The Useless Couple: Protected by Titans

In Capital high society, there were two famously useless heirs: me, Toby Lockwood, and my autistic, fragile childhood sweetheart, Mia Kensington. While my sisters ruled as a crime queen and a billionaire, her brothers dominated as a legal titan and a miracle surgeon. One night, over poker and scotch, the four decided it was easier to marry us off than manage us separately. So, we did.

Married life was a blur of maxed-out black cards and lavish parties. That ended at a Mercer gala in Boston. The arrogant heir, Dominic Mercer, cornered me with a blurry photo, accusing me of sleeping with his wife. When I denied it, he raised a hand to strike. Mia didn't hesitate; she threw herself in front of me, taking the slap, blood trickling from her lip.

Dominic sneered at the "retard" and the "gigolo." He ordered his guards to teach us a lesson. Heart aching, I pulled Mia close and dialed my sister.

"Christine," I said, "someone is hurting us."

These fools didn't know: crossing the four titans might earn you mercy. Hurting their useless babies meant death.

...

"Oh, running to your mommy when things get tough? Calling your big sister? Please, she's probably just another sugar mommy."

Dominic snatched my phone right out of my hand and shattered it against the marble floor.

"What, is one brain-dead wife not enough for you? How many sugar mommies do you have on speed dial?"

I stared at the broken screen, taking a slow, deep breath.

"Mr. Mercer, I am going to say this one last time."

"You have the wrong person."

"Walk away right now, take your goons with you, and I might forget this ever happened."

Dominic burst into a cruel, mocking laugh.

He turned to the crowd of wealthy onlookers, who were watching the drama unfold like vultures.

"Did you all hear that? A cheap gigolo living off rich women is telling me to get out of my own gala?"

A wave of snickers and whispers rippled through the hall.

"These low-life gold-diggers really don't know their place anymore, Dominic."

"Using a disabled wife as a shield while he plays around... absolutely pathetic."

Dominic stepped closer, his polished leather shoes clicking against the stone floor.

He pointed a finger directly at my face, nearly touching my nose.

"In Boston, I am the law."

"Beat them!"

The bodyguards closed in, their fists clenched.

I braced myself, shutting my eyes.

But the blows never came.

Mia had wrapped her fragile body entirely around mine, shielding me.

"No... hurt... Toby..."

Her voice was soft, her pronunciation slow and slurred.

Severely autistic, she didn't fully comprehend the politics of the room.

All she knew was that she had to protect me. She held me with a strength I didn't know she possessed.

Heavy fists rained down on her back.

Thud.

Thud.

Every heavy impact felt like a knife twisting in my chest.

"Sera!"

I struggled wildly to break free of her grip.

"Let me go! Your heart can't take this! Let me go!"

Mia just shook her head, her stubbornness unbreakable.

Her face grew deathly pale, but her arms remained locked around me.

"Toby... not hurt..."

"Won't let... Toby get hurt. I block it."

She even tried to squeeze out a weak, reassuring smile.

That beautiful, stubborn fool.

She was trembling from the pain, yet her only concern was keeping me safe.

"Stop! Stop hitting her!"

She had a fragile heart condition; this kind of trauma could kill her.

My eyes burned with raw fury as I glared at Dominic.

"Tell them to stop! She has heart failure! She's going to die!"

The nearby serving staff began to whisper nervously.

"Look at his suit... that tailorship is incredibly high-end. He doesn't look like a cheap gigolo."

"Shh, do you want to lose your job? Mr. Mercer is furious. Keep your head down."

The Mercer family's head butler wiped the sweat from his forehead and stepped forward, whispering.

"Young master, that girl looks very ill. She might have a serious medical condition."

"If something happens to her here..."

Dominic slapped the butler across the face.

"Shut up!"

"She's just a brain-dead stray. Why are you treating her like she's made of gold?"

He pointed at Mia with utter disgust.

"I don't care about her pathetic life. Even if she dies ten times over, my family can pay off the damages!"

"Drag this cheating trash and his brain-dead wife into the main ballroom!"

"I want everyone in Boston to see exactly what happens when someone tries to mess with my woman!"

The security guards grabbed us roughly, dragging our bodies across the floor toward the grand ballroom.

Mia clutched my hand. Her fingers were ice-cold.

Her chest heaved violently, and beads of cold sweat rolled down her forehead.

