On the morning of New Year’s Day, I had prepared gifts for my in-laws, but I waited forever for Lucas to pick me up. Bored out of my mind, I scrolled through Ins and saw that his secretary, Leah, had just posted an update: “Mr. Reed took me to meet his parents! His mom’s gift was so expensive—I feel bad accepting it!” The photo showed her in my vacation villa’s garden, surrounded by Lucas’s family, beaming with joy. Lucas had commented with utter adoration: “You silly girl, we’ll give you gifts every New Year from now on.” I screenshot that smug photo and posted it directly to the company’s executive group chat. “Lucas, since when did your mom become Leah’s mother-in-law? How come I didn’t know about this?” “Also, get your parents and Leah out of my house by 8 PM tonight. You’re all making the place filthy!” The chat went dead silent. The next second, Lucas’s call came through: “Samantha Smith, do you have any idea how this makes Leah look in front of her colleagues? She grew up without a family, and my parents and I just wanted to care for a poor girl! Apologize publicly in the group chat right now!!” I let out a cold laugh: “She’s been fired. So have you.”
Before he could start raging, I hung up. The car went quiet. My dad passed away years ago, and my mom was traveling again this year. So Lucas brought his relatives to my vacation villa, saying he wanted to throw a party to liven things up. I agreed. But I didn’t expect him to spend three million of my money buying gifts for his parents and his secretary. He even brought the secretary to my house. Soon after, Lucas sent another message. [Get here within half an hour.] [Leah’s timid—this is her first time at something like this. Bring that green jade necklace from the safe to give to her. Don’t make our family look cheap.] [Oh, and wipe that death-mask look off your face. It’s bad luck.] I stared at the screen. My family’s heirloom jade necklace—he wanted to hang it around a secretary’s neck? I ignored him, turned up the car stereo, and hit the gas. I stopped the car outside the iron gates of my vacation villa. I pressed down on the horn and didn’t let go. After a minute, Lucas came out with a dark expression on his face. “Samantha, are you sick? You’re ten whole minutes late, and the elders have been waiting for you!” I rolled down the window, my gaze sliding right past him. Leah followed behind him, wearing a cream-colored coat. I raised an eyebrow. That was my globally limited-edition piece—tags still attached. Now it was on her, sleeves rolled up twice, looking completely ridiculous. When Leah saw me, she shrank back and hid behind Lucas. “Samantha… don’t misunderstand.” “It’s windy up here in the mountains. Lucas was worried I’d freeze, so he let me wear it.” Lucas immediately stepped in front of her protectively, glaring at me. “What’s wrong with borrowing it? You have so many clothes—do you really need to stare like that?” “Where’s the jewelry?” I said nothing. I opened the glove compartment and pulled out a box cutter. Lucas froze. “What are you doing with a knife?” I ignored him and walked straight toward Leah. Leah looked at me timidly. “Samantha, don’t be angry. After the New Year visit, I’ll wash it and return it to you…” I shook my head and said calmly, “Don’t you think this coat doesn’t really fit you?” Leah blinked. “Huh?” I flicked out the blade and raised my hand toward her shoulder, slashing downward. “Ahhh—” Leah screamed. But before my blade even touched the coat, a powerful force clamped down on my wrist. “Samantha, are you out of your fucking mind?” Leah stood frozen in shock. A cold wind blew past, and only then did she start trembling. Lucas roared and flung my hand away, patting Leah’s back repeatedly. “Are you sick? First day of the New Year and you’re pulling out knives?” I looked at the pair of scumbags in front of me and frowned. “Well then, Happy New Year to both of you.” “Next time, I’ll aim straight for your pretty little face.” At that, Leah went limp and collapsed into Lucas’s arms. Tears came instantly. “Lucas… a knife… she has a knife… she wants to kill me!” 2. Lucas’s eyes practically shot flames. You’d think I’d dug up his ancestors’ graves. “Samantha! If anything happens to Leah because of this scare, I’m not done with you!” “She just graduated, and you’re already coming at her with a knife?” I ignored him and reached for Leah’s wrist. “Didn’t you get hurt?” “Come on, I’ll take you to get it checked out.” Before my hand even touched her, she screamed again. “Don’t… Lucas, save me…” Then her body went soft, and without Lucas holding her up, she’d have collapsed on the ground. “Are you scared, or did your bones get scared away?” Leah completely ignored me and just kept sobbing. She practically melted against him—so smooth, you’d think she had no bones at all. “I won’t go to the hospital…” “Samantha didn’t mean it. She’s just jealous I’m wearing this coat… I’m fine, I’ll be okay in a bit.” Before she even finished her sentence, Lucas shoved me hard. The force was so strong I stumbled backward, my lower back slamming right into the marble console edge in the entryway. My vision went black, and tears shot out of my eyes. I clenched my teeth and stared at the man in front of me—utterly unrecognizable. If this were before, I probably would’ve cried and asked him why he pushed me. Now? I just felt I should’ve cut deeper with that knife. Lucas didn’t even