1 My CEO husband’s secretary, Bunny, always referred to herself in the third person. During a billion-dollar negotiation, she took our key client to a filthy street food stall. The oil was black, the meat was turning bad, and the client got severe food poisoning on the spot. Bunny just giggled and stuck her tongue out at me. “Oopsie! Bunny thinks she messed up Sister’s wittle project. But Bunny twied her best, so she’s still the bestest, wight?” My husband, Caleb, rushed to comfort her. “It’s fine. Consider it practice for Bunny.” He dismissed me with a look. “Even if you’d landed this deal, your dying company wouldn’t last another year. Just let it go bankrupt.” “And before you do,” he added, “don’t forget Bunny’s bonus—a hundred or two hundred thousand for her help.” No wonder he was so calm. He thought it was my company’s project that failed. I smiled and nodded. After all, the company about to collapse wasn’t mine. … Seeing me agree so readily, Caleb stared at me for a long moment, surprised. Finally, he let out a condescending chuckle. “You know, Serena, your problem is you’re incredibly petty.” “Even though you’re agreeing, I know you’re fuming inside. It’s that kind of small-minded, short-sighted attitude that’s holding you back from ever achieving anything great.” Bunny pouted beside him, a taunting smile in her wide, stupid eyes. “Huh? Bunny doesn’t understand.” “Caleb-waleb, why are you being mean to Sister? She didn’t say she was unhappy.” Caleb snorted. “You think I don’t know her? She’s a master of saying one thing and meaning another.” Bunny hid behind Caleb, her voice a petulant whine. “So you’re a bad woman! You lied to Bunny!” I watched their little duet with a deadpan expression. No matter what I did, Caleb always found a reason to be dissatisfied. He glared at me, his voice a command. “How could you lie to someone as kind and innocent as Bunny? Do you have a conscience?” “Make her bonus five hundred thousand! As compensation. Not a penny less, you hear me?” I almost burst out laughing. It was ridiculous. This was a sure-thing deal we had secured long ago; today’s lunch was just a formality before signing the contracts. And Bunny’s moronic stunt had flushed it all down the toilet. She’d cost the company hundreds of millions in losses—enough bad debt to bankrupt a smaller firm. And for that, she was getting a reward? Fine. It was Caleb’s company. If he wasn’t worried, why should I be? I nodded eagerly and immediately had my assistant draw up the bonus application for Bunny. I held the tablet out to Caleb. “Mr. Thorne, I just need your signature for approval.” He frowned. “It’s your company’s money. Why do I need to sign?” I lied without blinking. “Even though it’s my company, it’s technically our joint marital property. Five hundred thousand is no small sum. Of course, I need your approval.” As Caleb’s brow furrowed in suspicion, Bunny started tugging at his sleeve. With half a million dollars dangling in front of her, her eyes were practically bugging out of her head. “Caleb-waleb, are you done yet? Let’s go eat.” “Bunny barely ate anything taking care of the client. My tummy hurts from being so hungry.” Instantly, all of Caleb’s attention was back on her. He scribbled his signature without a second look. Then, with an arm around Bunny’s shoulders, he shoved me aside. I wasn’t angry at all. I took a moment to admire Caleb’s flourishing signature on the document. Caleb had always been a hands-off CEO who knew nothing about the business. When he saw my company doing well, he’d dumped his own failing enterprise on me. He called it “an opportunity to develop my skills.” When I took over, his company was an empty, dilapidated shell. After a year of back-breaking work, I finally found this one golden opportunity that could make it soar. And his precious Bunny had ruined it all in a single afternoon. I hoped Caleb would be just as carefree when he realized it was his company on the verge of bankruptcy. I took the signed e-document straight to his company’s finance department. The accountant’s face went pale as she processed the transfer. The company had sunk nearly all of its liquid capital into this deal. Another half-million out the door would cripple its basic operations. But what did that have to do with me? After tying up the loose ends, I headed back to the hospital. Outside, I received a text from Bunny. “Good girl. Glad you knew to send the money.” “Bitch, is your company going bankrupt now that the deal is dead? Congrats!” She was in for a disappointment. I was going to save the deal, of course. It just wouldn't be under Caleb’s name. I pushed open the door to the private room. “Mr. Sterling, I am so sorry about what happened today.” Mr. Sterling looked displeased, but not with me. “You don’t need to blame yourself. Honestly, if