Chloe, my husband Xavier’s assistant, made an important client wait in the freezing wind for four hours. As the director, I salvaged the situation for her. I simply reminded her in the meeting not to let it happen again. But Chloe burst into tears and accused me instead: “How dare you twist the facts and steal my credit? You were the one too lazy to get out of bed. If I hadn’t begged the client on my knees, the deal would’ve fallen apart already.” Xavier knew the truth, but instead of defending me, he gave her an unprecedented promotion to vice president and forced me to hand the project over to her. I didn’t cry or make a scene. I signed the project transfer agreement. Xavier thought I’d given in. What he didn’t know was that the client’s project manager was my former classmate. The only reason he’d agreed to work with us despite what happened was because he valued my abilities. Now that the company had invested all its capital into the project, Xavier’s breach of contract in changing the project manager wouldn’t just cause the investment to go down the drain—it would also result in massive compensation penalties.
“Valerie, you think just handing over the project makes everything go away? Not a chance!” “According to company policy, you must forfeit your year-end bonus and bear the corresponding financial responsibility!” After turning the tables on me, Chloe still wasn’t satisfied. She was determined to step on me to recover the face she’d lost at the meeting. Everyone knew the truth, but they didn’t dare take sides. All eyes fell on Xavier. Seeing I wouldn’t admit fault, Chloe raised an eyebrow and smirked: “What? You’re mediocre to begin with—can’t handle people saying it?” I turned and glanced at Xavier. We’d been married for ten years, but he’d always refused to make our relationship public. This time, he’d given this important project to Chloe to build her credentials. Who knew she’d oversleep and leave the client waiting in the cold wind for four hours? The client had stormed off in anger. But this project was crucial to the company’s IPO. We couldn’t afford any mistakes. So Xavier came to negotiate with me. If I could salvage the deal and bring the client back, he’d publicly acknowledge our relationship at the meeting. I was thrilled. I worked my heart out to make amends and finally regained the client’s trust. Today, I thought Xavier would keep his promise. I’d even bought a new dress for the occasion and tucked a watch I’d saved half a year’s salary to buy into my pocket for him. But I never imagined Xavier would go back on his word and allow Chloe to twist the facts, steal my credit, and take my project. Seeing me look at Xavier, Chloe bit her lip with an aggrieved expression: “What are you staring at? If Xavier didn’t respect your seniority, he would’ve fired you ages ago!” Xavier glanced at me apologetically, then responded sternly: “We’ll skip the financial responsibility, but your entire year-end bonus is forfeit. Valerie, be more careful next time. Don’t make such amateur mistakes again.” He seemed to be protecting me, but he was actually pinning this dirty label firmly on my head. Well, of course—he was the boss. Without his tacit approval, how would Chloe, a newcomer, dare to challenge me? Listening to my colleagues’ gleeful mockery around me, I didn’t get angry. Instead, I smiled and took off my employee badge on the spot: “No need for all that trouble. I quit right now.” Xavier looked at me with displeasure: “Stop being ridiculous! If you quit, what happens to all your projects?” I shrugged calmly: “Chloe is so talented—I’m sure she’ll do better than me.” At those words, everyone’s expressions changed. They all knew the company had gotten where it was today entirely because of me alone. If I left, all my projects would fall apart, and they wouldn’t be able to collect their commissions anymore. Colleagues who’d sided with Chloe earlier now rushed to persuade me: “Valerie, Xavier was just joking. The company can’t function without you.” Chloe, seeing the spotlight stolen from her, snapped at me irritably: “Valerie, do you have to drag everyone down and prevent them from meeting their targets? Don’t be so selfish!” Xavier frowned, about to stop Chloe from continuing. But suddenly Chloe clutched her chest and crouched down, her face pale: “Xavier, Valerie’s making my chest hurt. Quick, call an ambulance…” Xavier panicked immediately: “Valerie, are you a block of wood? Hurry up and help!” I glanced over. Chloe’s face was rosy, and she kept blinking at me provocatively. She was obviously faking it again. Xavier didn’t notice. He called everyone to help Chloe into the car. I turned to leave, but Xavier, despite being so busy, called out to me: “You made Chloe sick—where do you think you’re going? Get in the car right now and come with me to take her to the hospital.” I didn’t want to go, but I also didn’t want Chloe to extort