The new intern loves calling my husband Nathan “Daddy.” “Daddy, I got my period. Buy me some pads.” “Daddy, I can’t fasten my bra. Help me.” “Daddy, why aren’t you wearing my hair tie on your wrist? As punishment, you have to wear two—pink ones, okay?” I frowned in displeasure, but my husband just waved it off dismissively. “She’s just playing around. Once the novelty wears off, she’ll stop.” But at the company’s annual gala, she stumbled into my husband’s arms, her eyes red and pitiful. “Daddy, I twisted my ankle in these heels. It hurts so much.” My husband publicly removed her shoes and carefully massaged her foot. Everyone looked away uncomfortably, casting sympathetic glances at me. I slowly stood up and announced on the spot that the company was getting a new CEO. The intern shot to her feet and cursed at me: “Old hag, you have no authority to remove Daddy from his position!” I smiled and looked at Nathan. “Why don’t you tell her—do I have the authority or not?” At the company’s year-end gala, the host was reading out the third-prize winners onstage. “Lena.” Lena stood up with a cheer. Her low-cut dress slipped down another two inches. Every eye in the room glued itself to her. Or rather, to her nearly exposed chest. “Oh no!” A delicate cry. Timed to perfection. She tilted to the right, catching herself with one hand on the ground. Her eyes instantly misted over. “Daddy, I twisted my ankle in these heels! It hurts so much!” The entire ballroom fell silent. Nathan rose from the main table and jogged up to the stage. He crouched in front of Lena, carefully cradling her foot. “How could you be so careless?” Lena bit her lower lip, her eyes growing even redder. “Daddy, it really hurts…” Nathan skillfully removed her high heel, wrapping his palm around her foot and gently massaging her ankle. His movements were too natural. Clearly not the first time. I remembered last month when my migraine flared up and I asked him to massage my temples. He’d frowned and said, “My wrist is sore. You should see a physical therapist instead.” The contrast was glaring. Now he looked up at her, his eyes full of concern. “Bear with it. Daddy will rub it and make it feel better.” He lowered his head and blew gently on the reddened skin. The entire room was dead silent. I could feel the eyes from several tables behind me—curious, sympathetic, gleeful. Ruth, the CFO sitting beside me, cleared her throat softly, about to say something, but I raised my hand to stop her. On stage, Lena’s gaze traveled over Nathan’s head and locked precisely onto me. Her lips curved into a smile, though her voice grew even softer. “Don’t worry about it, Daddy’s just used to doing this.” She even reached out and ruffled Nathan’s hair. The gesture was intimate, possessive, and provocative. The champagne glass in my hand trembled slightly. I’d been away from the company for a year to have our second child. I hadn’t expected things to get this interesting during that time. Lena had only joined the company six months ago. I’d heard some rumors. She liked calling Nathan “Daddy.” She’d worn his jacket and drunk from his cup. “Daddy, I got my period. Buy me some pads.” “Daddy, I can’t fasten my bra. Help me.” “Daddy, why aren’t you wearing my hair tie on your wrist? As punishment, you have to wear two—pink ones, okay?” All of this had been reported to me by my trusted confidants. I’d confronted Nathan about it. He just waved it off. “Young girls play around. Once the novelty wears off, she’ll stop.” “If there was really something between us, would I let the whole company know?” I thought about it and agreed. Anyone with half a brain certainly wouldn’t be so obvious. But I never expected them to act this way in front of all the employees at the company gala. It seemed that after becoming CEO, Nathan had lost his mind. He thought that with me tied down by our second child, he could hold his head high as the master of STAR Tech. I slowly stood up and clapped three times. The sound was crisp. Everyone turned to look at me. Nathan’s hand froze. He whipped his head around, panic flashing across his face. Only now did he realize this wasn’t just within the company. I was present. And I didn’t tolerate any nonsense. Lena, however, smiled even more sweetly, as if she’d been waiting for this moment all along. “While Nathan’s concern for his employees is touching, let’s not disrupt the gala proceedings.” I looked at the host. “Continue.” The host immediately nodded. “Now, we’ll draw the second-prize winners.” Lena continued her coquettish act. “Daddy, my foot still hurts. Can you carry me down?” Nathan lowered his voice, a trace of embarrassment on his face. “Lena, stop it…” I didn’t watch the rest of the prize drawing. I stood up and headed to the restroom. I needed to think. Should I tear into them right here, or wait until after the gala? Suddenly, my phone rang. It was the nanny from home. “Ma’am, Christie wants to video chat with you.” My daughter took the nanny’s phone and gave me a sweet smile. “Mommy, when are you and Daddy coming home? Lucas is already asleep.” My daughter was only five. Her innocent question eased some of the bitterness in my heart. “We’ll be a while longer. Be good and go to sleep first.” “Okay, Mommy. Love you.” Just as I hung up, the door was pushed open.