glance at me. He was too busy patting Leah’s back and soothing her. After a while, he finally turned his head and said coldly, “Transfer five hundred thousand to Leah.” “Emotional distress compensation, plus the cost of the coat.” I leaned against the wall, nearly choking on my breath. Take my money to compensate for my coat? “Are you dreaming? Your abacus beads are flying straight into my face, dude!” I sneered and stared at him. “Still not awake? Let me get you two a room so you can sleep it off.” Leah’s eyes were red as she tugged on Lucas’s sleeve. She said timidly, “Lucas, stop fighting… it’s New Year’s. This is all my fault.” She turned to look at me. There was no fear in her eyes—only provocation. “Samantha, I don’t need you to pay me anymore. Earning money is hard.” “But this coat was Lucas’s gift to me, so please sweep up these scraps of fabric on the floor and keep them for me.” “Leah’s so understanding.” Lucas immediately chimed in. He grinned and pointed at the mess on the floor. “You hear that? Hurry up and clean it, then go to the kitchen and make Leah some ginger tea to calm her nerves! Don’t make me say it twice.” “You want me to make ginger tea for a mistress?” “Why don’t you just ask me to make you two a pot of tonic soup so you’ll have the energy to keep being a two-pump chump?” Lucas’s face flushed with humiliation. Before I could finish, he grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the kitchen. “What the hell are you babbling about! Are you deaf?” As I struggled desperately, he lost his patience. He shoved open the door to the utility closet and pushed me inside. “I was going to let you sit at the table for dinner, but now you can reflect in here until you’re ready to come out!” Bang—the door locked from the outside. I kicked the door. It didn’t budge. “Lucas, are you insane!” The hallway went quiet for a moment. Then came Leah’s sugary, breathy voice. “Ohhh~ Stop it~ Lucas, are you calming down now?” “Samantha’s getting older. She’s going through menopause and her emotions are unstable—we have to be understanding.” “You’re too kind.” Lucas’s sticky-sweet voice came through the door. “She’s thirty years old and acts like a shrew every day. Dry as a stick.” “Not like you—soft as water.” “Oh my gosh, Lucas, you’re so bad…” “I’m serious. Being with her is like hugging a wooden plank. Nothing like being with you—you make me feel like a man.” I stood in the utility closet, not angry, just disgusted. This was the man I’d loved for five years? When he proposed before, didn’t he say I was the light that illuminated his life? What happened? The light went out and turned into a plank of wood? I don’t know how much time passed before Leah pushed the door open. She stood there with her arms crossed, leaning against the doorframe. Her face was full of smugness—nothing like the innocent little rabbit act from before. “Samantha, you heard all that, right?” She lifted her chin. “Lucas said only when he’s with me does he feel like a real man.” I gave her a sympathetic look. These days, some people fight over trash and feel superior about it. “Yeah, I heard.” I brushed the dust off my hands and looked at her. “What’s there to be proud of?” Leah froze. I stepped closer and whispered in her ear, “A man who can’t even last three minutes—only you would treasure him like that.” “Since you love picking up garbage so much, you can have this quick-shot all to yourself.” 3 Leah dropped the act completely. She slammed the door shut, and all traces of that pitiful look vanished. She sneered outright. “Samantha, what are you being so stubborn for?” “You should know better than anyone how Lucas is in bed.” “Then again, how long has it been since you two shared a bed? Even if you stripped naked now, he probably wouldn’t touch you, would he?” She unlocked her phone and waved it in front of my face. “Take a look! The Eiffel Tower, the Maldives.” “Oh, and that time you went home for a funeral and he said he was on a business trip? We actually stayed in a hotel for three whole days without leaving the room.” “Want to hear the details? I’m worried your heart can’t take it at your age.” After hearing her provocation, I let out a mocking laugh. Leah’s face flashed with confusion. “Looks like Lucas never told you about his rags-to-riches story.” “A poor boy who couldn’t even afford college tuition—how he knelt in the snow at my family’s door, begging my dad to give him a chance. He never mentioned that?” Leah’s smile stiffened for a moment. Then, as if remembering something, she straightened up again, all self-righteous. “So what? Even if Lucas used to be a dog, he was still a dog you were willing to pave the way for!” “You still slept with him all these years, didn’t you?” I couldn’t help it—I laughed out loud. She didn’t get angry. Instead, she leaned in close and whispered in my ear, “Samantha, you need to know your place.” “Give up your position while you still can. Don’t cling to it like a desperate fool.” I stared at her. “What position?” “Mrs. Reed, CEO’s wife of Reed Corporation.” I paused and looked at her like she was an idiot. “CEO’s wife? Didn’t I just say?” “A man who’s about to be begging under a bridge—you want that title? Take it.” The moment I finished speaking, the door was shoved open. Lucas stood in the doorway, his face dark as storm clouds. Leah’s face immediately crumpled, her eyes reddening. She rushed over and clung tightly to his arm. “Lucas… Samantha’s lost it!” “She called me a whore and cursed you—cursed you to go bankrupt and beg on the streets…” She sobbed, her voice drowning in tears. “I tried to reason with her, and she just stabbed me with her words. How can someone be so vicious…” Lucas let out a cold laugh. He turned to look at me, eyes full of malice. “You bitch, say that again?” He pointed right at my nose. “Samantha, you really think you’re something special?” “That old bastard’s been dead for years! Now this house, this company—I’m the one in charge!” “After New Year’s, pack your shit and get out!” “You useless old hag squatting on a position you don’t deserve—it’s time someone else took that VP spot!” I couldn’t hold back—I snapped. “Lucas! Have you forgotten who begged my dad like a dog to bring you into the business?” “Without my family, you’d be nothing!” That completely set him off. “Fuck your Smith family!” His whole face twisted with rage. “Everything I have today, I earned myself!” “It has jack shit to do with your Smith family! Mention the past again, and I’ll sell you up north!” “Now! Without me, what the hell are you, Samantha? The shares I hold and the shares my people control—kicking you out is just a matter of one sentence!” With that, he shoved me aside hard and walked off with Leah in his arms. The sound of the car faded into the distance. The house was empty. I walked out of the utility closet. The place was a wreck. The car and the gifts worth hundreds of thousands—he’d taken them all. I pulled out my phone and scrolled to Lucas’s social media. The photo was a Reed family portrait. Leah sat beside him, smiling brightly, wearing my family’s jade necklace around her neck. The New Year gifts I’d prepared were all displayed in the most prominent spots. The caption read: “Finally able to breathe in this house.” The comments below were all the same: “Your wife is so beautiful.” I stared at the screen and made a call. The second the call connected, all the strength I’d been holding onto collapsed. “Aunt Susan…” My tears came without permission. “They’re trying to steal Dad’s company…” 4 The next time I saw Lucas was on the seventh day of the New Year—the first day back at work. I’d just arrived at the company entrance, but I didn’t even get to touch the revolving door. Lucas, along with the relatives he’d planted in the company, blocked my way. His face was full of impatience. “Samantha, just go home. I’ll handle the transition.” “It’s the first day back. I don’t want to make a scene.” Just as I was about to speak, the man behind him—someone I was supposed to call Uncle Bob—shoved me aside. The force was so strong I stumbled and slammed into a nearby pillar. “Why waste words on her!” Bob ripped off my ID badge and threw it hard on the ground. “Want to get into the company? Dream on! Mr. Reed is being generous letting you leave with dignity!” Leah’s high heels stepped right on it, grinding the toe of her shoe over my photo. “Oh my, Samantha, your era is over!” She smiled at me cheerfully. “From now on, you can’t just swipe your face to get through this door.” I stared hard at Lucas. He turned his head away without a word. My heart went completely cold. “Lucas!” “You’re just going to stand there and watch your wife get bullied?” When he didn’t respond— “Slap!” A sharp smack landed across my face. The entire lobby seemed to go silent for a moment. Bob spat on the ground. “You little bitch, how dare you call our Lucas by his name! What the hell are you now!” “Security! What are you standing around for? Drag this crazy woman out!” Just like that, several security guards shoved and pushed me out the door. I stood in the cold wind, watching the smug faces of those people inside. Bob clapped Lucas on the shoulder. His laughter echoed out. “Lucas, finally some peace! Should’ve kicked that woman out ages ago!” Leah practically hung off Lucas. “Mr. Reed, congratulations! You’ve finally taken back everything that belongs to you!” Only Lucas turned his head and looked at me through the glass. Hesitation flickered across his face for a moment. One of his board member relatives cut him off. “What are you looking at? She’s a stray dog now.” “Great men don’t sweat the small stuff! Let’s go hand out New Year bonuses together and celebrate the company being renamed Reed Corp!” A group of them crowded toward the elevator, and the whole scene felt surreal. I leaned against the cold wall, my whole body trembling. My company. My father’s life’s work. Just like that, occupied by a pack of thieves. Tears fell without permission. Suddenly, the screech of brakes shattered the silence. Five black Bentley Mulsannes pulled up in perfect formation at the company entrance. The license plate of the lead car—I’d never forget it as long as I lived. It was my father’s: SEA AS8888. “Dad…” The car door opened. A woman in a black trench coat stepped out. She walked straight up to me and draped the coat over my shoulders. Then she wiped the tears from my face. When her gaze landed on my swollen cheek, she asked, “Who did this?” I froze for a moment, then pointed inside the building. “They’re about to throw a victory party.” The woman let out a cold laugh. She turned to the lawyer who had stepped out of the car behind her. “You know what to do.” “Five minutes. I want that man named Lucas Reed out of my sight.”
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