I wrapped up a six-month business trip just before Valentine's Day, rushing to a luxury watch boutique to order a custom timepiece for my husband. The sales associate smiled, a knowing glint in her eye. "Mrs. Hayes, you and Mr. Thorne really are on the same wavelength. He was just here yesterday and bought a matching couple's set for Valentine's Day." I froze. Suddenly, a memory flashed in my mind. His personal assistant had posted a photo of that exact watch on her Instagram story last night. The caption was bold, almost mocking: He says my time belongs to him now~ My blood ran cold. I immediately dialed my husband’s number. But the voice that answered wasn't his. It was a woman’s. "Hello? Who is this? Why are you calling in the middle of the night? The boss just finished... up... and is in the shower. Call back tomorrow." I let out a cold laugh. "Who am I? I'm your boss's boss." "Tell him you're both fired. Don't bother coming in tomorrow." Chapter 1 I hung up before she could respond. Without missing a beat, I turned to my secretary standing behind me. "Notify the front desk. Starting tomorrow, Mark Thorne and Chloe Mills are banned from the building." "And freeze all assets under Mark's name. Tell the lawyers to draft the divorce papers." After my assistant left to execute the orders, I dragged my exhausted body back to the master bedroom. But the thought that Chloe Mills had been in this room made my skin crawl. I turned around and slept in the guest room. ... The next day, I slept until the afternoon. When my phone screen finally lit up, it froze for a solid thirty seconds before flooding with notifications. Dozens of missed calls from Mark. Ninety-nine plus text messages. I deleted them all with a single tap—everything from last night’s tentative probing to this morning’s desperate, angry rants. After replying to a few work emails, I washed up and went downstairs for lunch. Before I could even sit down, the housekeeper hurried over with her phone. "Mrs. Hayes, Mr. Thorne is on the line. He insists on speaking with you." Since the food wasn't ready yet, I took the phone. Before I could say a word, Mark’s roar exploded in my ear. "Vivian! What the hell is the meaning of this? Do you have any idea how much you embarrassed me at the office today?!" His hysterical shouting instantly killed the good mood I’d managed to salvage from a rare full night of sleep. The rage I’d suppressed last night flared up. I scoffed. "Mark, get your priorities straight. The issue isn't whether you're embarrassed." "If you ever use that tone with me again, I promise you'll lose a lot more than just face." I hung up on him. Five minutes later, the phone rang again. This time, Mark’s voice was still angry, but he was clearly trying to rein it in. "Viv, I went to the office this morning, and security blocked me. They said I was fired. What is going on?" I stirred the soup in my bowl, my voice flat. "Exactly what they told you. I let you run CloudTech because I was out of the country on business. Now I'm back. It's only natural you step down." "But what about Chloe? That girl beat out so many candidates to get that job. You're firing her just because she didn't use an honorific when she answered your call?" His voice rose, thick with righteous indignation. My tone dropped to zero Kelvin. "Her? I don't recall hiring an assistant who wears matching couple watches with her boss and sleeps in his bed." Mark choked. Silence hung heavy on the line for a long moment before he stammered. "You... you know?" "That watch was a company reward! And she stayed at our place because there was a thunderstorm. She's terrified of thunder and didn't want to be alone in the guest room. But I didn't sleep with her! I slept on the couch!" I cut him off, my voice devoid of emotion. "And last night?" Mark immediately countered. "Last night was nothing! We had separate rooms after a client dinner. Her shower was broken, so she just used mine." "Look, Viv, are you serious right now? Just because the girl asked who you were last night, you cussed her out and threatened to fire her? I'm a married man. I really didn't..." "Ha." I leaned back in my chair, impatience dripping from my voice. "Mark, do I look like a toddler to you?" "Scared of thunder? Put in earplugs. Shower broken? Call the front desk for a new room." "Do you really think just because I was abroad for six months, I was blind?" Recalling the dossier my PI had sent over, my eyes narrowed. "The month I left, you bought her a condo downtown worth half a million." "Three months ago, you bought her a Porsche." "Last month, you used a 'business trip' as cover to take her on a private jet to the Caribbean." "Mark, do you think I'm an idiot?" My anger spiked with every sentence. Finally, I delivered the ultimatum. "Tell her to return the car and the condo immediately." "Or she goes to prison, and you get kicked off the family registry." Mark tried to argue. "I didn't give them to her! I just... lent them to her." "Besides, Mom is waiting for us to have a baby so she can show off to her friends. If we divorce..." I interrupted him coldly. "What did you