I doted on his parents for five years, catered to their every whim. And with their blessing, I finally married their only son. My husband, Ethan, was a classic trust-fund kid, more interested in polo than profits. So, as his wife, I became the CEO of Prescott Enterprises. Life was, for a time, perfect. Then came the gala celebrating our billion-dollar acquisition. Ethan showed up, his arm wrapped around his pregnant first love, Amber Sutton. "Marrying a commoner like you was always a compromise," he announced, his voice carrying across the hushed ballroom. "Amber and I are back together. The mother of my child is the only one qualified to run my family's company. You're fired, you washed-up charity case. Get out." I glanced at my in-laws, Arthur and Eleanor, who stood frozen, their faces a mask of conflict. I let out a soft sigh. "You don't have the authority to fire me, Ethan. I'll give you one last chance. Tell her to get rid of the baby, cut her loose, and maybe we can still be a family." A collective gasp rippled through the crowd, followed by a wave of derisive laughter. They thought I was insane, a gold-digger trying to play hardball. I just smiled. "You're right about one thing. I am playing hardball. And I have every right to." 1 Silence fell over the glittering ballroom for a heartbeat. Then, the whispers erupted. "Has she lost her mind? Kate owes everything to the Prescotts. What a bluff." "Don't call her CEO anymore. She's just the jilted wife. Once she's fired, she's back to being a nobody." "Honestly, Kate should just take the deal," a woman in diamonds muttered. "The kid was never going to be hers anyway. What's the difference? She gets to play stepmommy, she should be grateful." Amid the jeers, Ethan stared down at me, his handsome face contorted with that familiar, aristocratic disdain. "Kate, don't embarrass yourself trying to make threats. You don't have the capital. Without me, you are nothing." I looked at his face, the one I had known so intimately, and a bitter taste filled my mouth. "Three years of marriage, and you throw it all away? You kick me out of the company I built? How exactly do you plan on explaining this to your parents?" Ethan’s expression soured. "Don't you dare bring them into this. If you hadn't shamelessly fawned over them, do you really think I would have ever married you? We're from different worlds, Kate. I can't do this anymore. And why shouldn't you be fired? Of course Mom and Dad will side with me." "Will they?" I crossed my arms, my voice even. "I wouldn't be so sure." My confidence seemed to give the room pause. "Does… she have an ace up her sleeve?" someone murmured. "Come to think of it, Prescott Enterprises was just another mid-level firm before she took over. She tripled its value in three years." "Exactly. And this billion-dollar deal she just closed? They could coast on that for the next decade." As the murmurs of praise for me began to swell, Amber’s composure cracked. She sniffed, her gaze dripping with contempt. "So what if she's a good little worker bee? Once you're fired, you're less than nothing. You need to understand your place. You're not like us, the ones who were born to have it all." I ignored her acidic tone, my eyes fixed on Ethan. "Is that how you see it, too?" A flicker of something—maybe pity—crossed his face, likely recalling the endless nights and weekends I poured into his family’s company. "My decision is final. But look, I'll give you a hundred thousand dollars. For old times' sake." A laugh escaped my lips, sharp and incredulous. "A hundred thousand? For three years of my life? For the billion-dollar deal I closed today? You'd need to add at least two more zeros to even start that conversation." Ethan scoffed. "You think you can talk about fairness? People like you don't get to talk about fairness with people like me. You might recall, Kate, that you never signed an employment contract. So legally, I don't have to give you a damn cent. Take the money and get out before you make this worse for yourself." Every eye in the room turned to me—a flood of pity, shock, and unconcealed glee. I could only shake my head at my own foolishness. It was true. I was working for family, I’d thought. I never imagined Ethan would replace me with Amber. Amber. The one that got away. She’d dumped him without a second thought years ago when the family business was struggling. Now that I’d turned it into a powerhouse, she was back, ready to reap the rewards. And Ethan, blinded by nostalgia, was letting her. For a woman who had abandoned him, he was treating me with a cruelty that was breathtaking. A cold rage solidified within me. "You don't have the authority to fire me, Ethan," I repeated, my voice like ice. "I am giving you one chance. One. Send her away, tell her to terminate the pregnancy, and dedicate yourself to our marriage. This is the only offer you will get." Ethan stared at me, his disbelief morphing into pure fury. He jabbed a finger in my direction. "Who