money from me afterward, so I got in the car. In the back seat, Chloe leaned on Xavier’s shoulder, whimpering softly about her pain: “Xavier, Valerie’s going to be the death of me…” Xavier’s heart ached terribly. He scolded me irritably: “Don’t you know she has heart problems? Can’t you just speak nicely to her?” Seeing him like this, I was long used to it. I’d fought with Xavier, argued with him, even thrown things because of Chloe. But no matter what I did, I couldn’t change the fact that Xavier was biased toward her. Even this time, it was clearly Chloe who’d stolen my credit and project, who’d mocked me in front of everyone. I just didn’t want to be exploited anymore and chose to resign, but he thought I was causing trouble. If it were my old temperament, I would’ve already gotten into an argument with him. But ever since Chloe appeared this past year, she’d stolen Xavier’s attention, stolen my project commissions, and now even my reputation. I wondered if in a few days, she’d even come for my position as his wife. Life had become like this. I was truly exhausted. I nodded and replied perfunctorily: “Mm-hmm. Won’t happen again.” Because there wouldn’t be a next time for us. Xavier looked at me in surprise, satisfied with my compromise. He rarely explained: “I know you’re not bad-hearted. You just have a sharp tongue.” “Chloe has a bad heart. I’m worried about her getting upset, so I go along with her.” “Besides, she’s your… protégé. Don’t you want to see her go far?” That’s right! Chloe was a financially struggling student I’d personally sponsored. I paid for her college education and her medical bills. When she couldn’t find work after graduation, I arranged for her to work as an assistant. But she wasn’t satisfied being a small-time assistant for life and begged me to teach her. I squeezed out three hours of rest time every day to teach her hands-on. I knew she had heart problems, so I asked Xavier to take extra care of her. But I never expected Xavier to take such good care of her—too good, in fact. That day, I went to discuss work with Xavier, only to find the two of them sharing a dessert in his office. Seeing that scene, I was instantly furious and rushed over to confront them. That was the first time Chloe faked being sick, and the first time in all our married years that Xavier gave me the cold shoulder in front of others. He anxiously took Chloe to the hospital and stayed by her side to care for her. Watching my own husband tenderly care for someone else made me feel awful. In ten years of marriage, he’d never taken care of me like that. Once, when I had acute gastroenteritis and was in terrible pain, I begged him to take me to the hospital. He just tossed me a box of medicine with an icy tone: “If you want to slack off, just say so. Stop faking it. I hate people who fake being sick!” Later, I called a car myself and checked into the hospital. Even after learning about my condition, he was still disdainful: “It’s just gastroenteritis. Everyone gets it. Stop acting like you have a terminal illness, okay?” I thought he just had a sharp tongue but a soft heart, but he really never came to the hospital to see me. Not once. I used to think he was just that kind of cold, heartless man. But when I turned around, I saw Xavier—who had severe germaphobia—using his pristine white sleeve to wipe Chloe’s sweat. He urgently pressed the driver to go faster, as if Chloe were his wife. I smiled bitterly, and the obsession in my heart dissipated in that moment. Actually, I should’ve understood long ago. All his behavior told me he truly cherished Chloe. Very, very much. And I was just a passerby in his life. I quietly sent my former classmate a message, telling him I’d been kicked out of the project. He sent back a shocked emoji: “Valerie, come work with me.” I’d refused him countless times before. This time, I replied with a single word: “Okay.” To be with Xavier, I’d given up my own future. It wasn’t too late to turn back now. I needed to take a chance for myself. The rest of the ride passed in silence. We took Chloe to the hospital. Her condition was fine. Getting the news, I turned to leave. Xavier breathed a sigh of relief: “Valerie, wait. I’ll go home with you.” He was about to reach for my hand when Chloe started faking illness again, clutching her chest and crying out in pain. Xavier sighed and transferred me five hundred dollars as compensation: “You go home first. After the project succeeds, I’ll give you the rest of the commission.” “Once the company goes public, you can stay home and do whatever you want. I won’t go back on what I promised you.” I responded vaguely with an “mm-hmm.” I turned and left, not accepting his money. I didn’t plan to continue this relationship with him. My former classmate was preparing materials to sue him. Not only would the contract be terminated, but he’d also face enormous compensation penalties.
