I Put a Price on My Don Husband Chapter 01
After remarrying Don Vincent, Claire drafted a formal price list for her personal services.
One hundred thousand dollars for a single meeting. Two hundred thousand for a kiss. A full day with no limits was priced at one million.
In just one week, ten million dollars landed steadily in her bank account.
No joy lingered in her heart, only a numbing calm.
Her best friend looked at her, confused and worried. “Claire, Vincent once loved you more than anything. How could you be so cold? You’re treating him like a product to rent out.”
Claire let out a soft laugh inside the bustling downtown bar, yet her eyes held no warmth at all.
Everyone in New York knew the heir to the Vitelli family had once humbled himself to learn how to make New York-style cheesecake for her. He reported every detail of his daily schedule to her and cut off contact with every woman around him on his own.
Everyone in New York envied their devotion.
A kidnapping three years ago destroyed their whole world.
Vincent’s rivals abducted two children without hesitation: their daughter Lily, and Leo, the son of his childhood friend Natalie. They issued a ruthless ultimatum.
They demanded two billion dollars in ransom within half an hour, or they would kill the kids immediately.
The Vitelli family faced a cash shortage back then. Vincent tried his hardest, but he could only gather enough money to save one child.
Claire stared at the black gun pressed tight against her daughter Lily’s temple. She trembled in terror and clung tightly to Vincent’s hand, begging through tears.
“Vincent, save Lily first. Please, save our daughter.”
Natalie suddenly pushed through the crowd and grabbed the hem of his coat, wailing uncontrollably.
“Vincent, you have to save Leo! He’s your own son! You can’t abandon him!”
Claire’s blood ran cold. She stared at Vincent in utter disbelief.
Vincent avoided her gaze and mumbled an excuse, clearly guilty. “Claire, I’m sorry. Six years ago, rivals slipped drugs into my drink at a party. Natalie happened to pass by and saved me, and that’s how it all happened.”
He paused, glancing back and forth between the two women. His tone turned firm in the end.
“There’s no time left. We’ll talk about everything else later. Natalie has a heart condition and can’t handle stress. We’re saving Leo first. As for our daughter, trust me. Snipers are on their way, and the kidnappers won’t dare make a move.”
It was the first time Claire had ever knelt in her life. She tugged weakly at his pant leg and begged, but Vincent feared further trouble and turned her down outright.
Leo was pulled to safety moments later. Natalie then screamed loudly to provoke the kidnappers. Claire watched helplessly as the gun fired, and her daughter collapsed in a pool of blood.
Crushed by despair, she vanished from Vincent’s life entirely.
Vincent searched for her relentlessly for three years. He mobilized all his power, but never found a single trace of her.
In the end, he resorted to despicable means to frame Claire’s father Henry with Narcotics Trafficking Felony. He threatened the survival of the entire Reed family conglomerate and forced Claire to come back and remarry him.
After the remarriage, Vincent spoiled her relentlessly. He bought the largest Rose Estate in New York State and gifted her a luxury yacht. He even rented out the Times Square Digital Billboard for a grand public proposal. He held her hands tightly, his eyes filled with fake remorse.
“Claire, I know you still hate me and Natalie. Rest assured, she’s gotten what she deserved. From now on, I’ll stay by your side and make it all up to you.”
Claire looked at the feigned sincerity in his eyes. A tiny flicker of hesitation stirred deep inside her frozen heart.
A strange text message destroyed that fleeting doubt soon after.
The message led her to an upscale bistro. Through the clear floor-to-ceiling windows, she saw her husband, who had just sworn his loyalty to her, kneeling before Natalie and Leo. He held a diamond ring, his expression tender and solemn.
“Happy birthday, Natalie. You’ll always be my one and only love, irreplaceable to anyone.”
What bitter irony.