the hell do you think you are, giving me orders? Amber is carrying the next Prescott heir! She's the one I'm going to love. As for you? You could get on your knees and beg, and the only thing you'd get is fired." The crowd shook their heads, laughing at my audacity. But I didn't care. They were all wrong. I never make empty threats. I had every right to give him that ultimatum. If I hadn't promised his parents I would love him, would tolerate him, he would have been out on the street the moment I confirmed his affair. I held his gaze. "So, to be clear, you are firing me and divorcing me for your mistress?" "Don't you call me that, you bitch!" Amber shrieked, her mask of civility gone. "The one who isn't loved is the mistress! Are you that stupid you don't even get that?" Ethan wrapped a protective arm around her. "That's right, Kate. I don't want you. And without me, you have no right to be the CEO of Prescott Enterprises. Amber, our baby, and I—we are a family now." "What a pity," I murmured. "You really should have taken the chance I gave you." Ethan's face hardened, his disgust for me palpable. "Stop with the theatrics. You think you're still the all-powerful CEO? You're nothing without me. Who needs your pathetic chances?" Amber shoved a finger into my forehead. "Are you a dog that only knows how to bark? Before your brain completely short-circuits, you'd better start the handover process. I'm in charge of everything now." I slapped her hand away. "You think any stray off the street can handle this project?" "What the hell is wrong with you, Kate!" Ethan shoved me backward, then immediately turned to Amber, his voice full of concern. "Are you okay? Did she hurt you?" Amber shot me a venomous glare. "Ethan, she's not going to listen to reason. It's time to stop being nice." He nodded grimly, his eyes returning to me, cold and dismissive. "Fine. If you won't cooperate, it doesn't matter. If someone like you could land this deal, an Ivy League graduate like Amber certainly can. Besides, my father will help her." I couldn't help but laugh. "What makes you so sure Dad will accept her?" He looked at me as if I were a simple-minded child, placing a hand gently on Amber's stomach. "Amber is the mother of my child. The mother of the future heir to the Prescott fortune. Against that, Kate, you've already lost." Seeing his smug, self-satisfied expression, I felt a pang of something almost like pity. "You know," I said gently, "if you're with her, your child might not have the right to the Prescott name." "You're damn right!" Amber crowed triumphantly. "Ethan loves me so much, he's already agreed our first child will take my last name, Sutton. See? That's the difference between being loved and not. You could fawn over his family for a decade and you still wouldn't be worth a single hair on my head." The guests snickered. "Did she really think everyone is as desperate as her to marry into money, that the child has to take the father's name?" "The Prescotts and the Suttons are a good match. They can decide the name however they want." "Besides, Mr. Prescott only has the one son. He'll let him do whatever he wants." Ethan’s patience was gone. "It's over, Kate. You're fired. From now on, Amber is the CEO of Prescott Enterprises." I let out a cold, dismissive laugh. "I told you. You don't have the authority to fire me." This time, the crowd roared with laughter, pointing at me as if I were the court jester. Amber’s voice was laced with scorn. "Just give it up, you pathetic bitch. You've made an enemy of the Prescotts. You're not just fired—no one in this industry will ever hire you again. Your lucky streak is over." They all thought I was a fool. I could have walked away with a severance, but now I would have nothing. My career, my future, all of it, gone. But they didn't matter. I stood up straighter, my voice ringing with a confidence they couldn't comprehend. I swept my gaze across the room, meeting the eyes of our business partners, our allies, our fair-weather friends. "Do you all think," I asked, my voice clear and steady, "that based on my performance, I deserve to be fired?" The people at this gala were the ones I worked with day in and day out. They knew Ethan was a dilettante who cared only for his leisure. They knew his father had run the company, and then I had. They had all dealt with me directly. There was a man whose company I’d saved from bankruptcy, investing in a project no one else would touch. He’d once told me, with tears in his eyes, that I was his savior. There was a woman who’d initially dismissed me as a trophy wife, but after closing three deals with her, she’d become a close friend and confidante. And there were countless others who had courted my favor, desperate to maintain a good relationship. Now, they either avoided my gaze or looked at me with open contempt. "Don't look at me, Kate," one of them said, a man I’d had dinner with last week. "If you had just left quietly, I might have considered giving you