Five months into my pregnancy, I was still working. Just before signing a major contract, the new intern, Amber, handed me a cup of almond tea. I have a severe almond allergy. I went into anaphylactic shock on the spot. When I woke up, I had lost the $30 million contract and the baby I was carrying. I never imagined my husband, Damien, the CEO, would only fine the intern $300, then turn to fire me: “Celeste, Amber didn’t mean it. I’ve already fined her $300. You’ve had a miscarriage, you’re not fit for work. Go home and recover.” “Is our child only worth $300?” I sneered. Then I noticed two fresh scratch marks on Damien’s backside, and it all clicked. The moment he closed the bathroom door, I called his biggest rival, Devin. When we first started the company, we were dirt poor. I worked myself so hard back then, doctors told me it would be difficult for me to conceive. That’s why I was so careful after I got pregnant. I had planned to take maternity leave right after this $30 million deal was signed. But I never expected to miscarry. I remembered telling everyone at a company gathering about my almond allergy. Amber was there. But now, with tears in her eyes, she claimed: “I truly had no idea you were allergic to almonds.” Damien shielded her behind him. “You can’t blame her entirely. Couldn’t you tell if there were almonds in the tea yourself? A $300 fine is enough.” Amber continued to sob: “Celeste, you have such a rich husband in Damien. $300 might be nothing to you. But for me, it’s a box of my father’s medicine. I have to work three days to save that much.” With that, Amber burst into tears and ran out. My husband, of course, chased after her. I stood in the office, a bitter smile on my face. I had taken pity on her during her interview and hired her, never imagining I had fostered a viper who was now sinking its fangs into me. Just then, my phone chimed. It was a SnapChat video from Amber. The screen showed Damien tenderly kissing away her tears. “It’s just $300, don’t cry. I’ll transfer three million to you later, okay?” Amber, eyes red, playfully punched his chest. “No! What do you mean by five million? Is this payment for making me your mistress? I’m not that cheap; I don’t want to be a mistress…” Damien grabbed her hands, tossing her onto the bed before telling her: “You’re not a mistress. You’re my lover.” The screen then went black, leaving only their muffled moans. A sharp pang shot through my heart. Amber was his lover? What did that make me, his wife who’d stood by him for seven years, building his company from the ground up? When we first got married, Damien’s engagement ring was an aluminum can tab. He knelt, promising me: “Celeste, I’ll love and protect you for life. Once I’m rich, I’ll buy you the most beautiful ring.” Now, he was successful, but his vows were long forgotten. I choked back my tears, drafted the divorce papers, and signed them.
After being discharged from the hospital, I drove back to the office to pack my things and process my resignation. In my drawer, I kept a bracelet my mother wore, the only memento she left me. I pushed open the door, only to find Amber sitting happily at my desk, applying makeup—even using *my* cosmetics! Seeing me, she sneered: “Damien said this office is mine now. Some old women are just useless, can’t hold onto a baby, a man, or a job.” Her words stung, my eyes reddening. I reached out to slap her, but a large hand grabbed mine. Amber immediately pouted, tears streaming down her face. “Damien, Celeste told me to get out, said I made her seat dirty.” Damien stepped in front of her, explaining: “You’re going home anyway. Just let her have this office. Perfect, it’ll make her work hard to make up for the losses you caused last time.” I let out a cold laugh. Was this a punishment or a reward? Amber was just an intern; she had no e-commerce experience, let alone live streaming. How could she possibly take over my position? But I was too tired to argue. I just wanted to leave quickly. As soon as I opened the drawer, my mother’s necklace was gone. I asked Amber: “Where did you put the jewelry box that was in here?” She spoke dismissively: “Oh, that old box? I threw it away. It’s probably at the dump by now. Looked like it was only worth ten bucks, I’ll pay you back.” I slapped her directly across the face: “That was my mother’s only memento! No amount of money can ever replace it!” I was the one heartbroken, yet Amber ran off crying, covering her face. “It’s your fault for not keeping it safe, and now you’re blaming me? I bet you just want to drive me away. I have to pay for my dad’s medical bills, and you just want me to lose this job. You’re trying to kill me! I’ll just go kill myself now!” Amber rushed out crying. Damien’s brow furrowed, and he instinctively started to follow her. Trembling, I called out to him from behind: “You can go after her, but sign my resignation letter first.” But he didn’t stop, just glanced at me coldly. “Celeste, when did you become so petty? Are you really going to force Amber to her death? It’s just a bracelet. I’ll buy you a better one.” With that, Damien walked out without hesitation. I tightly clutched my resignation application and went to HR. The employee in charge looked troubled. “Celeste, without Mr. Damien’s signature, your resignation won’t be effective unless you pay the penalty for breach of contract.” I didn’t hesitate. I immediately called Sterling Corporation, his rival company: “You’ve been trying to poach me, haven’t you? I’ll participate in the live selling competition for you in three days. But you have to pay my termination fee.”