When Lena walked in, her steps were steady. “Looks like you’re better suited to staying home.” Her lips curled up provocatively. “With me and Daddy at the company, that’s all we need.” I looked up, really looking at her for the first time. She was indeed young and beautiful with a great figure. Combined with her coquettish voice and manner, she was certainly attractive. But heaven was fair. It gave her beauty but not brains. I smiled faintly. “You know Nathan has a daughter, right? She’s only five this year. You’re twenty-two—aren’t you embarrassed to call him Daddy?” Lena covered her mouth and laughed. “You just don’t get it. He likes when I call him that. It’s called… spice.” She looked me up and down. “I heard you’re thirty-five? You look more like forty-five.” She winked at me. “Especially these lines around your eyes. Tsk, time for some injections.” I didn’t respond, just looked at myself in the mirror. Even with tonight’s heavier makeup, I looked bright and attractive. It wasn’t her place to criticize. When Lena saw I wasn’t getting angry, she moved closer and lowered her voice. “Daddy told me last night that you’re like a dead fish in bed. He said in seven years of marriage, every time with you feels like completing a chore.” My fingers tightened as I glared at her. She was trying to provoke me. “Hey, don’t get angry.” Lena’s eyes curved into crescents as she smiled. “Men all prefer young, energetic women.” She pulled a bottle of perfume from her bag and sprayed it on herself. “This is our custom-made intimate perfume. You must have smelled it when he came home, right?” I frowned slightly. I had smelled it many times. I’m allergic to perfume, so I didn’t like that scent. Lena smiled. “My advice? Stay home like a good girl and don’t mess around at the company.” “Otherwise, you and your kids will be kicked out sooner or later!” Kick me out? Interesting. I wondered what Nathan had told her to give her such blind confidence. I glanced at her, my eyes meaningful. “Does Nathan know you’re being so frank with me?” Lena smiled smugly. “What does it matter?” “In front of the whole company, he doted on me. Even if I didn’t say anything, couldn’t you see it yourself?” I nodded slightly. “So you did that on purpose earlier?” “Obviously.” Her expression suddenly changed. “Old hag, you can’t compete with me.” She pulled something from her bag and tossed it casually onto the counter. It was a condom wrapper, crumpled. “Used it in Daddy’s office last night.” She said carelessly, “Forgot to dispose of it. You don’t mind, do you?” My breathing stopped for a moment. She kept provoking me again and again. She must be prepared. Waiting for me to tear into her. Waiting for me to make a scene. Fine. I could satisfy her. I raised my hand. Just then, the restroom door burst open. Leicester, the sales director, rushed in with an ashen face. She didn’t even look at Lena, just grabbed my arm. “Emergency!” She pulled me out of the restroom. Lena laughed softly behind us. “Take care.”
