The Name Tariff

As the year’s end approached, the city of Portlas’ high society joked that there was no need to worship Lady Fortuna. They only had to worship me instead.

That was because, after our remarriage, I became the most materialistic husband in all of Portlas.

I no longer cared how much Lana Gable doted on that man.

Even when my daughter called him “Daddy,” I turned a blind eye.

There was just one new rule in the house.

Every time they mentioned Eliot Speke’s name, they had to give me one hundred thousand dollars.

Thanks to that, I saved up thirty million dollars in less than two weeks.

On our wedding anniversary, Lana and my daughter mentioned Eliot once again.

The two of them looked stiff, while I simply held out my hand with practiced ease.

“One hundred thousand dollars. Transfer it to my account.”

My daughter finally could not hold back any longer and looked at me with utter contempt.

“Daddy, you’re so vulgar. Is money the only thing on your mind? You’d even demand money for such a trivial matter. You can’t even compare to a speck of dust on Uncle Speke’s shoes.”

I did not argue. I simply held out my hand to my daughter as well.

“One hundred thousand dollars. Since you brought it up first, you have to pay too.”

Our daughter, Emma Gables, stared at me incredulously with her eyes wide. It was as if she did not recognize me.

But I simply held out my hand again. “One hundred thousand dollars. I don’t need to nag you for it, do I?”

There was a loud “clang.”

Lana slammed down her water glass, shielded my daughter behind her, and glared at me.

“Lyle Stafford, do you find this amusing?”

I looked up at her and smiled. “Why wouldn’t I? It wasn’t me who took Emma to see him.”

Lana’s expression froze for a moment before returning to normal.

She grabbed my hand and said gently, “I was wrong. Today is our wedding anniversary. Don’t be angry, okay?”

Once upon a time, I would have dreamed of hearing her admit she was wrong.

But I only felt annoyed by her attempt to deflect the subject.

“I’m not angry. Just pay me on the kid’s behalf.”

Lana’s patience completely ran out.

“Fine. Very well.

“Lyle Stafford, you’ve really surprised me.”

She pulled a checkbook from her bag, wrote a check for two hundred thousand dollars, and slammed it on my face. Then, she carried Emma and walked away.

I bent down to pick up the check, not caring where they had gone.

Eliot would tell me the answer anyway.

I opened my phone, and his message arrived right on time.

Today, the mother and daughter had accompanied him to the amusement park. They looked like a real family of three.

After all, Lana and her daughter had never done such simple, ordinary things for me.

Never mind going to an amusement park, even when taking photos, the