I fought back with everything I had, my shoes scraping uselessly against the polished floor.

"Get your hands off her! She has a heart condition!"

"You're going to kill her!"

Dominic walked ahead, not even bothering to look back.

"Then let her die."

We were thrown onto the plush red carpet of the main ballroom.

Dominic marched up to the stage at the center of the hall.

"Everyone, quiet down!"

The chatter of hundreds of wealthy guests died instantly.

Every eye in the room locked onto Mia and me.

Dominic snapped his fingers.

The massive LED screen behind him flickered to life.

It displayed a blurry photo of a man's back.

The man was wearing a light-gray suit, getting into a red Maserati.

Dominic pointed at the screen, then pointed aggressively at me.

"This pathetic loser right here is the bastard who's been sleeping with my wife!"

"He's married, yet he's out here ruining other families, using his disabled wife as a cover-up."

"Did he really think he could get away with it in my city?"

"Look at him! Doesn't he look exactly like the guy in the photo?"

I happened to be wearing a light-gray suit tonight.

But anyone with a shred of sense could tell the difference.

The fabric, the fit, and the bespoke tailoring of my suit were lightyears beyond the mass-produced luxury in the photo.

My second sister, Molly, had commissioned it directly from a Parisian haute couture house for me.

But in this room, no one dared to cross the host.

"The suit looks identical. Even the hair matches. It has to be him."

"Tsk, tsk. He looks so respectable, but he's just a shameless home-wrecker."

"Poor girl. She's completely oblivious, protecting her cheating husband like an idiot."

The vicious whispers swirled around us like a toxic cloud.

Mia, highly sensitive to bright lights and loud noises, began to tremble violently, covering her ears.

The glaring spotlights and the hostile murmurs were throwing her into a sensory overload.

"Toby..."

She curled up on the carpet, her breathing shallow and frantic.

The color drained from her lips, leaving them a terrifying shade of blue.

Panic surged through me. I pulled her tightly against my chest.

"Sera! Look at me! Just breathe, okay? Deep breaths!"

My hands shook uncontrollably as I tore open her purse.

Her emergency medication and her portable oxygen regulator were always with her.

The compact medical device was a custom prototype designed specifically for her by her brother, Simon, to stabilize her during severe episodes.

Just as my fingers brushed the medicine bottle, a heavy boot slammed down.

Dominic had walked down from the stage. He ground his heel into the back of my hand, pinning it to the floor.

He reached down and snatched the medicine and the oxygen regulator away.

"Oh, is this what you need to keep her alive?"

Dominic tossed the small device lightly in his palm.

"Beg me."

"On your knees. Admit to everyone here that you're a home-wrecking parasite, and maybe I'll let her have it."

"Toby... don't... beg..." Mia gasped out, her eyes pleading with me.

"Dominic Mercer!"

I looked up, my eyes burning with a cold, lethal promise.

"My sister is Christine Lockwood. The Lockwood family of the Capital."

"If you touch a single hair on Mia's head, my family will wipe yours off the face of this earth!"

Dominic stared at me for a split second, then roared with laughter.

"Christine Lockwood?"

"The underground sovereign Christine Lockwood?"

He laughed so hard tears pooled in his eyes.

"Have you been reading too many cheap thriller novels, kid?"

"If you're a Lockwood, then I'm royalty! Do you honestly think I'm that stupid?"

"If you're going to lie, at least do your research. The Lockwood family didn't even RSVP to this event!"

It was true. Christine had zero interest in this second-rate gala.

I had simply found myself bored while visiting Boston, and since Mia and I wanted a change of scenery and a decent meal, we decided to crash the party on a whim.

Seeing my silence, Dominic's grin grew even more venomous.

"What's the matter? Can't keep your story straight?"

He tilted his chin up, dripping with arrogance.

"If a member of the Lockwood family actually set foot in this building, my father would have cleared the entire street to roll out the carpet himself!"

The head butler, watching Mia's deteriorating condition, couldn't help but step forward again.

"Young master, she needs that oxygen regulator immediately. She looks like she's going into shock."

The smug grin vanished from Dominic's face, replaced by raw irritation.

He glared fiercely at the older man.

"I said I'll pay for it if she dies!"

In front of the entire assembly of Boston's elite, he threw the custom regulator down and stomped on it.

The intricate device shattered into a dozen useless plastic and metal pieces.

"No!"

I screamed, throwing myself forward, but two heavy-set guards pinned me back down, forcing my face against the floor.

Dominic reached down, grabbing my collar and pulling my head back sharply.

"Does it hurt to watch?"

"Then get on your knees and apologize to me on camera! Let the whole city watch you crawl!"

"Admit you're a disgusting, home-wrecking piece of trash!"

"Bow down, beg for my mercy, and maybe I'll let someone call an ambulance for your brain-dead wife."

Mia forced her eyes open, searching for mine.

She weakly shook her head.

"Toby... don't kneel..."

But how could I not? This was my Mia. The girl I had protected and loved my entire life. Her life was slipping away right in front of me.

Just as I began to yield, steeling myself to sink to my knees to save her.

A thunderous, metallic crash echoed from the heavy mahogany doors at the entrance.

Boom. Boom. The entire wall shook with rhythmic, violent impacts.

"Young Master Toby! Are you in there?" a booming voice roared from the other side.

Panic rippled through the guests as they turned to stare at the vibrating entrance.

Relief washed over me like a tidal wave.

It was Christine's local tactical team. They had arrived.

I fought against the grip of the guards, screaming toward the doors with every ounce of air left in my lungs.

"I'm in here!"

"I'm here! Save Mia! Get her medical help, fast!"

"Help her! She can't breathe!"

Dominic's expression faltered for a fraction of a second, before twisting back into a sneer of pure arrogance.

"So your sugar mommy actually has the guts to show up?"

He smoothed the wrinkles from his clothes and let out a cold laugh.

"Do some street-level thugs honestly think they can crash a Mercer event? Out of their minds!"

"They must have a death wish."

He unclipped his walkie-talkie, his voice dropping into a harsh bark.

"Security! Riot squad! All units, move to the main entrance!"

"Break their legs! Beat them until they can't crawl!"

"Activate the level-one security lockdown. Seal every single electronic door in this building!"

"Not even a fly leaves this room alive tonight!"

At his command, heavy steel security shutters rolled down over the exits with a deafening rattle.

The outside world was completely cut off.

Thick steel bolts shot into place, locking the mahogany doors from the inside.

The distant sounds of shouting and slamming metal slowly faded into a terrifying silence.

The spark of hope that had just flared in my chest died as the steel shutters sealed us in.

"No! Open the doors! Open them!"

I tore myself away from the guards and lunged toward the steel shutter, pounding against the thick metal with my bare fists.

My knuckles split open, coating the metal in crimson, but I felt absolutely nothing.

"Mia doesn't have time!"

"Open the damn doors!"

Dominic walked up behind me, grabbing my collar and throwing me violently onto the floor.

"Keep screaming! Let's see who hears you now!"

He stood over me, savoring every drop of my despair.

"Do you see this?"

"This is your big backup? Pretty pathetic, don't you think?"

"In Boston, if I say someone doesn't get in, even God himself has to wait at the gate!"

He pointed a lazy finger at Mia, who was now barely conscious on the carpet.

"Looks like she's on her last breath."

"And it's all your fault."

"If you had just got on your knees and confessed earlier, she wouldn't be suffering like this."

"But now that the room is sealed, begging won't save her anyway."

I stared at Mia's blue lips, and tears finally spilled over my cheeks.

I had never felt this kind of pure, unadulterated hatred in my life.

Back in the Capital, when arrogant trust-fund kids threw snide remarks my way, I would just laugh it off.

Why would I care? I had four terrifying older siblings who loved me unconditionally.

I didn't need to fight, or scramble for power.

I only had to enjoy my life as their pampered little brother.

But now, the person who meant more to me than my own life was dying right in front of me.

And I was completely powerless to stop it.

"Dominic Mercer..."

I rasped, my voice sounding like gravel.

"If she dies tonight, I will tear down the entire Mercer empire and burn it to ashes."

Dominic let out another booming laugh.

"Oh, look at me, I'm shaking."

Just then, the head butler hurried back into the room.

His face was pale as he leaned in to whisper into Dominic's ear.

Dominic's eyes lit up instantly.

"Celeste is here?"

Hearing that name, a desperate spark of hope flared in my chest.

If Celeste came in and cleared up the misunderstanding, admitting she didn't even know me, this nightmare would end.

Mia could finally get to a hospital.

"Celeste!"

Dominic hurried over to meet her, his expression softening into an aggrieved pout.