think was going to happen?" "If you hadn't crossed the line, we'd already be signing papers at the courthouse right now." I hung up before he could spew another excuse. Chapter 2 After lunch, I didn't go to the office. instead, I grabbed my best friends and went on a shopping spree. Retail therapy works wonders. Or so I thought. The next morning, riding the high of my purchases, I pushed open my office door—only to be greeted by a sight that made my blood boil. My husband was on the office sofa, pinned beneath his assistant. Seeing me enter, Mark scrambled to push her off. "Honey! Let me explain!" Chloe hit the floor hard, her elbow cracking against the coffee table. She yelped in pain. But Mark didn't have time to coddle her. He was desperate to prove his innocence. "Vivian, really, nothing happened! She just tripped and fell on me..." "Shut up!" I dodged his hand reaching for my bag, my voice icy. "Who let you in? Didn't I make it clear you were both fired?" My secretary hurried in, dragging a terrified receptionist behind her. The receptionist was pale. "Ms. Hayes, I... I didn't dare stop them. Mr. Thorne and Ms. Mills wouldn't leave the lobby. When the partners from the merger arrived, Mr. Thorne pretended to be with them and walked right in. I really couldn't stop them!" I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. I waved them away. "Get back to work. It's not your fault." Once the bystanders left, I ignored Mark’s pleading eyes and scanned my office. The diffuser by the bookshelf reeked of lily—a scent I detest. The framed photo of Mark and me was gone, replaced by a Hello Kitty plushie. Even in the lounge closet, a dress that wasn't mine hung boldly on the rack. Suddenly, Chloe burst into tears, wailing as if she were the victim of a great injustice. "Ms. Hayes, please don't misunderstand! There's nothing going on between Mr. Thorne and me. That dress is just there because I forgot to take it home last time I changed!" Mark immediately stepped in front of her, shielding her. "Vivian, that's enough. She's just a kid. Why are you scaring her?" "Her clothes got wet on the way to work, so I ordered her a new dress. I brought her here today just to let her pack her things. You can't fire someone and not let them take their stuff... Hey! What are you doing?!" Slap! The sound echoed crisply through the office. I shoved Mark aside and delivered a backhand across Chloe’s face that cut off his sentence. "Vivian! Why did you hit Chloe?!" Mark roared, furious. I turned and slapped him too, looking at him with pure disgust. "Why hit her? You think you're getting off easy?" "If her dirty mouth dares to twist the facts to make me jealous, she better be ready to get hit." Chapter 3 We had important partners arriving for a meeting in the conference room upstairs. Chloe was sobbing and clutching her face. Mark had a handprint blooming on his cheek. It was a circus. I glared at Mark. "Do you want to keep humiliating yourself here, or come home with me?" Mark’s face was livid, but he gritted his teeth and followed me. In the parking garage, Mark took the keys and got into the driver’s seat. Chloe actually tried to open the passenger door. "Get out!" I barked. "My car doesn't carry trash." "Vivian! That's too harsh!" Mark frowned at me. I scoffed. "Harsh?" "She has the nerve to seduce a married man, but she can't handle being called out?" Chloe immediately lowered her head, looking pitiful. "I just wanted to come along to help clear up the misunderstanding... I never wanted to break you two up." I didn't even look at her. I stared daggers at Mark. Finally, under pressure, Mark got out and pulled Chloe away from the car. "Take a cab home. I'll reimburse you." Only then did she leave, reluctant and pouty. I didn't want the staff at home to witness a scene, so I dragged Mark straight upstairs. He thought we were going to the bedroom until I walked past it toward the study. He rushed to block the door, looking guilty. "Maybe we should go somewhere else? You haven't been back in so long, it’s probably dusty in there." I ignored him, shoved him aside, and threw open the door. My scalp tingled with rage at the sight before me. My father’s portrait—his memorial photo—was on the floor. Smeared across the glass was a dark, unidentifiable solid. The desk, the floor, and scattered documents were stained with dried yellow puddles. The room reeked of ammonia and musk. I gagged, my voice trembling with fury. "Who did this?!" Mark scratched his head, looking mortified. "Well... Chloe might have been careless that day. She let her cat in..." "Careless?!" I grabbed Mark’s hand and dragged him to the doorway. "The study has a biometric lock. Only your fingerprint and mine can open it. You call this careless?!" "Honey, calm down." Mark tried to explain. "Chloe’s cat is usually very well-behaved. She brought some files over for me to sign, and then she felt sick... we must have forgotten the cat when we left..." I pointed at the blank wall where the portrait used to hang. "There was nothing else on that wall. No shelves, nothing to climb. Tell me, how does a cat jump that high