After I hung up, Damien had already coaxed Amber back. The termination fee from Sterling Corporation was due in three days, and then I could leave. I ignored them both, quietly returning to my office to pack my things. But no sooner had I sat down than Amber strutted in, her head held high, sweeping my belongings directly off the desk. “Celeste, I’m the streamer now, and Damien said this office belongs to me too. You’re just a junior employee in charge of samples, your spot is over there.” I followed her pointed finger. Beside the trash can was a new workstation, its desk so narrow it was hard to even rest a hand on it. Amber leaned in close to my ear, her voice dripping with provocation: “Damien said you were old and ugly, unlike me, young and beautiful. He wants to look at *me* more, to ‘cleanse his eyes’ of you.” I looked through the glass partition at Damien, my nails digging deep into my palms, yet I felt no pain. He had once specially designed these two unique offices, separated only by a transparent glass wall, just so he could glance at me more during work. He used to say I was his motivation to strive harder. Now, he was making me give even this up to someone else. I tilted my head back, refusing to let the tears fall, and uncharacteristically, didn’t object. I silently walked out. Damien, watching from next door, frowned deeply. He knew perfectly well how much I loved this office, how I’d lean on the desk and watch him after every stream. He had been prepared for me to throw a fit, but my quiet acceptance filled him with a sudden panic. For the first time during working hours, he approached me, explaining: “I’m just doing this to supervise her work, to help her pay back the $30 million as quickly as possible. That’s why I let her temporarily move into your office. Once she pays it back, I’ll make her move out. Celeste, I know you’re upset about losing the baby. How about I take you shopping to get your mind off things?” Thinking about the jewelry I still needed for the awards ceremony tomorrow, I didn’t refuse. I got into his Maybach, treating it as a convenient ride. Soon, I spotted a beautiful sapphire necklace. To my surprise, the sales associate approached me, looking apologetic, to say it had already been purchased. Disappointed, I settled for another one. But as I scrolled through my Ins feed in the car, I saw Amber’s latest post. The picture was none other than the sapphire necklace I had just admired, with the caption: “Damien has such good taste! I’ll wear this to meet our new business partners later.” Before I could react, the passenger door opened, revealing a meticulously dressed Amber. Damien glanced at me, stating matter-of-factly: “You’re Amber’s assistant now. Sit in the back. We’re going to meet the partners together.” So, his initiative was just to have me help Amber pick out a necklace. I forced a bitter smile and moved to the back seat. Then, I watched Amber expertly pull a compact from the car pocket to touch up her makeup. Inside, I vaguely glimpsed an opened box of condoms. I looked away, my heart numb. I thought I couldn’t feel pain anymore, but then, in the private dining room, Amber gave a coy smile as a business partner raised a glass to her. “Oh, I can’t drink right now.” The partner curiously asked, “Why not?” She placed a hand on her stomach, revealing a diamond bracelet on her wrist, and looked directly at Damien, making no effort to hide it. “Because I’m pregnant, and my husband bought me this diamond bracelet especially.” Seeing that bracelet, I let out a cold laugh. He had promised me an engagement ring, a bracelet – he’d bought me nothing. Now, he was so generous with his lover. No wonder he wasn’t sad when I miscarried. They already had a baby together. Amber’s face was alight with smug triumph as she watched my pale complexion, but she still wasn’t done with me. “Even though I can’t drink, Celeste can. Why don’t you let her drink on my behalf? Damien, what do you say?”
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