On the afternoon of New Year's Eve, an order for a bouquet of roses popped up at my best friend's flower shop. I stared at the WeChat profile of the customer on the shop's iPad, verifying it three times. There was no mistake. It was my husband, Mark, who was supposedly on a business trip in Chicago. But the recipient wasn't me. I video-called him. It rang for a long time before he picked up. Before I could question him, my best friend, Chloe, squeezed into the frame, smiling brightly. "You're not even back for New Year's? What gift are you buying Sarah to make up for it?" The room on his end was pitch black. Mark had the duvet pulled over his head, eyes squinting, a forced smile twitching at the corner of his mouth. "Honey, I'm so sorry. I'll make it up to you when I get back." "I pulled an all-nighter working yesterday. I'm exhausted. Let me sleep a bit more." His acting calmed me down instantly. I offered a few perfunctory words and hung up. I picked up the wrapped bouquet and walked out the door. "I'm delivering this one myself." 1 The delivery address wasn't far, a luxury condo complex that opened last year. The security guard stopped me at the gate. "No deliveries allowed inside." I used the shop's phone to dial the customer, pitching my voice higher. Mark's voice came through the speaker. "This is Mark Sterling, Unit 1603, Building 5. Let her in." The guard nodded, logged my info, and buzzed me through. The elevator dinged. I took a deep breath. "I'll go in alone," I told Chloe. She nodded and slipped into the stairwell. "Yell if you need me." I started recording on my phone and rang the doorbell. Mark's voice echoed from inside. "Babe, can you get that?" Footsteps approached. The door opened. The woman froze. "Lily's mom?" I froze too. She was Jessica, my daughter Lily’s former art teacher. She had quit six months ago because she was pregnant. Was she carrying my husband's child? She looked at the flowers in my hands, her gaze sweeping over me. She lowered her head, smiling with a mix of shyness and provocation. "Lily's mom, are you delivering for DoorDash now?" She was wearing a loose silk nightgown, her belly protruding significantly. I gripped the bouquet so hard the paper crinkled. She reached out, feigning kindness. "Thank you. It's freezing out there. You must be cold. Want to come in for a bit?" "Sure. Thanks." She paused, not expecting me to agree so easily. Her eyes darted nervously toward the kitchen, but she smiled and opened the shoe cabinet to get me slippers. The cabinet was full of men's shoes. One pair was the limited edition Nikes I bought Mark last month. He was wearing them when he left for his "business trip." A cartoon portrait of the two of them sat on the console table. Jessica sniffed the flowers. "My husband is so romantic. He never forgets a surprise on holidays." I sneered. "Does he send them on April Fools', too?" Her mouth hung open slightly. She composed herself and said, "Life after divorce must be hard. A wealthy wife reducing herself to delivery work." I looked around the apartment. Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a panoramic view of the lake. The sunset poured in, breathtakingly beautiful. But all I felt was a chilling desolation. Pain pricked every inch of my skin. "Yeah, not everyone gets lucky like you, Ms. Jessica. Hooking up with CEO Sterling really elevated your lifestyle." Her secret exposed, she became smug. "If it wasn't for Lily, Mark would have divorced you ages ago. But my child is more important. The moment he heard I was pregnant, he filed for divorce immediately." "Divorce?" "Stop pretending. Mark told me everything. He only goes home once a month to put on a show for Lily. Since you're here, be smart. Don't use this as an excuse to cling to my husband." "We're both women. I know your little tricks." She lifted her chin, confident. At that moment, Mark walked out of the kitchen carrying a pot of chicken soup. He placed it carefully on the dining table and started ladling it into a bowl. He didn't see me. Jessica walked over and linked her arm through his, her voice dripping with honey. "Hubby, we have a guest." Mark turned around. His hand shook, and the bowl smashed onto the floor, shattering into pieces. "What are you doing here?!" Jessica sighed with fake pity. "Lily's mom is having a tough time. She's delivering flowers now." Mark glanced at the flowers, realizing the voice on the phone had been mine. He never expected I would actually show up. He stepped forward nervously, reaching for me. "Sarah, listen to me, this is..." Before he could finish, Jessica pulled him back, staking her claim. "You guys are divorced, what is there to explain?" "Lily's mom, Mark will pay the child support. Don't be shameless and keep pestering him." I stared into Mark's eyes. "It is time for a divorce." 