On the way back, I received provocative texts and videos from Chloe. “Valerie, so what if you have the title of his wife? He can catch my vomit with his bare hands. Have you ever gotten that kind of treatment?” Indeed not. When I was sick, forget about taking care of me—he wouldn’t even pour me a glass of water. “Valerie, is five hundred enough for you? If not, I’ll transfer you some more. Xavier felt so bad for me being so sick that he transferred me five hundred thousand.” I looked at the transfer records she sent. Xavier really did feel bad for her. When apologizing to me, he was so stingy, yet he’d transferred her over ten million dollars in spending money bit by bit. I didn’t respond to her provocation. I just quietly saved the evidence. When I got home, I casually cooked some instant noodles, ate, and went to sleep. Late at night, Xavier suddenly came home and shook me awake: “Don’t sleep yet. Chloe’s sick. I’m having her move in for a few days so I can take care of her.” “Go clean up the guest room right now and change the sheets and comforter.” Annoyed at being woken up, I turned over and went back to sleep: “Do it yourself. I’m not available.” Hearing this, Chloe frowned and rushed in to accuse me: “Xavier was planning to stay at my place, but he came back here to save face for you as his wife.” “I’ve already agreed to live under someone else’s roof, and Xavier’s asked you nicely. Don’t push your luck.” Xavier shook his head in disappointment: “Usually you’re so energetic doing things. Are you deliberately targeting Chloe?” “She even told me she wouldn’t hold it against you for making her sick. How can you be less considerate than your own protégé?” I laughed coldly, too lazy to explain: “Right, right, right. It’s all my fault. Go stay at Chloe’s place—you can take even better care of her there.” Xavier’s rebuke caught in his throat. His eyes turned red with anger: “Valerie! What kind of wife pushes her husband to stay at another woman’s house?” He glared at me furiously for a few moments, then ran out. After he left, Chloe leisurely walked in and flashed me a triumphant smile: “Well, well, teacher. I didn’t expect you to learn my tricks and play dirty too. But you’ll never be able to outplay me. Just you wait.” I didn’t listen carefully. I buried my head and fell back asleep. The next morning, I woke up refreshed. As soon as I walked into the living room, I smelled a rich aroma. The dining table was set with a lavish breakfast. Xavier, wearing an apron, seemed to have forgotten about last night. He pressed me into a chair and placed a fried egg in my bowl. “Here, here, try this fried egg.” How strange. Xavier never cooked. Had the sun risen in the west today? Just as I was about to take a bite, I heard him muttering: “Chloe’s so picky. She won’t eat it if it’s even slightly overcooked, and she won’t eat it if it’s too soft either. Help me taste it…” I immediately put down my fork. I’d been presumptuous. How could he possibly make breakfast for me? This meal was all thanks to Chloe’s presence. Life had become so pathetic. I turned and went into the bedroom, taking out the divorce agreement I’d prepared and handing it to him. Xavier was busy with what he was doing and didn’t even look: “There’s still soup simmering on the stove. I’ll sign it later.” I stopped him: “It’s rather urgent. Sign it first—it won’t delay you.” Xavier sighed and quickly signed it with a pen. Suddenly remembering something, he asked casually as if it were an afterthought: “Is this a new project you’re negotiating? I want Chloe to join your team.” “Don’t worry, she won’t take any money. Just leave her name on it.” I put the document away. Xavier’s love for Chloe ran truly deep. He never forgot to ask for benefits for her. Only this time, he was destined to be disappointed. “This isn’t a project. It’s a divorce agreement.”
