When Lucas’ parents gave him an ultimatum, he decided to woo and marry the young housemaid, Alice. But he continued his crazy lifestyle until a brutal fight with Alice. He kicked her and their baby out into the cold, and his parents were going to talk some sense into him. That’s when a surprising person appeared at Lucas’s penthouse.
“Lucas, I can’t deal with this anymore! You can’t just go out every night! We have a baby!” Alice yelled at her husband, who seemed to be out every night despite having a newborn baby in the house.
“Please, shut up already! You really think I married you because of… ugh… love?” Lucas said disdainfully. “Don’t be insane!”
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“What are you talking about? We dated and got married because we loved each other,” Alice said, confused by her husband’s claims.
“Alice! Are you an idiot? You were the maid at my house! You think I would fall for the MAID?” Lucas yelled now, waving his hands around.
“Why then? Why did we get married?”
“Because I HAD TO!! I HAD TO! My parents said that I had to settle down and have a child, or they would cut me off completely!” Lucas exclaimed matter-of-factly as if his words weren’t the most hurtful thing he could say to his wife. But despite being heartbreaking, he was telling the truth.
Two years ago, Lucas’ parents, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, sat him down for a serious talk. They were tired of their son’s party-boy attitude. He was already 32 years old and had not worked for a day in his life. Granted, he had an important position at their Forbes 500 company, but he never lifted a finger. Mr. Johnson was getting older and needed a real heir, and Mrs. Johnson craved children.
Meanwhile, Alice was working at the Johnson household for two years and had a massive crush on Lucas. She tried to hide it, but it was evident to everyone, including him.
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Therefore, during a serious talk with Lucas, the Johnsons issued him an ultimatum. He had to get married within a year and start a family, or he would lose his position at the company, his parents would cut him off, and they would kick him out of the big penthouse he lived in.
Lucas was in a bind. He didn’t know anyone he could marry that quickly that wouldn’t bother him, except for the maid in their house. She was quiet, docile, and completely willing. Alice believed his words, and they started dating shortly after. The Johnsons were skeptical about the relationship, but they were happy that Lucas was behaving.
He proposed to Alice only three months after they started dating, and they got married right away. Now they had a son, and his parents were over the moon with happiness. They even bought him an even bigger house for the family. And now that Alice was so focused on the baby, she didn’t realize what was happening under her nose.
Lucas never changed his ways. He was still a playboy, but he was more discreet about it. The only thing Alice noticed was that Lucas was out almost every night, and she decided to confront her husband.
And now that he'd told her the shocking truth that their relationship was a lie from the very beginning, Alice didn’t know where to go from there.
“That’s the truth! I was born with a golden spoon, and I’ve been around the most beautiful women in the world. Did you think I would look at the maid in my parents’ house? Are you really that stupid? You were just the easiest solution to the problem! Also, I haven’t been on ‘business trips,’” he said, using his fingers to air-quote that last part. “I was in Dubai, St. Barts, Fiji, and everywhere else with Victoria’s Secret models.”
Tears fell from Alice's eyes at that moment, and Lucas looked at her with the most condescending look in the world.
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“Oh, now you’re crying. For God’s sake! You know what? I’m tired of you. Get out of my house now! I’m going to ask for a divorce soon. I’ll say we didn’t work and since my parents have the grandchild they wanted they won’t care about someone like you!” Lucas yelled and gestured with his finger to the front door.
“Fine!” Alice screamed through tears. “But I’m taking my son with me!”
“Whatever,” Lucas said dismissively.
Alice packed a small bag, the baby carrier, and took off. She had a brand-new car, which the Johnsons gave her on her last birthday, but she had nowhere to go.
She grew up in an orphanage and had no other family but the Johnsons. The place she could think of was the Johnson mansion in the suburbs of Manhattan. But they would ask questions. Questions she didn’t want to answer.
Sadly, she had no other options. Mrs. Johnson greeted her, and Alice told her she and Lucas had fought but did not give her the details. The older woman understood and said she could stay overnight. In fact, she was thrilled to spend more time with the baby.
“Don’t worry, Alice. Tomorrow, we’ll go to your penthouse and talk some sense in my son,” Mr. Johnson said as they had dinner. Alice only grinned. She was not looking forward to going back there.
***
“Alice, I know you guys fought, but married couples do that all the time. Come on. Open the door, and let’s go in,” Mrs. Johnson insisted at the front door of the penthouse. Alice didn’t want to go in, but she had no choice. Mr. Johnson was there too, and they were going to reprimand their son for the fight, even if they didn’t know exactly what happened.
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Alice finally got her keys out and opened the door only to discover Lucas talking to a man around his age. He turned around, and there was something familiar about him.
Suddenly, Lucas spoke up in an awkward tone. “Here, she is, George. This is my wife, Alice, and my son. Of course, you already know my father.”
“George Finberg, my boy! How are you?” Mr. Johnson greeted the familiar stranger, and it looked like they all knew each other. “Honey, let me introduce you to Henry Finberg’s son, George.”
“Of course! Delighted to meet you,” the older woman said.
But Alice had not taken her eyes off her husband. He was sweating and acting awkwardly. At first, she thought he might be nervous now that his parents were here, but this was different. He was worried about that familiar stranger’s presence in their house.
“It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs. Johnson, and a great pleasure to you, Mr. Johnson. My father has always told me great things about you,” George said with a kind smile, although he didn’t take his eyes off Alice.
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“Naturally, your father is one of my oldest friends. But what are you doing here?” Mr. Johnson asked.
“Actually, I’m here to see Alice,” George revealed, and she frowned.
“What?” Alice asked, rocking her baby tightly in her arms.
“Hello, my name is George, and I’ve been searching for you my entire life,” he continued, shocking everyone around him.
“Why?” she squeaked.
“Because you’re my sister. When you were little, a driver in our house stole you away, and the police couldn’t find you at all. We searched for years. We hired P.I.s, but they couldn’t find you either. It wasn’t until I saw your picture in the paper. You guys announced the birth of your son, and they printed a picture. You look exactly like my mother... our mother,” he disclosed, giving Alice a gentle look.
“Oh my god! George, are you serious? You mean to tell me that my daughter-in-law is my good friend’s daughter? That’s wonderful news!” Mr. Johnson cheered and smiled. But Lucas didn’t grin, and he looked more nervous than ever.
Alice realized at that moment that the Finbergs must be just as or more powerful than the Johnsons themselves. If they were good friends, it meant that they were business partners too and part of the high society of Manhattan. Lucas was afraid of what Alice would do now.
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“It’s actually not that great news, Mr. Johnson. Because I actually came here last night, and what I overheard… well, that was the most terrible thing I’ve ever heard. And I can’t believe what your son has put my baby sister through,” George continued, looking solemnly at Mr. Johnson.
“What do you mean? They just had a fight,” Mrs. Johnson chimed in, but Mr. Johnson turned toward Lucas, who was almost cowering in the corner.
“You didn’t tell them what your husband told you last night, Alice?” George asked her directly.
“Well, no. I had no time. I was trying to digest it, and now, I’m trying to digest what you just said to us. Is it true? I’m your sister?” Alice wondered, both delighted and baffled at the idea of having a real family.
“What did you say to Alice, Lucas?” Mr. Johnson asked his son sternly.
But Lucas shook his head, and George decided to tell the man the truth. When he was done, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson were shocked. The older woman started to cry, and Alice’s newfound brother spoke up again.
“I overheard them yelling from right outside the front door. So, you see. I can’t let my baby sister live in this environment anymore. Would you like to meet our parents, Alice? I can help you get divorced from this loser,” he stated. “Oh, my dad is not going to be too pleased about this whole thing.”
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Mr. Johnson pursed his lips in anger and, to his son, he gave a scathing look once again. Lucas had not spoken one word, and Alice couldn’t believe what a coward she had married. So she decided to take complete charge of her life now. “I would love to meet our parents. I hope they love their grandchild too.”
George smiled and nodded. “They are going to freak out. In a good way, of course.”
Alice followed George, waving awkwardly at Mr. and Mrs. Johnson as she still had the baby in her arms.
The reunion with her parents was bittersweet, but she loved having people who cared in her life. As predicted, Mr. Finberg was enraged once George told him why Alice was married to Lucas Johnson. He almost threatened to cut business ties with him for good. But Alice talked him down because Mr. and Mrs. Johnson were always good to her.
A few weeks later, after acclimating to having parents and a real family, Alice filed for divorce and full custody of her child. It was granted because Lucas didn’t fight for it. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson were allowed visitation because she genuinely adored them. They also repaired their relationship with the Finbergs when Mr. Johnson revealed that Lucas was cut off from any financial help and was fired from the company.
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In the end, Alice was happier than she could be. She had a new family who adored her son and didn’t have to deal with her ex-husband’s horrible words. She also took a little bit of pleasure with the idea of Lucas being on his own and struggling. But eventually, Alice put him out of her mind and moved on.
What can we learn from this story?
- Love can make you trust people too easily. Alice shouldn’t have trusted Lucas so quickly when they started dating. But love makes you blind sometimes.
- The best revenge is to move on and be happy. Alice moved on with her new life and newfound family and didn’t give one more thought to Lucas and his hurtful words.
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