you hadn’t brokered this, I never would have considered giving the project to Caleb Thorne in the first place.” “Serena, do you understand what I’m saying?” My eyes flickered. I quickly changed the subject. “Mr. Sterling, to express my sincere apology, I’ve arranged a VIP suite for you. Please rest and recover. From now on, I will personally oversee every aspect of our collaboration.” I put special emphasis on the word “our.” Mr. Sterling nodded, satisfied. By the time I returned to my own office with the newly signed contract, Caleb and Bunny were already there. Bunny tossed a hotel key card onto my desk with a smirk. “I heard your company is in trouble, so I pulled some strings with a big boss for you. You can chat about an acquisition.” “If Sister works hard, maybe you can even sell for a little more, hmm?” My face went cold. I looked at Caleb. “I am still your legal wife!” “What is the meaning of this?” He saw no issue with Bunny’s blatant humiliation. Instead, he scowled at me. “Don’t be so ungrateful! Bunny heard you were in a bind and went out of her way to find someone for you. With the mess you’re in, you’re lucky to find a buyer at all!” I remembered when we were just starting out. Caleb had said we would build two companies and always have each other’s backs. That no matter how hard things got, we would never abandon one another. Ever since Bunny arrived, a chasm had grown between us. And now, before we’d even hit rock bottom, he could say something like this. A chill crept into my heart. “My company is in trouble, and you won’t help me? What about your promise?” Caleb exploded. “Serena, so that’s it! You were only with me for my money, waiting for me to bail you out!” He pointed at the key card. “This is just a reservation card for a business lounge! Do you think Bunny is as dirty-minded as you?” “Besides, this was a test for you.” His voice was dripping with self-righteousness. “If you had fought with everything you had and still failed, I would have helped you.” “But unfortunately, you failed my test.” Caleb slapped a post-nuptial property division agreement on the table. “Sign it. I’m deeply disappointed in you. I have no obligation to pay for your mistakes.” He wanted to completely sever his company from mine. I gave him a long, meaningful look. “Fortunes can turn on a dime in this business. When your company needs a lifeline, can you promise you won’t come to me?” Bunny burst into a fit of giggles, collapsing into Caleb’s arms. “Sister, you should focus on cleaning up your own mess first!” “Oh my god, Bunny has never met someone with so little self-awareness!” Caleb’s lips curled into a mocking smile. “You?” “Serena, don’t make a fool of yourself. Sign the agreement. When you’re truly broke, I might let you be a housewife. Don’t be so greedy.” My heart turned to ice. I signed the document without a word. Then I pulled out the divorce papers. “I’ve signed. Now you sign this.” “And I hope you remember what you said today.” Caleb froze for a second, then chuckled. “Playing hard to get? Who taught you that trick?” “You don’t actually think I’m going to beg you to stay, do you?” When I just stared at him, he slowly signed his name. He shot me one last contemptuous look. “Serena, I’m waiting for the day you come crawling back, begging me not to leave you.” With that, he left, Bunny trotting gleefully behind him. I immediately took the papers to my lawyer to start the divorce proceedings. I couldn’t wait another second. To keep Caleb from discovering the truth about his company, I had to pretend I was really looking for a buyer. I contacted the person Bunny had recommended. We met at the business lounge that weekend. The man across from me didn’t beat around the bush. “Sweetheart, I hear your company’s going bankrupt. Ten thousand dollars. I’ll buy it.” I laughed. It was insulting. Even on the brink of collapse, Caleb’s company, which I had slaved over for a year, was still worth millions. He wanted to buy my hard work for ten thousand dollars? What a joke. I rolled my eyes and stood up to leave. But when I opened the door, I came face-to-face with Bunny. “Sister, you’re not satisfied with ten thousand? That’s a fortune!” I just stared at her. “If the company were liquidated, Caleb would never settle for so little.” Bunny shoved me back into the room. “Bitch! Don’t you dare use Caleb to threaten me! You think he gives a damn about you?” “I bet you didn’t know, he set the price himself! He said you and your pathetic little company are only worth that much!” She waved her hand, and two women appeared behind her. They were the housekeepers Caleb had hired for our home. Caleb’s backing had made her utterly arrogant. “You’re signing this today, whether you like it or not!” The two women, their grips like iron, grabbed me and forced