"Look at this trash! He actually had the audacity to crash my gala and make a scene!"

"He even brought his brain-dead wife here to mock us!"

Celeste's eyes scanned the tense ballroom, finally landing on me.

I forced myself up from the floor, pointing directly at the massive screen.

"Celeste!"

"Tell him the truth! Tell him we've never met!"

"Tell him that man in the photo isn't me!"

Celeste bit her lip.

Her gaze darted between me and the giant projection.

All she had to do was say two words: I don't. That was it.

But Celeste remained silent.

She lowered her eyes, deliberately avoiding my gaze.

When she finally looked up, her face was a mask of calculated heartbreak and disappointment.

"Toby."

She sighed, her voice sweet, yet dripping with poison.

"I told you so many times that there could never be anything between us."

"Why do you keep stalking me?"

"Did you really have to follow me all the way to my husband's private gala to cause a scene?"

My eyes widened in sheer disbelief. A freezing chill swept through my veins.

"What did you just say?"

My voice trembled with rage.

"Are you insane? I have never set eyes on you in my life!"

Celeste ignored my outbursts entirely.

She turned back to Dominic, gently taking his hands in hers.

"Dominic, I'm so sorry."

"He's been relentlessly pursuing me. I was too soft-hearted to completely shut him down, and it's my fault."

"But I swear to you, he means nothing to me. You're the only one I love."

"Let me handle this. Please don't be angry with me, sweetie."

Dominic's expression twisted into something monstrous.

"You bastard!"

He spun around and launched a brutal kick directly into my stomach.

Caught completely off guard, the impact sent me sliding across the polished floor, crashing hard.

A sharp, agonizing pain flared through my abdomen, making my entire body curl up in a violent spasm.

"What do you have to say for yourself now?"

Dominic roared, completely consumed by jealousy and fury.

"My own wife just confessed! How dare you keep lying!"

I clutched my stomach, cold sweat dripping down my face.

But as I caught Celeste's fleeting, anxious glance, the pieces finally clicked together.

She knew exactly who I was: a perfect, unsuspecting stranger.

She was using me to shield her actual lover.

She was throwing me to the wolves to save her real affair.

"Celeste... you're going to burn in hell for this..."

I hissed, locking my eyes onto her.

A flicker of guilt crossed her features, but she quickly masked it with cold indifference.

"Drag him up," Dominic ordered coldly.

"Make him kneel!"

Several heavy guards grabbed my shoulders, forcing me onto my knees and pushing my head toward the giant screen.

Dominic pointed a finger at Mia, who lay motionless on the floor.

"Drag her over to that display stand!"

The nearby pedestal, designed to showcase floating levitating jewelry, generated a powerful electromagnetic field.

"No! Don't touch her!"

My eyes widened in absolute terror, and I struggled frantically.

"She has an implantable defibrillator in her chest! The magnetic field will short-circuit it and stop her heart!"

"Please! Leave her alone!"

Dominic didn't even blink.

The guards dragged Mia's limp body right next to the display.

The moment she entered the field, the emergency cardiac patch on her chest began to emit a shrill, continuous alarm.

Her limbs began to twitch violently, her eyes rolling back.

"Sera!"

I screamed her name, my voice cracking under the raw terror.

Dominic walked up to me, raising his right hand.

Slap.

A stinging slap cracked across my cheek.

My cheek burned and swelled instantly, and the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.

Dominic massaged his wrist, his eyes gleaming with sadistic pleasure.

"That one was to teach you some manners."

He raised his hand again.

Slap.

"And that one was for being a shameless home-wrecker."

The screeching of the medical monitor grew louder and more frantic.

I watched the color drain completely from Mia's face, my soul fracturing into pieces.

I clenched my teeth so hard they threatened to break, staring into his eyes.

"You had better pray that we both die tonight, Dominic. Because if we don't, I will make you regret the very day you were born."

Dominic just laughed.

"Regret? I don't think so. But I'm definitely going to make you regret trying to steal my wife."

"Let's see how many women you can charm once I ruin that pretty face of yours."

He reached out and took a sharp steak knife handed to him by a bodyguard.

The polished silver blade glinted under the chandeliers, slowly descending toward my cheek.

As the cold edge of the metal touched my skin, I closed my eyes, bracing for the worst.

CRASH!

The reinforced steel security shutter was violently ripped open.

"Touch my brother, and I'll tear your head off!"