2 Mark shook off Jessica's hand and grabbed mine, pulling me toward the door. "Let's talk outside. Jessica is in her third trimester; don't scare her." Jessica suddenly "slipped" on a ceramic shard. She fell to the ground, grabbing Mark's pant leg. "Hubby! My stomach!" Mark turned pale. He scooped her up frantically. "Jess, don't be scared. I'm taking you to the hospital." He shoved past me, his elbow slamming hard into my lower back. Sharp pain shot through my spine. "Ah!" Mark instinctively looked back. "Sarah..." Jessica let out a whimper, cutting him off. Seeing her in pain, he turned and rushed out the door. I stumbled out. Chloe ran over to support me. "Are you okay?" "I'm fine." Chloe held up her phone. "I suspect he's transferring assets. I already texted my brother to investigate." Chloe's brother, David, was a top divorce attorney. I nodded thanks and forwarded her the video I just recorded. "Her name is Jessica Miller. Lily's old art teacher. Tell David to draft the divorce papers." "Okay. I'm driving you home." Chloe insisted I wasn't fit to drive. She took me home and picked up Lily to stay at her place for a few days. David worked fast. By the time I got home, he had sent a file. The apartment and car under Jessica's name were bought by Mark. Transfers totaling nearly ten million dollars. A year ago, Mark told me the branch office had issues and he needed to travel often. Turns out he was building a love nest. Every "business trip" was spent with Jessica. I immediately called the company's CFO. "Mr. Jones, send me the ledgers for the main company and all branches for the last few years." "Mrs. Sterling, those are confidential. You don't have authorization." "I am a shareholder!" Silence on the other end. "I will submit a request to Mr. Sterling. Once he signs off, I will send them to you." Good. Very good. Since I got pregnant with Lily, I stopped asking about the company. I spent my days shopping, going to spas, and raising my child. Everyone thought I married well. Even Mark probably forgot: I am the majority shareholder. I have the right to fire him at any time. I started cleaning house. I opened the closet, threw Mark's suits onto the floor, and stomped on them. I tore them apart like a madwoman, venting my rage. At the bottom of the closet, I found an old storage box. It contained everything Mark had given me during our four years of college. A tulip night light, a handmade backpack, hair clips he designed, a jar of paper stars. His family was poor back then. He couldn't afford expensive gifts, so he made them by hand. I hugged the box and cried until dawn. The next morning, my mother-in-law, Martha, and sister-in-law, Emily, barged in. Seeing the mess, they started screaming. "Sarah! Are you crazy? You destroyed all this expensive stuff? Do you know how hard my son works? How did he marry such a wasteful woman? Couldn't give us a grandson, and now this!" She saw me and raised her hand to slap me. "Bitch! You almost hurt my grandson!" "You birthed a useless girl and dare to show off in front of Jessica? Be smart, divorce my son, and get out of the Sterling family." Emily was in the kitchen, sweeping bird's nest, ginseng, and expensive supplements into a bag. "Wasted on her. Mom, let's take these to Jessica. She needs them." Martha rushed to the kitchen, helping her pack. "Right! Jessica is the hero of our family. She needs nourishment." When I gave birth to Lily, Martha took one look, saw it was a girl, and never came back. I didn't care about her attitude. What shocked me was—Jessica gave birth? "Where is Mark?" Martha spat on the floor. "With my grandson, obviously. I'm warning you, if anything happens to him, I'll kill you!" 3 Jessica had a boy. The whole family knew about the affair and the baby. They were all hiding it from me. Mark didn't come home until the afternoon. His eyes were red with fatigue, his face impatient. "My mom just took some stuff from the house, and you called the police? I bought those things with my money. What's wrong with her taking them?" "Save it for the police station." The moment they left, I reported a burglary. I had surveillance footage of them clearing out the kitchen. The value was over a thousand dollars—enough for a criminal case. The police arrested them at the hospital. Mark was left alone to care for the baby and Jessica. He was overwhelmed. Only after hiring a nanny did he have time to come back and confront me. I looked at him and sneered. "Your money?" He laughed, a mocking sound. "If not mine, is it yours? If I hadn't propped up the company all these years, it would have gone bankrupt ages ago. I've been supporting you, letting you live like a queen for a decade." "This company is huge. It needs an heir. Just be a good Mrs. Sterling. No one can threaten your position." I pointed to the family portrait on the wall. "Isn't Lily your heir?" "What use is a girl? She'll just marry out and the assets will fall into someone else's hands." My heart went cold. Fall into someone else's hands? "Mark, is that why you approached me in college?" Mark looked down, grabbing my hand, softening his tone. "Sarah, I love you." I threw the printed divorce agreement at his chest. "Sign it." He glanced at it, threw it on the floor, and laughed coldly. "Sarah, look around. Which wealthy man doesn't have a mistress or two? After all these years, I make one mistake, and you want a divorce?" "Stop making a scene. My mom wanted a grandson, and you couldn't have a second child. I had no choice. When