look, said, "Mr. Tuttle, it's the unanimous opinion of everyone here that your past conduct has done far too much damage to the company's image. Therefore, we must ask you to apologize to each of us individually." I took a deep breath and then bowed respectfully. "Everyone, I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused you in the past." Marcus shook his head and said, "An apology like that won't come across as sincere to anyone. You'd better get on your knees." My fists tightened at once, and I came dangerously close to losing it. "Why you—" "Eric, just do what Marcus says." Joanna's voice sounded from behind me. I turned my head in disbelief. I remembered how I'd tormented Billy Ray—the college guy she'd cheated with—until the college forced him to drop out. His parents had shown up armed, demanding I kneel and apologize. Joanna, who had doted on Billy, uncharacteristically chose to side with me. "That's just how Eric is. Since I'm the one who spoiled him rotten, I can clean up after him too. You want him to apologize? Over my dead body will he do that." She took them all on with her bare hands. Her head was bashed open, blood pouring and pooling across the ground. Yet, she was now condescendingly ordering me to kneel for Marcus. My breath caught in my throat. Then, I forced the words out through clenched teeth, "I'm not doing that." Marcus let out a self-deprecating laugh. "Ms. Lockwood, it seems Mr. Tuttle doesn't think he did anything wrong. Figures. Who am I to demand an apology from him? For all I know, I'll be his next target." At that, Joanna frowned warily. When she looked at me again, her gaze was sharper than ever. "I was wondering why you suddenly changed. I actually thought you'd turned over a new leaf. Turns out you were just biding your time to set Marcus up. I'm warning you—if I can spoil you, I can do the same for somebody else!" With that, she roughly grabbed a fistful of my hair and jammed her foot into the back of my knee. In the struggle, she ripped out a big clump of my hair. Everyone gasped. Joanna stood frozen, staring at me in shock. "What's going on?" I stood there, at a loss for words. It must have been because I'd suddenly stopped my medication, so my illness had gotten worse again. I opened my mouth to tell the truth, but Marcus' cry of pain drew Joanna's attention. "Ms. Lockwood, I think I'm allergic to Mr. Tuttle's cologne. My head hurts so much." The next second, Joanna shoved me so hard that I nearly stumbled. Then, she said with disgust written all over her face, "You planned this too, didn't you? Get out of my company right now!" Under the mocking gazes of the employees, I picked up the clumps of hair I'd lost from the floor. Only after I turned around did the tears I'd been holding back finally come streaming down. Just as I stepped into the elevator, my phone buzzed with a notification that my mother, Anita Carey, was in critical condition. Chapter 3 When I reached the hospital, my legs gave out. I dropped to my knees beside the bed and clutched Mom's hand. "Eric, don't go begging Joanna on my account," she said, her voice coming through the oxygen mask as if from another world. Back when Mom was gravely ill, Joanna had arranged the best hospital room for her and cleared her schedule just so she could personally be there to take care of her. I spent my days holed up in my room, refusing to eat or drink. So, Joanna had to tear herself away to feed me. "Eric, as long as I'm here, Anita's going to be fine." But later, she became so consumed by her rivalry with me that every promise out of her mouth rang hollow. A quick check at the billing window confirmed it—someone had cut off Mom's hospital and medication payments. I turned around and came face to face with Joanna and Marcus. My eyes burning red, I couldn't help but march up and demand, "Was it you or Marcus who cut off Mom's hospital and medication payments?" Joanna's expression instantly darkened. She snapped back, "So, it really was you. Did you hire online trolls to accuse Marcus of embezzling funds and call him an ungrateful upstart?" Confusion spread across my face. Marcus stepped forward and begged, "Mr. Tuttle, the company is cutting costs right now. I wasn't trying to target you. Please just call off those trolls." With every shaky word out of his mouth, Joanna's gaze toward me grew colder with disappointment. "Eric, I've put up with all your antics before, but Marcus has worked his fingers to the bone for this company. How dare you frame him? Apologize to him right now!" Barely holding myself up against the wall, I mustered what little strength I had and rasped, "Fine, let's just get divorced. We can split everything right now if that's what you want." My words clearly caught Joanna off guard. She opened her mouth but