Xavier froze. He thought I was joking. He leaned over to look and realized it was real. Only then did his expression change: “What do you mean? I’m just letting Chloe stay for a few days! What’s this nonsense about divorce!” As he spoke, he reached out to snatch it. I quickly hid it and looked at him: “Xavier, wouldn’t it be good if I just let you two be together?” Xavier exploded in anger: “Your mind is so filthy! I only see her as a sister—nothing else!” At this point, he was still making excuses. I tugged at the corner of my mouth: “Is that so? There are so many financially struggling students out there. Why do you only acknowledge one sister?” “How about I gather everyone together and you can all recognize each other as relatives?” My words completely enraged Xavier. His face turned shades of green and purple as he fumed: “Fine! Let’s divorce then!” Chloe was awakened by the argument. She came out of the guest room wearing my pajamas, pretending to mediate: “Stop fighting, both of you. If I’m affecting your relationship, I’ll just die outside and never bother Xavier again.” Xavier couldn’t care about being angry anymore. He glared at me several times: “Are you a block of wood? Hurry up and say you didn’t mean it.” “As long as you apologize to Chloe, I can let today’s matter slide.” He thought my divorce talk was just angry words. Little did he know, this was a carefully considered decision. I nodded: “Chloe, your understanding is very accurate. That’s exactly what I mean.” Chloe hadn’t expected me to actually stand up to her. Unable to save face, she angrily stormed out, even forgetting to change her shoes. Xavier’s expression darkened. He swept the entire breakfast off the table. The sandwich I’d just taken from the refrigerator was also snatched from my hand and thrown into the trash. “Didn’t you want a divorce? Everything in this house was bought with my money. You don’t deserve to eat it!” After cursing at me, he rushed out to chase after Chloe. Looking at the mess on the floor, I was too lazy to clean it up. I was about to go out to eat when my former classmate called to invite me out. I immediately changed clothes and met him at a breakfast shop. “Valerie, how did your resignation go?” Just as I was about to say Xavier wouldn’t let me go, a notification suddenly popped up on my phone that my resignation had been approved: “It’s all done.” My classmate couldn’t even bother drinking his porridge. He pulled out an employment contract: “Sign it quick. I’m afraid you’ll change your mind, so I even brought the boss’s stamp.” Seeing him like this, I smiled. Without disappointing him, I scanned the contract and signed it. He carefully put away the contract and looked at me: “Are you free today? Come with me to your company.” I happened to have nothing else to do, so I didn’t refuse. After eating, I took him there. As soon as I stepped into the company, I heard Chloe’s sarcastic voice: “Well, well! If it isn’t Valerie, who was making such a fuss about resigning? How come you changed your mind right after your resignation was approved?” Xavier was startled by the commotion. He turned to look at me and snorted coldly: “Chloe, you don’t understand. Valerie’s old now. Nobody wants her anymore. She can only swallow her pride and come back begging us. Otherwise, she can’t even afford to eat.” The company was currently celebrating Chloe’s promotion. There was a large cake on the workstations. Chloe cut a piece of cake, but instead of offering it to me to eat, she smashed it on the floor in front of me: “Valerie, for old times’ sake as my senior, if you lick the cake off the floor clean, I’ll let you come back to the company and continue as director.” The colleagues joined in mocking me: “No way! You can become a director just by eating some cake? Chloe, why don’t you give us such a sweet deal? You really do favor your teacher after all.” Chloe laughed heartily and sneered: “Of course. My teacher taught me with such dedication. It wasn’t easy. As her student, I should repay her, shouldn’t I?” Xavier stood to the side, watching me be humiliated and mocked. He didn’t defend me—he even stepped on the cake himself. He pointed at the cream now marked with a shoe print and said to me: “Valerie, you probably don’t know yet, but the company has already invested all its money into this project’s production line.” “As long as you eat it, I’ll let you share in the project profits. That money would be enough for you to spend your whole life.” “Let’s see whether you choose money or dignity.” Looking at Xavier’s twisted expression, I smiled: “Is that so? Are you sure the partnership can continue?” Xavier raised an eyebrow, thinking I was bluffing. He snorted coldly: “You’re old and arrogant. I’ve put up with you for a long time.” “This time, Chloe has already negotiated with the client’s project manager. They’re very satisfied. The company doesn’t need you anymore.” Chloe also stepped forward triumphantly: “Teacher, you’re old. I’m stronger than you. Hurry up and get lost. Don’t be an eyesore at our celebration!” No wonder Xavier had been blocking my resignation before but suddenly agreed to it. It turned out he thought Chloe had already learned all my skills. I suddenly laughed and asked: “Is what they’re saying true?” My former classmate, who’d witnessed the entire farce, stepped out from behind me. He took off his sunglasses and said angrily: “Absolute nonsense! When did I ever meet with you?” Only then did everyone realize he was actually the client’s project manager! Chloe’s lie was exposed. Her face instantly turned deathly pale. Xavier hadn’t expected my relationship with the client to be so close either. But he’d already made his bold claims. Now he could only stubbornly push forward: “Valerie, so what if you have a good relationship with the client? The contract’s already signed. Breach of contract requires high compensation penalties. I don’t believe he’d lose money just to help you!” Before I could speak, my classmate sneered and pulled out the contract to show Xavier: “Look carefully. You changed the project manager without authorization. You’re the one in breach of contract!” “Get ready to pay five hundred million dollars. We’ll see you in court!”