Leicester dragged me into the stairwell before releasing my arm, breathing heavily. She pulled out her phone from her pocket. “You need to see this.” On the screen was a chat log from a group called “Company Drama Watch.” I recognized this group. Three months ago, IT had reported it. “Employees created an anonymous gossip group. Should we deal with it?” I’d said at the time, “As long as it doesn’t affect work, let them be.” Now, this group was live-streaming a spectacle. The latest message was from twenty minutes ago. “OMG! Lena just called Nathan ‘Daddy’ on stage, and he actually went up to massage her foot!” “I knew something was going on between them.” “That cup on Lena’s desk is identical to Nathan’s—matching couple’s set.” Leicester scrolled the screen. “Look up.” I scrolled up. A message from three days ago. “I secretly photographed Lena wearing Nathan’s shirt!” The photo was blurry, but you could clearly see Lena wearing Nathan’s white shirt with nothing underneath. Comments followed below. “Wow, what a body!” “I heard the sounds—she was so loud, like she thought no one else was working late.” “Poor Ruby at home having babies while getting cheated on.” A message from seven days ago. “I screenshotted Lena’s Instagram story. Check this out.” In the screenshot, two hands were intertwined, the man’s hand wearing a Patek Philippe. That was my gift to Nathan for his fortieth birthday. The woman’s hand was slender with nude pink nail polish, a pink hair tie around her wrist. Caption: Celebrating day 99 with Daddy. There were more disgusting conversations in the screenshots. I didn’t want to keep reading. But Leicester scrolled down further to the latest messages. From five minutes ago. “Look! Lena chased Ruby into the bathroom!” “What’s that bitch trying to do?” “What else? Show off. I heard Nathan promised to marry her.” “Marry her? Doesn’t Nathan have a wife?” “New here? Everyone knows Nathan got his position through his wife. Now he’s got wings and wants to fly away.” “What did Lena say in the bathroom? Did anyone hear?” “Couldn’t hear clearly, but definitely nothing good. That woman shouts ‘Daddy’ in the office every day. So disgusting.” “Once Daddy divorces Ruby, I’ll be the boss’s wife! Lena said this herself outside the bathroom door ten minutes ago. I recorded it.” Leicester clicked on the audio file. Lena’s voice came through the phone, dripping with satisfaction. “That old hag wore that black dress today, looking like an unlucky crow. Daddy said she’s gotten more and more boring lately. After the divorce, the company will be mine. Then you’ll all have to call me the boss’s wife…” The audio cut off abruptly. Leicester looked at me, her eyes filled with both anger and concern. “Ruby, this…” I closed my eyes. Three seconds. Deep breath. When I opened them again, all emotion had been suppressed. “Give me your phone.” Leicester handed over her phone. I quickly operated it, forwarding all those screenshots and recordings to my social media. Then I made three phone calls.
The first call was to the Legal Director. “I need all of Nathan’s personal account transactions from the past year, plus financial records for all projects under his name. I need them now.” The second call was to my assistant. “Prepare a document immediately—STAR Tech CEO change announcement. Also, notify IT to take control of the gala’s main screen. I’ll text you the authorization code.” The third call was to the head of security. “Bring four people to the main hall and stand by. Wait for my signal.” After hanging up, I looked at Leicester. “Thank you for today.” Leicester shook her head. “Ruby, I’ve worked with you for ten years. Nathan… he’s gone too far.” “I know.” I straightened my dress and did one final check in the mirror. Lipstick intact, eyeliner unsmudged, hair perfectly in place. The woman in the mirror was thirty-five, with fine lines around her eyes, but a sharp gaze. Nathan. Lena. You want to put on a show? Fine. I’ll perform with you. When I walked back into the ballroom, the atmosphere had clearly changed. Everyone was looking at me with complex expressions. The prize drawing on stage had already ended hastily. Soon it would be time for the closing remarks. In previous years, Nathan had given the speech. He and Lena had already returned to the main table. Lena was leaning on his shoulder, whispering something. Nathan was absentmindedly patting her back, occasionally glancing at me. Seeing me return, he immediately stood up. “Ruby, earlier Lena…” “It’s fine.” I smiled, walking past him without stopping. “She’s just a young girl. Doesn’t know better.” Lena looked up, a flash of surprise in her eyes. She probably expected me to explode. But I didn’t. I walked straight to the podium and took the microphone from the host. “Everyone, I’ll handle tonight’s closing remarks.” The entire room watched me quietly. Nathan frowned. “Ruby…” There was a trace of worry in his eyes. My behavior was too abnormal. Lena’s lips, however, curved into a triumphant sneer. [Finally can’t hold it in anymore?] [Make a scene.] [The wealthy care most about dignity.] [The bigger the scene, the faster I rise.] I nodded toward the control room. The main screen’s prize drawing page instantly went black, then lit up again. When the first PowerPoint slide appeared, Nathan’s expression changed. Lena also jumped to her feet. “Host, turn off that screen right now!”
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