a job. A little something to tide you over." "You're talented, sure," said another. "But you burned your bridges. There are plenty of talented people out there. We don't need to piss off the Prescotts for you. You're not that important." "My advice? Find another rich man to latch onto. After all, that's what you're good at." The laughter was a physical force, crashing over me in waves. The very people who had sung my praises were now kicking me while I was down. I remembered something Arthur, my father-in-law, had told me when I first took over. When things are going well, you're surrounded by friends. It's only when you fall that you see who they really are. Looking at their smug, opportunistic faces, I finally understood. But I would not give them the satisfaction. I stopped looking at them, my voice dropping to a low, powerful tone. "I'll say it one more time. There is no one in this room who has the authority to fire me." "You gold-digging parasite! How long are you going to keep this up?" Amber shrieked, her patience completely gone. "Ethan has thrown you away! People like you don't belong in a place like this!" I ignored her as if she were a yapping dog, picked up a glass of champagne from a passing tray, and took a slow, deliberate sip. My utter calm seemed to unnerve them. A flicker of doubt crossed their faces. Maybe I wasn't bluffing. For a long moment, in that vast ballroom, no one dared to make a move to throw me out. Ethan, however, was immune to my act. He shot me look after look of pure hatred, his eyes constantly darting towards the entrance. Suddenly, his face lit up. "Mom! Dad! You're finally here!" He strode over and took Arthur's arm, his voice dripping with triumphant condescension. "Kate, you said no one here could fire you. I believe my father, the Chairman of the Board, has the authority, don't you think?" He was right, of course. I was the CEO, but Arthur Prescott was the Chairman. He had the final say. "Dad," Ethan pleaded, "I know Kate is a suck-up and you like her, but I'm miserable with her. I love Amber, and she's having my baby! Please, just let us be happy!" "Mr. and Mrs. Prescott, it's so good to see you," Amber said, her previous vulgarity replaced by a mask of demure sweetness. Arthur had never liked Amber, especially after she’d broken his son's heart. But his gaze fell to her pregnant belly, and he held his tongue. Eleanor, my mother-in-law, looked at Amber, her voice hesitant. "Are you… are you really carrying Ethan's child? Are you feeling alright?" "I was fine," Amber said, instantly playing the victim, "but Kate has upset me so much, my stomach has started to hurt." At this, Arthur's expression hardened as he turned to look at me, his eyes filled with a storm of emotions. The guests, who had been momentarily swayed by my confidence, saw this exchange. The concern Arthur and Eleanor showed for Ethan and Amber was all the proof they needed. My bluff had been called. A fresh wave of scornful looks pierced me like daggers. Ethan, sensing victory, smirked. "Mom, Dad, I want a divorce. If you want someone to bring you tea and massage your feet, you can hire a team of nurses. No normal woman would debase herself like that. Just give Amber a chance. You'll love her once you get to know her." His undisguised revulsion at my acts of affection made several guests physically recoil from me, as if I were contaminated. Amber laughed, a loud, victorious sound. "See? What's the point of all that devotion? Without status, without power to back it up, you end up with nothing!" Just as Arthur and Eleanor were about to speak, I raised a hand, silently asking them to wait. Ethan was shocked. "You used to jump when they so much as breathed. Now you dare to silence them? I see. Now that it's over with me, you're showing your true colors. You really are a piece of work. "Mom, Dad, can you really stand to see me with such a manipulative person? I want a divorce. Please, just agree." Amber immediately chimed in. "Mr. and Mrs. Prescott, you wouldn't want your first grandchild to be born out of wedlock, would you? The moment Ethan is free, I promise I will marry him." My in-laws looked at me, then at the tightly clasped hands of Ethan and Amber. Finally, Arthur let out a long, heavy sigh. "It's a shame. It seems you can't force people to be family." He looked at his son. "Ethan, do what you feel you must." Ethan beamed and immediately had someone bring over the divorce papers. "You could have had a settlement, Kate. But you were too greedy. Sign this, and you and I are done. You are no longer the CEO of Prescott Enterprises. You brought this all on yourself." The jeers of the crowd were a roaring in my ears as Ethan impatiently urged me to hurry. There was nothing left to say. I signed my name with a firm, steady hand. "There," I said, setting the pen down. "Now that we're no longer connected, it's time you learned where my confidence really comes from."
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