The room erupted in an uproar. No one had expected such a dramatic reversal. My good relationship with the client had already shocked them. Now my classmate’s declaration that the contract was void left them stunned. “Impossible! How could I not know about this clause?” “You must have altered it. Chloe, quick, go get our copy of the contract!” Xavier’s hands were shaking, but he was still trying to hold on. I laughed coldly and said nothing, waiting for them to find the contract. Xavier had been too eager to hand the project over to Chloe. He hadn’t even noticed the clause about not being able to change project managers midway before rashly kicking me out. Chloe panicked too. She rummaged through the office and finally found the contract. Xavier couldn’t care about gentlemanly behavior anymore. He snatched the contract and rapidly flipped through it. Everyone held their breath. The usually noisy office now only echoed with the sound of Xavier flipping pages. When he turned to that page and saw the clause with his own eyes, his heart sank completely. Seeing Xavier’s desperate expression, everyone understood that my classmate and I were telling the truth. Such a major project had just fallen through? Chloe, who’d been celebrating in advance, experienced the feeling of gaining and losing in an instant. Her eyes turned red with anger. She pointed at me and opened her mouth furiously: “Valerie! So that’s it! I was wondering why you’d hand over the project so obediently. You were digging a pit here waiting for Xavier and me to jump in!” “Xavier and I have been so good to you. How can you have the nerve to betray us?” I rolled my eyes: “Wasn’t this the project you negotiated? Why didn’t you read the terms before signing?” Chloe was left speechless by my retort. Her eyes turned red with anger. Xavier completely panicked. He even forgot to defend Chloe. He muttered “It’s over” and slumped to the floor. The other employees quickly reacted too, wailing and crying: “It’s over. I invested my entire fortune.” “Yeah, what do I do now? I saved for ten years, thinking this was a sure thing. I even borrowed from all my relatives. How am I supposed to live?” Hearing their lamentations, I was stunned. The market had been bad lately, and the company’s funds were tight. Xavier had wanted to use this project to soar to new heights. I only knew Xavier had thrown all the company’s account money into it. I hadn’t expected him to make employees chip in and invest too. No wonder they’d all been on Xavier’s side earlier. They were a community of shared interests. Seeing the room full of wailing people, my classmate and I turned to leave. Xavier wiped his face and stood up, looking at me with disappointment: “Valerie, everyone’s worked together for ten years. I wronged you, but your colleagues didn’t offend you. Why did you pull this stunt and make it so nobody gets paid?” With him saying this, the angry colleagues immediately turned their anger on me. They didn’t think about how if Xavier hadn’t changed the project manager, or if they’d stopped things when it happened, it wouldn’t have come to this. But they didn’t. They’d only thought at the time that Chloe was close to Xavier and they needed to curry favor with the boss. Ending up like this was their own doing. Hearing their curses, I didn’t care. Chloe angrily blocked my path: “Valerie, you’re as selfish and childish as ever. Do you think you’ve won by pulling this stunt today?” “We lost money, but you backstabbed your former company. Your reputation in the industry is ruined. From now on, no company will ever hire you!” Hearing her defiant words, I shook my head with a cold laugh. But my classmate smiled: “That’s not your concern. Valerie’s already joined our company. You should worry more about yourself.”
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