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After dinner, Josh drove Margot home.
Margot's residence was located in the real wealthy district of North Chicago, a small estate.
Looking at the vast grounds of the estate and the scattered lights from the servants' quarters, Josh seemed to understand a bit of Margot's loneliness.
He gave Margot a gentle hug, and only after watching her walk into the estate did Josh drive away.
What Josh didn't know was that just as Margot entered the estate, she saw someone in the living room.
For someone to appear at this time, it naturally couldn't be a stranger to Margot.
That person was none other than Margot's nearly absentee husband, the tennis star Tony Wendis.
"What a rare guest. I almost thought you'd forgotten you had a home," Margot said sarcastically upon seeing Tony. At first, she was slightly flustered, but she quickly calmed down.
After all, what did she have to be flustered about? She and Josh were completely innocent—at least up to this point. Aside from a courteous hug, there had been nothing overly intimate between them.
But this man before her—she had caught him red-handed more times than she could count.
"Who is he?" Tony Wendis ignored Margot's sarcasm and asked stiffly.
"Just a friend. And what does that have to do with you?" Margot responded disdainfully.
"I'm your husband. How does that have nothing to do with me?" Tony Wendis snapped.
"Oh? So you still remember you're my husband? How many days have you actually been by my side in the past year? If you hadn't shown up today, I'd have almost forgotten you even existed!" Margot replied with biting sarcasm as she walked upstairs toward the bedroom.
"That was for work!" Tony Wendis shouted, getting angry at Margot's continued mockery.
"Work? Oh, what a perfect excuse. And then what? How much money have you made? How much of it have you spent on this house? To maintain your dignified image, you even take a large sum from me every year! If that were all, it might be bearable—but where did you spend my money? That little actress Amy? Or that singer Carly? Or those chicken farms?" Margot shot back without mercy.
"You've been investigating me?" Tony Wendis was stunned by what Margot said.
"Investigate? Do I need to? You think your actions are so secret? Plenty of people tell me these things. Don't think just because my father passed away, no one cares about me anymore! And don't think I can't survive without you. Tomorrow, I'll have the lawyer draft the divorce papers. Now, get out of my bedroom!" Margot grew angrier as she spoke, finally slamming the bedroom door shut before Tony could react.
"Hey, Margo, don't be like this. We can sit down and talk about it!" Hearing her mention her father's friends and say she wanted a divorce, Tony Wendis panicked.
Just as Margot had said, his current luxurious lifestyle didn't come from his identity as a tennis star. The money he earned from competitions and endorsements wasn't even enough to support one mistress—let alone two.
If they really divorced, with Margot's family connections, he probably wouldn't get a single cent of her wealth.
"Margo, I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have treated you like that. Let's talk this out, I promise I'll change," Tony Wendis said, constantly knocking on the door and apologizing, trying to smooth things over with Margot.
As for whether it was shameful to act like this—he didn't care. As long as he could avoid a divorce and keep his current comfortable life, he didn't mind losing a bit of face.
Only this time, he misjudged the extent of Margot's anger and determination. No matter how much he softened his tone or apologized, Margot inside the room completely ignored him.
He didn't dare try to force his way in—if he made her angrier, things would get even worse.
Damn it, Margot wasn't like this before! Thinking of the once weak-willed Margot, Tony Wendis couldn't help but wonder what exactly had caused such a drastic change in her?
Soon, Tony Wendis thought of Josh, who had driven Margot back.
Even though it was dark outside and the streetlight at the entrance was dim, he could still tell that the man was tall, young, and handsome.
Hmph, so she found a replacement!
Tony Wendis immediately blamed the unfamiliar Josh for everything.
With this thought, his mood became even more irritable.
Since Margot wouldn't open the door, Tony Wendis had no choice but to go to the guest room downstairs.
But clearly, Margot's attitude made it impossible for him to rest at ease. After just a few minutes in the guest room, he drove off to find a place to drink.
Inside the house, Margot heard the sound of the car engine starting. She walked to the window and watched Tony Wendis drive away, a trace of disdain on her face. Probably off to mess around again. She'd seen through this man completely.
At the same time, her resolve to get divorced grew even stronger.
On the other side, after leaving the estate, Tony Wendis, just as Margot had guessed, quickly arrived at a brothel.
Brothels in America had been illegal since the nation's founding.
However, despite their illegality, there were no specific restrictive laws.
Moreover, these establishments usually paid their taxes and protection fees to the local police, so the federal government often turned a blind eye.
This situation persisted until Pennsylvania passed specific legislation in 1978, after which brothels that had previously operated semi-openly in many states were gradually shut down—leaving only Nevada still allowing them.
The brothel Tony Wendis visited was the largest in Chicago, located in the West Side.
But as soon as he got out of the car, he saw a few Italians in a nearby alley cursing and beating someone up.
Tony glanced at them briefly but didn't interfere and walked inside.
"Mr. Wendis, welcome back! The girls have been talking about you nonstop," said a doorman warmly upon seeing Tony enter.
"Bring Mary and Nancy. Oh, and what's going on in the alley? The Italians are making trouble all the way over here? Isn't Bryan going to do something?" Tony named two girls and tipped the doorman five dollars, then asked.
The West Side was Irish territory. The Bryan he referred to was the brothel's guard.
Italians making trouble near Irish turf was certainly unusual.
"Thank you, sir. Normally, Mr. Bryan would never allow Italians to cause trouble here, but that guy they're beating up is also Italian. I heard he owes their boss a huge sum. That alone wouldn't matter to us—we welcome anyone—but this guy came here for girls even though he's broke. Isn't that just asking for it? The Italians wanted to deal with him, so Mr. Bryan didn't bother intervening. I heard this guy used to be a big shot in the Southwest Side, but now? Ha! Probably won't live much longer," the doorman said gleefully, pocketing the tip and spilling everything he knew.
"Oh? How much does he owe?" Tony asked casually. He understood—if the man couldn't repay, his life would likely be forfeit.
"I heard it's several thousand," the doorman replied.
"Just a few thousand, and they're going to kill him?" Tony blurted out.
"Mr. Wendis, you must be joking. For someone like you, a few thousand is nothing, but for people like us—unless we rob a bank, it'd take ten years or more to save that much," the doorman said with some self-deprecation.
Tony Wendis instantly understood what he meant.
Yes, before he met Margot, if he could save a few hundred dollars in a year, it was a blessing.
A few thousand dollars really could buy a life.
At that thought, he shivered involuntarily.
If Margot really divorced him, would he end up like that poor bastard outside?
With that, a certain thought began to swell uncontrollably in his mind.