couldn't get a single word out. Marcus cut in pitifully. "Mr. Tuttle, please don't get divorced over me. Ms. Lockwood already works herself to exhaustion every day. It pains me to see her like that, so I'm begging you, please don't make things any harder for her." No sooner had he spoken than the bystanders shot me scornful looks, as if I were the unreasonable homewrecker. Joanna rushed to comfort Marcus, her gaze toward me dripping with disgust. "You're not really serious about divorce. You just want money so you can keep making everyone miserable, don't you? What other scheme have you cooked up to go after Marcus? If you want money, get on your knees and apologize to Marcus!" I suddenly froze. Joanna once swore she would take care of me forever, that I would never have to worry about money. But that was then. I bit down so hard that I nearly drew blood from inside my cheek. I was about to get down on my knees when Marcus reached out and caught me. Then, he said with mock sincerity, "Mr. Tuttle, you have lived a life of luxury and have no idea how hard it is to earn money. "Since you've caused me and those other men to suffer, the least you can do is show some sincerity by apologizing on a live stream. Once you do, I'll wire the money to you." After a brief silence, something unreadable flickered in Joanne's eyes. Then, she said, "Marcus is right. It's time you knew what humiliation feels like. Since you're so fond of stripping other men bare, why don't you take off your clothes and apologize to everyone?" I stared at Joanna in shock. "Joanna, I'm your husband, for crying out loud!" Just then, a notification from the hospital about Mom's critical condition forced its way onto my phone like a nightmare. My mind went completely blank. Joanna glanced at it, then ordered me with even more confidence, "Since Anita needs that money for her treatment, you'd better decide fast." Chapter 4 My heart dropped. "Joanna, you're despicable!" I yelled. Joanna paid me no mind and simply ordered someone to start the live stream. More and more onlookers gathered to watch the spectacle. Billy's parents came charging over and furiously dumped a bucket of red paint all over my head. "You scum! You've destroyed Billy's entire future, and now you suddenly want to apologize? What good is that supposed to do?" As she spoke, Billy's mother, Lena Kirk, rushed forward with a bunch of relatives and started tearing at my clothes. What little fabric was left couldn't shield me from the chill that had seeped into my bones. Joanna shoved the camera right into my face. "I bet you understand now what those young men felt, don't you?" Not a flicker of pity crossed her eyes as she took in my naked body. Instead, there was only disgust. I bit through the inside of my cheek, yet I couldn't even muster the strength to make a fist. Before long, the live stream chat was flooding with comments. "I didn't expect this lunatic to finally get what's coming to him. God, that's downright satisfying!" "Who in high society has a husband like this? Wasn't he so full of himself before? Now all he can do is strip down and give everyone a free show!" "There are plenty of young men whose reputation he ruined. He should apologize to them right now!" Even the paparazzi who once couldn't stand me jumped in with a provocative news piece. "Shocking! Husband of Lockwood Group's CEO Apologizes Naked in Abject Humiliation. Has He Sold His Dignity for Money?" Marcus flashed a "kindly" smile, then ground the sole of his leather shoe into my back. "Mr. Tuttle, why don't you put some sincerity into that apology?" Forced to bend at the waist, I wound up sprawled on the floor in utter disgrace. I used to be so stubborn and proud. But knowing that Mom was in critical condition and waiting for me to save her, I had no choice but to bow my head. Meeting Joanna's icy gaze, I wiped the red paint from my face and let out a bitter laugh at the camera. "Sorry! I'm sorry!" Yet, Joanna's expression turned conflicted. "That's more like it," she said, her tone softening. "I'll wire Anita's medical fees to your card right away." With that, she draped her coat over my shoulders and walked off arm in arm with Marcus. No sooner had they walked away than the doctor called to tell me Mom had passed away. Something inside me died for good. After being thrown out of the hospital like garbage, I took one last look at Joanna's receding figure and said, "This time, it's truly goodbye." I crawled over and picked up my phone from the ground. Then, I dialed a number I knew by heart and, with the camera still rolling, leapt into the river. The water rushed into my ears. Just before I blacked out, I thought I heard someone cry out in panic, "Ms. Lockwood, look! Mr. Tuttle's livestreaming his own suicide! He jumped into the river!"