the boy is older, I'll bring him here for you to raise." He spoke as if discussing the weather. I looked at him in disbelief and slapped him twice, backhand and forehand. "Scumbag!" He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "Honey, I know you're angry. But how will you live without me? Are you really going to deliver food?" "You forget. The company belongs to my family." Mark chuckled. "Don't be naive. It's been ten years. The people at the company don't listen to you anymore." "Let's just live our lives. I promise, no one will take your title as Mrs. Sterling. I won't shortchange Lily." "But if I don't agree, you won't get custody. Can you bear to leave her? To let her grow up in a broken home? Think about it for Lily." It was laughable. He didn't think of Lily when he cheated, but now he used her to morally blackmail me. When my father died, he gifted Mark 10% of the shares, hoping he would treat me well. Now, those shares were a weapon against me. Before we married, I hid my identity. After graduation, we joined the company together. Just as we were competing for an executive role, I found out I was pregnant. My father rushed the wedding and told me to stay home and rest. Soon after, my father died of a sudden heart attack. I fell into depression and miscarried. I was hospitalized with severe clinical depression. Mark took care of me while running the company. He said he would guard my father's empire for me. I believed him. I rallied the other shareholders to support him as Chairman. I had no energy to manage the business then. I became the envied Mrs. Sterling and eventually gave birth to Lily. Because I lost a child before, Lily was my world. Mark knew this. That's why he used her. "Mark, the naive one is you, not me." 4 A few days later, acting as a shareholder, I issued a notice removing Mark from all positions and announcing my return to manage all company affairs. The email hit every employee's inbox. I put on a business suit I hadn't worn in years and walked into the building. The receptionist stopped me. "Miss, do you have an appointment?" I hadn't been to the office in five years. Many employees didn't recognize me. "I am Sarah Vance. I'm here to work." "Sarah Vance?" She muttered the name, then gasped, remembering the morning email. "You're the new Chairman!" She respectfully opened the gate. The elevator reached the 26th floor. The doors opened to reveal Mark standing with the other shareholders, waiting for me. His eyes crinkled with a smile that said I was in over my head. Uncle Wang spoke first. He had co-founded the company with my father and watched me grow up. Now, he postured like an elder. "Sarah, Mark told us everything. You're being ridiculous! A lover's spat shouldn't be brought to the office. The Chairman position isn't a toy for your tantrums!" Employees watching from the sidelines snickered. "The CEO's wife probably can't even read a spreadsheet." "Should stay home with the kid. Why come here to cause trouble?" "Classic housewife. Scared her husband will run off, so she comes to mark her territory." Other shareholders chimed in. "Mrs. Sterling, running a corporation is no joke. Go home." "Sarah, Glory Corp has grown under Mark. Don't ruin it." "The company isn't just yours. What right do you have to make these decisions?" Mark smiled confidently, playing the peacemaker. "It's my fault. I made Sarah angry, causing this mess. I apologize on her behalf." "Oh, Mr. Sterling, you're too kind. Since it's a family matter, we won't interfere." "Sarah, don't make this kind of joke again!" The group laughed and turned to leave. Mark leaned in and whispered in my ear. "See? No one stands with you." Many were my father's old loyalists. Now, they all backed Mark. I looked around, my heart turning to ice. I spoke coldly. "A joke? I am the majority shareholder. I demand Mark Sterling be removed immediately." The shareholders froze, looking at Mark. Mark didn't get angry. "Since everyone is here, let's hold a shareholders' meeting and vote for the Chairman." "Assistant Sun, take everyone to the conference room. Call Director Lee." We walked into the conference room. Mark sat naturally at the head of the table. He pulled out a shareholding agreement. He actually owned 20% of the shares! "I've acquired the scattered shares. I hold 20%. Sarah holds 35%. Who do you support?" Uncle Wang and the others voted for Mark. Mark leaned back, looking down at me arrogantly. "That's 40% for me. You only have 35%. Give up." I looked at the door, waiting for the other shareholder. Mark smirked. Half an hour later, Director Lee arrived slowly. He looked at me. "Sarah, you shouldn't do this." My eyes reddened. "Uncle Lee, Mark betrayed me." Uncle Lee pulled me aside to lecture me. "Even if Mark is wrong, you shouldn't air dirty laundry in public. Men need to save face. Go home and solve this." "I support Mark." I didn't expect my own uncle to side with him. Mark stood up to thank everyone. "Sarah, I have 46% support. What do you have to say?" "Mr. Sterling forgets," I said clearly. "There is still a holder of 19% who hasn't voted."
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