me into a chair. They pressed my thumb onto the ink pad and stamped my print on the contract. Then they pried my right hand open, trying to force me to sign. I struggled with all my might, leaving a series of frantic squiggles on the acquisition contract. Bunny clicked her tongue in annoyance. She slapped me, twice. “You want to do this the hard way? Are you going to sign or not?” My face was already swelling, but I managed a defiant smile. “You’re just a secretary Caleb is sleeping with. Why should I listen to you?” “Serena! You dare look down on me?!” Bunny saw red. She slapped me again and again, a dozen times or more. When her arm got tired, she had the housekeepers take over. They didn’t hesitate, as if they were certain Bunny was their future mistress. The slaps rained down on my face until I was on the verge of blacking out. After what felt like an eternity, Bunny grabbed me by the collar again. “I’m asking you one last time. Are. You. Signing?” My cheeks were on fire, my head spinning. “I’ll sign… I’ll sign… please, just stop…” After I signed, Bunny fished the company seal out of my bag and stamped the document. She admired the contract with a triumphant smile. I smiled with her. Because she didn’t know that the seal she had just used belonged to Caleb’s company. Just as the contract was signed, Caleb walked in. Bunny immediately snuggled up to him, seeking praise. “Wasn’t Bunny amazing? Bunny got Sister to sign the contract!” “Good job.” Caleb turned to me. He saw my face, swollen like a pig’s, and my pathetic form slumped on the floor. A flicker of pity crossed his eyes before he hardened them. “Ten thousand was more than generous. You brought this on yourself.” I used the wall to pull myself up, my face a blank mask. “You’re right.” Caleb froze, the rest of his taunt dying in his throat. “Tomorrow,” he finally said, “you will hold a press conference. You will publicly announce that your company was acquired for ten thousand dollars, and that you are leaving the industry for good.” He wanted to make me a laughingstock, to ensure I could never recover. I nodded. Caleb, thinking I had finally submitted, softened his tone slightly. “If you had just been this obedient from the start.” “Alright, after the press conference, we’ll call it even. Stop causing trouble, come home, and I won’t abandon you completely.” I pulled myself to my feet, my expression unchanged. “Yes. It’s over.” It wasn’t just this incident that was over. He was over. In my life, he was finished. Seeing me stumble, Caleb seemed to reach out to steady me. I slapped his hand away. The tiny spark of pity he’d felt for me was instantly extinguished. “Serena, and here I thought you’d learned your lesson.” “When you’re broke and come begging, if you’re not on your knees crawling and barking like a dog, I won’t even give you the time of day!” I suddenly smiled, looking back at him over my shoulder. “I think that’s an excellent idea.” “When the time comes, I’ll be sure to do the same.” I left him there, puzzling over my words, and walked out. The next day, the press conference was a hive of whispers and rumors. “I heard she had to spread her legs to find a buyer!” “Didn’t Thorne Industries just land that billion-dollar deal? Weren’t they supposed to become a major player? What happened?” “Maybe she negotiated that billion-dollar deal in bed too! And the guy just used her and dumped her! Hahaha!” In a single night, Caleb had launched a full-scale smear campaign. He and Bunny sat in the front row, waiting for the show. I was calm. “Thank you all for coming. I’m sure you’ve all heard the rumors.” “But—” I extended a hand towards Caleb in the audience. “—I believe Mr. Caleb Thorne is better qualified than I am to make this announcement.” All eyes turned to him. Caleb scoffed and threw his hands up. “It seems Ms. Thorne can’t face this tragic reality. I suppose I’ll have to do it for her.” He strode onto the stage, whispering in my ear as he passed, “What, you called me up here to beg for forgiveness in public?” “That’s a bit much, even for you. You’re putting me in an awkward position.” I handed him the speech, my face impassive. “I’m not the one who’ll be kneeling. But you? We’ll see.” Caleb sneered, opened the folder, and began to read in a lazy, mocking tone. “Good morning, members of the press. Regarding the rumors of my company being acquired for ten thousand dollars—” “They are true.” The room erupted. Flashes from the cameras turned the stage into a sea of white light. Bunny was already howling with laughter, even letting out an excited whistle. Caleb basked in the moment, continuing without a thought. “Caelus Corp has been fully acquired for the price of ten thousand dollars—” “Caelus Corp? Serena, did you make a mistake?”
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