to knock a frame down?!" "And those documents." I pointed at the ruined papers on the desk. "I locked those in the safe before I left. Why are they out here?!" Mark opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound. Suddenly, Chloe appeared. She fell to her knees and started slapping her own face. "Ms. Hayes, I'm sorry! It's all my fault! I'll pay for the damages! Please don't blame Mr. Thorne!" "Who let you in?" My voice was low, signaling the calm before the storm. Chloe flinched but couldn't hide a flicker of triumph in her eyes. "B-before, it was inconvenient to ask the butler to open the gate every time I brought contracts. So Mr. Thorne added my fingerprint to the security system." I let out a cold laugh and activated the smart home system. "Alexa, call 911." "Okay Vivian, dialing 911 now." "Stop! Alexa, cancel command!" Mark panicked the moment he heard '911'. He yelled at me. "Vivian, haven't you made enough of a scene?!" "Chloe said she’d pay for the damages. Do you have to be so relentless?" "I know you're just jealous because she was with me while you were gone. You're taking it out on her." "But I'm telling you one last time, Chloe and I are innocent. And I won't let you use her as a punching bag!" Mark stood taller with every word. I grabbed a glass from the table and smashed it against the wall behind them. "Compensation? If I let an animal shit on your father's memorial photo, would you take cash for it?" "Can she afford it? Do I look like I need her money?" Mark shielded a screaming Chloe, speechless. He rubbed his temples, annoyed. "Fine. You're irrational right now. I can't talk to you." "Have someone list the damages. I let her in, so if she can't pay, I will." I sneered. "You'll pay?" "Great. We’re heading to the courthouse to divorce right now. Let's see how much of your own money you actually have to pay me!" Hearing the word divorce, Mark reacted like a cat whose tail was stepped on. "Why are you bringing that up again?" He sighed, sounding like he was doing me a favor. "Look, I get it. You just don't like Chloe." "I'll take her away so you don't have to see her. She'll figure out how to pay you back. Okay?" "Just stop saying the D-word. Even I have limits to how much I can take." With that, Mark didn't wait for my response. He turned and led Chloe away, leaving me standing there alone. Chapter 4 Personal drama aside, I had a mountain of work waiting for me. When I arrived at the CloudTech building the next day, my access card wouldn't open the elevator. "What is going on?" I asked the front desk, my face dark. Before the receptionist could answer, Chloe stepped out of the elevator. Seeing me, she covered her mouth in mock surprise. "Oh my, Ms. Hayes. You were kicked off the board. Why are you still here?" "Oh, right. Your secretary was fired for incompetence too. She probably didn't have time to tell you." I raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Excuse me? Kicked off the board?" Just then, Mark hurried over with a group of shareholders, fresh out of a meeting. Thinking I was harassing Chloe again, he shielded her and spoke coldly. "It means exactly what you heard." "Vivian, you've been removed." "Aside from you, every shareholder just voted. It was unanimous." "So, Vivian, you don't need to come in anymore. Just stay home and wait for your dividends." I scoffed. "Removed? I built this company. I hold the majority shares. What right do you have to remove me without notice?!" The shareholders behind him looked down, avoiding my eyes. Mark looked impatient. "You have 40%, sure. But don't forget, the other shareholders and I hold 60%." "Four against six. The math is simple. Even if you were there, you couldn't have changed the outcome." I scanned the crowd of faces. I finally realized I was surrounded by wolves. When I was running things, these shareholders couldn't embezzle a dime. But with me gone for six months and Mark’s lax management, they’d had a feast. They knew the good times would end the moment I returned. So when the chance to oust me appeared, they jumped on it. "Mark. Impressive." "I accept it." I started laughing. Laughing at myself for working myself into an ulcer for this company. Laughing at my naivety for sleeping next to a snake. Mark frowned. "Vivian, you just can't vote on major decisions. Your dividends won't change. Don't act like we're bullying you." Then, his tone softened. "Besides, Mom wants a grandson. Now that you're free, you can focus on preparing for pregnancy. I want to have a child with you." I stared at Mark for a long time. "No thanks. Let's divorce." I turned and walked out of the building. I dialed the internal line for the legal department of Hayes Holdings—my family’s conglomerate. "Order from the top: Withdraw all Hayes Holdings investments in CloudTech immediately. Give them three days to return the capital with interest!" Then, I called CloudTech’s biggest competitor. "Mr. Sterling? It's Vivian Hayes." "Interested in joining forces to crush CloudTech?"
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "386558", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel