Watching My Wife Cheat in the Aquarium

My daughter, Jane Lavoy, ranks first among her peers in the city for the SAT. Her graduation banquet is being held at the most expensive underwater restaurant in town. With less than an hour before the banquet begins, my wife, Mandy Schilller, who is in charge of coordinating the event, is nowhere to be found. My widowed brother-in-law, Zachary Grant, is also missing. As I walk toward the massive aquarium in the center of the dining hall, a barrage of floating comments suddenly appears before my eyes. "That annoying supporting male character is such an idiot! He definitely has no idea that his wife and widowed brother-in-law are hiding inside the aquarium right now." "Aww, there's just no holding back true love! They can't even wait until the banquet starts in an hour. The female lead, Mandy, has even put on a revealing mermaid costume, while Zachary is wearing a deep-V sea god outfit. Their mermaid romance role-play is just too adorable!" "It's a little dangerous, though. Mandy can't swim at all, and Zachary barely knows how. The aquarium is still half-filled with water, so he's holding her up underwater and giving her mouth-to-mouth! Stupid husband, hurry up and get lost! Stop getting in the way of their true love!" I freeze. I'm the stupid husband? And my wife and my widowed brother-in-law are sneaking and fooling around at my daughter's graduation banquet? Chapter 1 I looked up at the massive aquarium covered with a black cloth and strode forward to find out what was going on. I had barely taken a step when the restaurant manager, Harold Kinger, came rushing over from a side door in a panic and blocked my path. He said, "Mr. Lavoy, you mustn't go over there! Mrs. Lavoy arranged a mermaid performance in here for Ms. Lavoy. The performers are changing into their costumes and rehearsing inside right now. If you see them now, there won't be any surprises left later." He spread his arms wide as he spoke, trying to stop me from going any farther. The people who were writing the comments breathed a sigh of relief. "Great job, Harold. Nice save! When Mandy Schiller and Zachary Grant finally get their happy ending, he deserves a seat at the head table." "This brainless Theodore Lavoy will definitely buy it. Once he turns around and goes back to the private room, Mandy can climb out with Zachary through the maintenance hatch at the top. Then, they'll have cleared this hurdle. True love always wins!" I stopped and stared coldly at him, my gaze intensely piercing. Cold sweat trickled down Harold's forehead, ran along his cheek, and dripped onto the carpet. He was obviously feeling guilty, as he was covering for that shameless couple inside. I lowered my voice and demanded coldly, "Is that so? Then, where did my wife and Zachary go?" Harold swallowed and glanced diffidently toward the aquarium before forcing a smile. "Mrs. Lavoy… Mrs. Lavoy went backstage to confirm the menu. As for Mr. Grant, he might be in the restroom." I looked at the faint ripples stirring at the bottom of the aquarium and sneered inwardly. The comments mocked me mercilessly. "LOL! The idiot husband is still completely in the dark! Harold is Mandy's trusted confidant. She bought him off ages ago." "He still doesn't know, does he? Mandy's first love is her widowed brother-in-law, Zachary. Back then, he was forced to marry Mandy's older sister, Melinda Schiller, because of an arranged marriage between their families. A year ago, Melinda mysteriously disappeared and was declared dead. So, Mandy and Zachary could finally get together openly." "And here's the craziest part—Zachary's two-year-old daughter isn't Melinda's at all. She's the child Mandy and Zachary secretly had through a surrogate. Theodore is the only one who's been kept completely in the dark." I heard a loud boom go off in my head. It felt as though I had been struck by lightning, and all the blood in my body instantly ran cold. I suddenly remembered my wedding night with Mandy. On that night, she had been dead drunk. Clinging to me, she murmured, "As long as it's not him, it doesn't matter who it is." I had frowned and asked her what she meant. She immediately sobered up a little and forced a smile as she explained that it was a lyric from her favorite old song and that she only felt so insecure because she loved me too much. Thinking back on it now, no wonder she had been more attentive than anyone after Melinda died. She went to Zachary's villa every single day, claiming she was helping Melinda take care of her widowed husband and her motherless daughter. So, the people she had really been taking care of were her own man and daughter! I looked at Harold, who was standing before me, drenched in sweat and avoiding my gaze. The fury in my heart instantly turned into a bone-chilling coldness. "So, it's a mermaid performance," I said. I nodded as if I had suddenly understood. Then, I scoffed and questioned, "Since it's an underwater performance, why is this aquarium only half full? How are they supposed to swim with so little water? If it affects the performance and we end up slighting the city officials, can you afford to take responsibility?" Harold froze, clearly not expecting that reaction from me. I turned to the bodyguards behind me and barked an order, "Someone, turn the high-pressure water pump up to maximum! Fill this aquarium to the top immediately!" Chapter 2 The comments went into a meltdown. "It's over! The villain husband has gone insane! He's not following the script! He's going to drown Mandy and Zachary alive!" "Help! Mandy can't swim! Once the tank fills up and the lid is sealed shut, they're going to become a pair of doomed lovers at the bottom of the tank!" Harold's face turned pale, and his legs went weak. He nearly fell to his knees. Stammering, he spread his arms and tried to stop the staff from pulling the power switch. "Mr. Lavoy, you can't do that! The water pressure from this pump is too high. The performers aren't ready yet…" I cut him off, "How could they not be ready? How could something arranged for my daughter possibly be off schedule?" A shrill, caustic voice came from the end of the hallway. My mother-in-law, Edith Harlowe, who had always been hopelessly biased, strode over in a custom-made dark red evening gown with her nose in the air. She shot me a contemptuous look. "What would a man like you, who does nothing but sit at home enjoying an easy life, know about romance? Mandy spent a fortune preparing this surprise, especially to celebrate Jane's achievement as the top scorer in Riverton. Whatever she says goes. "Hurry up and fill the tank!" Edith had always looked down on me, believing I had married above my station by landing her outstanding "self-made" daughter. Ever since Melinda mysteriously disappeared, she had doted on Mandy and Zachary as if they were the apples of her eye. She even spoiled that two-year-old "granddaughter" rotten, giving her anything she wanted. Looking at how fiercely she defended them, I almost laughed out loud. Just then, my daughter, Jane Lavoy, the city's top scorer who excelled in the science track, walked over. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, her eyes brimming with excitement over the new technology. She said, "Grandma's right. We shouldn't just fill it with water. I need to turn on this deep-sea wave generator too." Jane happily walked over to the central control panel beside the aquarium. Her slender fingers tapped a series of buttons on the screen. "Dad, Grandma, you have no idea how much Mom spent on this performance," she gushed. As she operated the controls, she loudly explained the system to everyone around her, "This is a fully automated smart security system. Once it's activated, the top cover automatically locks, and all the lights inside go dark to simulate a deep-sea environment. "When the banquet starts, we'll use the macro cameras inside to connect directly to the giant LED screen in the hall and live-stream the whole thing online. It'll be absolutely spectacular." Harold was left speechless. He watched in despair as Jane pressed the "Enter" key. With a click, the aquarium's heavy-duty blast-resistant cover clamped firmly into place. The sound of the hydraulic locks engaging rang exceptionally clear through the cavernous hall. Immediately afterward, the staff threw the switch for the high-pressure water pump. Following a low rumble, the thunderous sound of rushing water instantly filled the room. At that moment, the comments went wild. "Holy crap! The top-scorer daughter came out of nowhere and made the worst possible move! Once that wave generator kicks in, the bottom of the tank turns straight into a whirlpool. Mandy can't even keep her footing!" "Zachary is already losing it in there! The current is too strong. To keep Mandy from submerging and drowning, he has no choice but to desperately hold her up by the waist while treading water. His stamina is draining fast." "Help! The water's already up to their necks! Mandy tried to push open the top cover, only to find out it's been locked by the smart system. Now there's really no way out!" I stood with my hands in my pockets, watching frostily as the water level rose higher and higher. Listening to the muffled sounds of churning water coming from inside the aquarium, I felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction. So, Mandy liked getting thrills underwater, huh? Then, she could have all the fun she wanted in one go. Chapter 3 The water level inside the aquarium rose rapidly as the massive wave generator churned up powerful undercurrents at the bottom. Through the thick blast-resistant glass, I could even vaguely make out two dark figures struggling and grappling violently underwater. At that moment, the restaurant doors opened. Officials from the Riverton Department of Education, the principal, and teachers of every subject from Riverton High School, as well as all of our relatives, gradually entered and took their seats. Jane's graduation banquet tonight was an extremely prestigious affair. The prominent figures from all over the city were attending it. After taking a look around, Jane frowned slightly and asked in confusion, "Dad, where did Mom and Uncle Zachary go? The banquet is about to start. Even the mayor's secretary is here. Why hasn't she shown up when she's the host?" Edith frowned as well and complained with some displeasure, "Exactly. Where did those two run off to at a time like this? Zachary even has a child with him. How irresponsible." Remaining perfectly composed, I said calmly to Edith, "Don't worry. Mandy spent so long preparing for this. She must be hiding somewhere, getting ready to give us a huge surprise. After all, this is Jane's graduation banquet. Mandy put a great deal of thought into it." With that, I turned around and deliberately raised my voice, calmly reassuring all the city officials and guests in attendance. I said, "Distinguished officials, dear friends and family, please be patient. My wife specially prepared a grand opening performance in the aquarium for tonight's banquet. Let's all look forward to her special arrangement together!" Lively music began to play, whetting the anticipation of every guest in the hall. The head of the Riverton Department of Education, Sean Dawson, and the principal, Ned Johansson, smiled and nodded. Everyone gathered around the massive aquarium to await the grand opening of the banquet. Harold was trembling with anxiety. His shirt soaked through with sweat. While no one was paying attention, he quietly pulled the walkie-talkie from his waist. I guessed he wanted to warn the people inside or forcibly cut the power. However, the moment he took out the walkie-talkie, the sharp-eyed Edith snatched it away. Edith slammed the walkie-talkie onto the floor with a smash, shattering it to pieces. "What are you trying to do? Are you trying to ruin Jane's surprise ahead of time?" Eager to assert her authority as the lady of the family in front of our relatives and the officials, Edith snapped, "Get out of the way! If you dare cause any more trouble, I'll have Jane fire you immediately." Harold stared at the shattered walkie-talkie on the floor, his face ashen. Suppressing my laughter, I looked at my "wonderful" mother-in-law. I had to say it was very thoughtful of her. She had even helped me eliminate the last remaining risk. Jane fiddled with the tablet in her hands and excitedly announced into the microphone to all the guests, "Dear officials and teachers, the 'Love at Deep Sea' performance my mom prepared is about to begin! "I've connected the underwater cameras directly to the giant LED screen in the banquet hall and activated the macro night-vision function. I promise that once the big screen lights up, everyone will be able to see every single eyelash on the performers' faces." Thunderous applause and cheers erupted throughout the hall. Meanwhile, the comments before my eyes were scrolling by so quickly that I could barely read them anymore. "This is insane! Jane has completely sealed off their last escape route!" "Mandy realized that she couldn't push the top cover open. She's absolutely panicking now! The tank is totally full! There's not a single pocket of air left!" "Mandy can't hold her breath anymore and is swallowing water like crazy! To stay alive, she doesn't care about true love anymore. She's desperately yanking Zachary's hair!" "Oh, no! Once that giant screen turns on, the whole family is going to be publicly humiliated! I thought the male and female leads would have their happy-ever-after! I can't watch anymore!" I picked up a glass of whiskey and gently swirled the amber liquid inside. "Mandy and Zachary, your stage is ready. I'm certainly looking forward to your underwater performance." I sneered inwardly. Chapter 4 There were only three minutes left before the banquet began. All the lights in the underwater restaurant were dimmed. Every guest, media reporter, official in attendance, and even the servers bringing out the dishes stopped what they were doing. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the giant LED screen in the center of the hall that covered an entire wall. Edith stood smugly on the stage, holding a microphone as she boasted loudly, "Thank you to all the city officials, friends, and family for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend my granddaughter's graduation banquet. "As everyone knows, my daughter, Mandy, is not only successful in her career but also deeply devoted to her family. Today's opening performance is the result of all the hard work she and Zachary put in by personally overseeing rehearsals for several nights." Indeed, they had seen to it personally. So personally that they had ended up inside the aquarium without even getting fully dressed. At that point, Edith deliberately cast me a contemptuous glance and took a veiled jab at me through the microphone. "Unlike certain men who know nothing except how to spend money, the Schiller family owes everything it has today to Mandy and Zachary supporting each other." I stood below the stage, watching Edith's insufferably arrogant expression as a cold sneer curled at the corner of my lips. Supporting each other? Soon, everyone would see exactly how they "supported each other" underwater. An excited Jane raised the countdown remote control in her hand. Her voice was clear and bright as she boomed, "Now, let's count down from three and see exactly what surprise my mom prepared! Three…" All the guests joined in the countdown. A frantic comment popped up. "No! Don't turn it on! Mandy is about to suffocate!" "Two!" Edith's grin nearly stretched from ear to ear. Another comment came in. "Mandy's eyes are already rolling back! She's fighting Zachary for air!" "One!" One last despairing comment appeared. "Ah! I can't watch this!" All the lights in the hall suddenly went out, and the giant screen instantly lit up.